Reviews Gaucho Brazilian Barbecue

Good Food, very fresh salad bar, service is a little bit slow. The place is very crowed and small but i like it. I need to come back and try something else maybe desserts. Taste food, nice ambient, good selection of wines . Love this place

An all you can eat Brazilian BBQ with servers bringing as much meat as you can handle until you say stop.  Great concept, pricey, but worth it.  With items from all the major food groups : Pork, Beef, Chicken, Lamb, it's quite the experience.

I had an after dinner coffee that was flavoured with alcohol, and it was great.  

How can you NOT come back here at least several times a year for special occasions never mind just because you need to meat-sweat?

For the number of staff members and guests crammed into a small space, and a messy service (Gauchos serving meat while getting the juices in the table and not cleaning it up) I rate this restaurant a 4.0 However, the staff is friendly, the salad bar had excellent choices for sides, and the meats/flavors were great. The service of the Gauchos could definitely have been better, especially paying a higher price. I reccomend this restaurant for the food and friendly staff only!

Just go eat there. That’s it. Spoiler warning, it’s amazing. You don’t need to read any more. If you don’t live in Calgary, move, and if you can’t, I weep for your very souls. And if you’re in Calgary, why are you still reading this? Unless you’re already heading there by some form of rapid transport, you should stop doing what you’re doing immediately and eat at Gauchos. Raise your children tomorrow. A good job will wait for you. It is awesome. What more needs to be said. It’s as good as restaurant like it can be, and that’s really good. Just go. Put down the tablet, phone, or computer and go…

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Okay, I’m paid by the word count (umm, you’re not paid at all) so I better start padding. Gaucho’s is an economical idea made even better by amazing food delivered in an amazing way. Meat is brought to your table skewered on a sword. That is awesome, as awesome as ocelots, King Ghidorah, and…well, the universe. I mean it’s not exactly a sword, it’s a skewer. But it’s three feet long, solid steel, with a sharp point, so when I claim it sword-like, enough to proxy in pinch, I believe I’m on solid ground on the claim. The menu is brilliant in its simplicity, with barely a dozen options. Really, it’s just one, the seven meats. That’s right, seven meats--rump steak, garlic top sirloin, rosemary pork loin, gaucho sausage, herbed chicken wings, Parmigiano beef and spicy garlic brisket. It’s a proper comparison equating those with the seven summits—the highest mountains on each of the continents, and seriously almost an esteemed achievement. The sweats kick in about half-way through, and you feel like you’re about to run out of oxygen, but you soldier on. Why? Because they’re there!

Okay, seriously, Gaucho is fantastic in its simplicity, a chain or franchise would muddle the waters with complex ideas and padded, compromised menus. This has one idea—a salad bar saddled with BBQ meat brought to the table via sword delivery. You are presented with a two-colored cow-shaped card. As long as one side is up, the meat will keep flowing to your table. When you’ve had enough, flip it over to stop the line. Simple. I challenge everyone to finish, because they are all worth it, especially if fortunate to arrive before the lunch rush, insuring you’ll have first cut. And I usually hate salad bars. I find any place requiring the same level of plexi-protection as what guards the Pope from assassination is probably not for me. If food is locked away behind an inch of Formica, I generally move on. This was good, and attractive, not just for a salad bar, not in the way we compliment ugly children, legitimately appealing. Like the baguettes on wooden boards with an inviting knife for people to cut. The varieties of salad ranged from the simple to the sublime. It’s after you’ve taken your filled plate to your table does the journey begin and the first sword delivered.

They shave, you pinch with your tongs, and they give you a moment before returning again. You can say no to anything offered, and can have repeats of what you like the most. So yeah, I was not a huge fan of anything with bones still in place, so sorry chicken. The beef however, was astounding as were the sausages. Between servings, you can take in the adorable restaurant, shockingly upmarket considering the cuisine. I especially liked the fire hazard of a central chandelier. Seriously, whose ideas was this? It had to have been intentional—with seven rustic bulbs mounted on the outer rim of a wagon wheel; each bulb’s lengthy cable wound clumsily around the central pillar until plugged into its own socket in the ceiling. If you saw that in your friend’s house, you would mock it, the result of an insane DIY projects no architect in his right mind would endorse. This had to have been intentional, with the eight power plugs and the forty feet of cables wrapped around the pillar. No no, don’t cut them, just wind them maniacally around the center. It’s so obvious, it had to be deliberate, so in a way, it’s also kind of brilliant. If this was a crappy Canadian pub only serving hot wings and beer nuts located in the demilitarized zone of Prince George, you would shake your head and walk out. Here, it’s adorable.

Did I mention the meat is served on a sword? You still think I’m joking—the skewer is not a rod with a point—It has a flat edge and fuller. It’s a friggin’ sword. And at $20 at head during lunch time, it’s a steal. The staff was awesome, the décor was funky and functional. That’s it, just go. Gaucho skirted possible negative stereotypes and created a great location and one worthy of anyone’s money. Go now.

Food: 5/5

Service: 4/5

Presentation: 5/5

Value: 5/5

Recommendation: 5/5

Many have compared this place to Bolero, having been there 8 times before, I thought I would give the competition a try.

I don't know which place I prefer, but if we are taking flavor, Gaucho is the place to go. I found that I liked their meat options much better, and the salad bar is nicer.

Their desserts are only okay.

I do like that this place is a BYOB, helps save a few bucks on your bill. Heads up on the corking fee though.

Such a cool place. Good food and good service. I like the style of this restaurant. You have to come experience it to fully understand. Get ready for a baby meat belly!!

Brilliant place great food and prices walked out of there so full of delicious meat and food I looked drunk. Went home and had a great meat nap, would highly suggest people to try it.

Went for an anniversary dinner and it was great! I enjoyed it much more than Bolero honestly. There was such a variety of meats to pick from, and the food came around very often so we weren’t sitting there waiting for the next delicious item to come around. The service was super friendly, and yes this place is pricey, but worth it for a fun and different experience. Wish i was able to make it for the seafood night but sadly missed it.

Gaucho's Brazilian BBQ .vs. Bolero's Calgary - Winner - GAUCHO's by a LANDSLIDE!!!. Note: This is a longggg review/comparison and the sole purpose of me even registering for this site was to provide an insight to those who are wondering which Brazilian BBQ place is better (haven't tried Pampa yet).

I love love love meat, buffets, and food in general! I am not a great fan of spending over $40 for dinner, so therefore, when I do, it is a big deal!

Background: I have gone to the Goucho's locations on Macleod Trail S and Canmore, and the Bolero's in Calgary. Due to the fact that I have had trouble in the past going to Bolero's (busy/not taking reservations), I had frequented Goucho's. I was really curious as to why Bolero's is always packed/not taking walk-ins/reservations, and therefore booked a week in advance for a Wednesday supper (yes - my life revolves around food lol).

a) Gaucho's - I have to say that the staff at Gaucho's is amazing, friendly, knowledgeable, always helpful, and consistent with both locatoins. The Gaucho's who serve meat always interact, and have amazing energy.

The sides! I love the sides! A few items that they have include a Caeser Salad with croutons, bacon, and parmesan cheese, amazing mashed potatoes with awesome melted cheese on top, this wicked tasty creamy chickpea/bean salad (sounds disgusting but oh so good), rice, and chicken stroganoff to name a few.

I am always a sucker for the sides. In fact, I always coach myself prior to lay low on them, but just can't resist!

The meat is consistent and flavorful! My personal favorites? Bacon-wrapped chicken and Parmesan Beef. The Parmesan Beef is soooo good, I feel like I could hear Angles singing in the background as I eat (lol that good!). I have been to Goucho's 3 times, and always consistent.

The staff is absolutely wonderful. If you want a specific skewer, just ask, and they will be right there! The price for a Full Rodizo is $40. I do wish that this included desert items and pop, but hey, one can only wish.


next... Bolero's

I was excited to visit Bolero's. The venue did look really nice. The server described the meal options and me and my friend - a fellow foodie decided to go for the Full Rodizo. He gave us a list of skewer's that would be around. There was a list of Beef, Chicken, Pork, Lamb, and cheese/buns options. I was excited!

Our first stop was at the "gourmet fresco" bar. There was a few cold sides and a circle table holding about 5 hot sides. I have to say I was super disappointed with the "gourmet" sides bar. This bar included with green spring mix (honestly equivalent to the stuff you can buy at Superstore) with 3 options of salad dressing (Ranch, Thousand Island, and Italian). It was strange how thick the dressing were. I had shake the ladle a few times before the dressing clunked down. Sort of disgusting.
two types of cheese cubes, cut into pieces but sort of stuck together, this nasty pasta salad (if you want to call it that). It was macaroni pasta (mushy), with bland tomato sauce and sketchy looking beef. They had shrimp for shrimp lovers. Their hot sides, coconut rice, some beef stu (not bad, but i appreciate how Goucho's has a creamy chicken dish, since one would most likely want to dig into the steak skewer options) and vegetables.
Not only did the sides bar look bad it tasted like day old high school cafeteria food.

But i was glad. I remained positive as i thought "Hey, i am always a sucker for sides, so it's good that they suck here, I will fill up on the meat!!". I eat all the cuts of meat, however, my fellow-foodie, she does not eat pork. She has also been my Goucho's partner, and has never had a problem as different sorts of meats come out.

The first item up! Parmisan Pork, i was excited, but just didn't have much flavor. Next, Pork Ribs. After this, Bacon wrapped chicken. At each time something came up, my friend notified the staff she couldn't eat pork. We never asked for anything else, as hey, we would just wait for the next item. This is another thing, there were times, where it was 20 MINUTES between skewers coming out (at Goucho's i would say, even when busy, 5 minutes apart). 35 minutes in, our 4th pork dish came. My friend politely notified the skewer-server for the 4th time she does not eat pork, and if they had chicken, beef or even lamb options?

My friend was fairly nice (and a lot more patient than i would be). The skewer-server was so rude. It's like a part of her was dead inside. She just said "We have an order, and we know". I told her that that's great, but the list given when we had ordered the Rodizio had various meats, and though i enjoyed the pork, perhaps bring a chicken or beef dish next? she was honestly the rudest slimeball i have ever met. She got upset, raised her voice (i mean, seriously?) and said, we have all those meats, but i know when to bring it, gave this super rude star, stood there and stared at us like a we asked for her firstborn for about 20 seconds, and walked away.

At this point, my friend got a bit sensitive, and because of this, felt bad (which i don't think she should have) and lost her appetite. I was going to make sure i got my money's worth though. Next came Pork Sausuage (yes now 5th item in a row that is pork. Don't get me wrong. I love Pork as well, but this was now too much pork). The Pork Sausage, I will admit, at Bolero's was better than Goucho's.

Our server (not the skewer-server, but our main server who sat us down, brought us our drinks) noticed my friend no longer eating, and asked her if everything was okay. We informed him of what had happened. His response? "Next time, you should order the Teaser Platter. It's cheaper at $35, and you can chose two beef or chicken dishes". I was honestly surprised because he was the same person that spoke so highly of the Full Rodizo, and actually gave us a written list of the skewers, a lot of them beef, chicken, or lamb.

This was after about 50 minutes in. You would think instead of saying "next time" he would go and ask for a chicken/lamb/or beef skewer but nope. we waited and additional 10 minutes for our next item.

No jokes, next item, another pork item - it was bacon-wrapped filet mignon. At this point, my friend was just turned off from eating and done. I love bacon, but how can one burn it to crisps? Well ask the staff at Bolero's

This is something else i noticed. Goucho's the meet is always consistently cooked. Bolero's - nasty. There were times where the meat was black burnt. Other times, the meat was so rare. Yes, i understand people may like rare, but this occurred for all the beef dishes.

After the Bacon-wrapped filet mignon, came 3 beef dishes (Parmesan Beef, Rib Eye, Top Sirloin). At times the meat was sooo raw, i just couldn't eat it. The meat also tasted the same. Flavorless. The Parmesan beef, very underwhelming.

Next came Chicken drumsticks. SERIOUSLY burnt black. There was no flavor. How can you screw up on chicken? After this, Jalapeno Pork and Lamb.

They came with this amazing grilled Pineapple (something that Goucho's does not include within it's Rodizeo), this was amazing. Finally, they brought garlic bread (now that sounds delicious right?). NO. IT was so nasty (once again, how can you screw up on garlic bread?). How can i describe them? Do you know the types of buns that you can get for Safeway, used for sliders? They ones that are like 12 for 99cents? Yeah those ones. Yes, they had those one a skewer with some garlic butter melted (not all around and throughout) just on the top. It was Sooo nasty and tasted processed.

Final Verdict - i will never ever go to Bolero's, even if i am paid to eat there. I understand that one, who hasn't ever gone to Gaucho's may think Bolero's is an amazing place, but trust me, there is wayyyy better else where.

Bolero's - don't call your salad bar "gourmet", call it cafeteria/hospital style, learn to cook your meat consistently, hire staff members that don't look like they are going to perform witchmagic (perhaps they may be doing that, since it takes like 20 minutes to come back with something on a Wednesday night, when it's not even overly busy)on you, when you leave, and infuse flavors in your meats.

Gaucho's - you are awesome, your staff is So outstanding, knowledgeable, and friendly. Your meat is always consistent, and ever so flavorful. only thing that Bolero's has that is better is their pinneapple.

I hope this review helps, and saves anyone the $42.50 they might throw away at Bolero's.

Was an amazing dinner! Would love to see grilled pineapple added to the dinner rodizio.

Amazing lunch. Went there for lunch and loved Parmesan beef. A fun place to go with a big group of people

Belated review. I was here a few months ago, and forgot to review. Great experience, and our server (tall, younger man) was amazing. He really made our experience! The food however, was not as amazing, but certainly not bad. First of all, we were in and out within 45 minutes - they literally stuff you as fast as possible! I understand this is for turnover, but I wish we had more time to savour everything. You can always turn your card over, however I generally like to try each item once, and then decide what I liked best. We even tried the chicken hearts! (Although wouldn't again, however it was an experience). The lamb and beef ribs were pretty fatty, but everything else was quite good. My favourite part of the meal was probably the little buns that you flavour with the salsa type thing at the start. So delicious! I didn't find the salad bar very exciting, though they had some unique options I'd not heard of. Overall, would return, but would try to space out the meal a bit. $100 for 45 minutes is not an even ratio!

Interesting restaurant. Did not think a Brazilian restaurant would be all that great but it was a unique experience and the food was good.

Great salad bar!. About 8 months ago I gave up meat but a group of us wanted to go here one night and knowing they had a salad bar I had no problem.
The atmosphere is nice and the staff is very friendly. They're very prompt to come around with meat. I didn't eat any of it but it smelled and looked good! That's all I can say for that though.
The salad bar had about 12 different salads from quinoa salad to kale salad to beat salad etc. ALL which were delicious. Such a great variety. My favourite was the chickpea salad and beat salad. They also had mashed potatoes and black beans and rice. I only dined at the salad and left there stuffed. At one point they came around with smoked provolone cheese which was very tasty. Their fire roasted pineapple and coconut ice cream dessert is also worth trying if you have room.
It's a little more expensive but if you go hungry you will get your money's worth.

Had a great experience at this restaurant last week. The service was great! So attentive but not overbearing and we had a chance to sample every bit of met they had on offer. The cocktails were delicious and the salad bar was quite impressive.

The meat itself was mostly good but very salty. The chicken wings and bacon wrapped chicken was nothing special. I didn't like the hearts at all and thought they were chewy. The pork had a nice flavour but was slightly dry, same for the lamb. Extremely dry!
The star was the beef. Almost all of the beef was awesome! The rump steak was incredible, delicious and cooked perfectly. The too sirloin was also delicious. The ribs weren't great and fatty so I didn't have much of that.
I wouldn't go back because it was a lot of food and was a little pricey. But it was a good experience that I think everyone should try once.

Excellent food and service. We have a lovely dinner at Gaucho last night for Valentine's day. It was very busy but we expected that given that we decided to go out that night, which we usually avoid. Gaucho have a great special and for $55 we got everything from champagne, wine, dessert and coffee. It was delicious and the service for fantastic. I will be back soon!

Yum. Delicious, a great place to go in groups. Don't come if you aren't hungry.

Overall a good restaurant. The atmosphere is pleasant. It's not stunning or incredible and memorable. But it has better then average food, a very good price, and really really good staff. The staff make this place special.
It's brazil BBQ....... And that's fun.

Wow!. We had so much fun here! The server was absolutely amazing and the food was to die for! Carnivores, Unite! And what is up with those beans? And the beef ribs? Awesomeness! Every time we went back to the salad bar there was something new. We would turn our cow over to red....only to turn it back to green again, because I "just want one more tiny piece of parm steak". Or lamb, or chicken.... But most of all, it was FUN!

SOOOOO GOOD!!!. Amazing food, amazing staff and did I say amazing food!!

Can't wait to go back!!

I was there for a very late lunch. The service great and the food was amazing. I would love to eat there when the place is full! The owners were very friendly and came over to see how's dinner was. I'll be back

I liked it and I'm a vegetarian!

If this is a coma, I don't want to wake up. The second time around, we knew better ;) Came here about a year ago and we just ate ourselves silly. Just stuffed and had to roll ourselves out. Buffet will do that to you. But I don't remember too much about it (probably a meat-induced haze). So we decided to try it again. We ordered some great wine and chowed down. We thought maybe we should have tried Bolero's but perhaps next time. Gaucho didn't disappoint. We had a friendly, attentive server that always seemed to be there when we needed water or to clear our plates for another round. The restaurant filled up quick and it was noisy but it wasn't overly loud. The best part is the food though, right? Loved it! We didn't have trouble getting a selection of everything. It just kept coming! Some meats were salty, yes, and some lacked a bit of flavor but overall, the quality and taste was delightful. I liked the beef ribs, pork loin, and parmesan beef the best. The mister enjoyed the chicken wrapped in bacon, the garlic and parmesan beef, and the sirloin. The garlic toast was great too and the sides were tasty. I liked the cucumber pineapple salad the best. It was so refreshing! Can't get enough of that black bean stew too. We were really there for the meat :) The servers were friendly, kind, and so efficient! We love coming because the experience is so amazing every time. PS. I tried the chicken hearts..not for the faint of...heart. But you gotta be adventurous here. Maybe I'll try the brazilian place here in Edmonton but for now, give me another reason to visit Calgary and I will!!

I liked this more than Boleros. More meat, more often.

And it was good. Save some room for the caramelized pineapple to finish your meal.

A touch pricy, but they all seem to be.

A once in a while indulgence.

WOW! Absolutely amazing!

Great and authentic. I'm quite skeptical of a couple of the negative reviews - I noticed one of the negative reviewers has reviewed 7 of 13 restaurants as being bad - some people just enjoy complaining and have no sense of reality.

I lived in Brazil, and I can attest to the authenticity of this place. The food is great, the service is good and friendly. Some days are better than others for service depending on how busy it is, but I have never left disappointed. I have gone repeatedly, and taken a good dozen different individuals - none of them have complained or been disappointed, and several of them ask whenever they see me when we are going to Calgary next to eat churrasco again.

One thing I have really enjoyed, there's generally always at least a couple of Brazilians working at any given time, and they don't mind getting them to come out and talk to you. That's not something I was able to enjoy at Bolero unfortunately (not to mention that at Bolero, I was quite disappointed to hear Spanish music being passed off as part of the Brazilian experience). Gaucho is a great place, I've gone repeatedly, and will continue to do so until I move back to Brazil.

Parabens ao chefe da cozinha - voce tem o melhor comida em Calgary!

ALL THE MEAT YOU CAN EAT!. My food compartment was full after this! It was a rain of meat fragments hitting my oversized plate! Can't wait to go back.

Fantastic. Such a great place - great food. We sat at the bar because it was packed. Extremely friendly bartenders & great service. I love Brazilian and this place was great quality, and the value is good too ..

I go here twice a year. Always get the lunch all you can eat. Savoury meats and yummy salad bar. I definitely eat my moneys worth.

Love this place ! Can't wait to go Again

Not bad service was spectacular! the salad bar was small and decor was questionable.. lots of wires hanging from the roof. the meat came out quickly hot and tasty. didn't try chicken hearts but everything was flavourful. will go back again.

Really Good!. Stopped by at lunch and the price was very good for what you get. Not as nice decor wise as Bolero but the food was very comparable if not a little better.

Really great food! Awesome service as well. Friendly staff and good drinks. You won't be disappointed that's for sure!

Lovely atmosphere, and the waitstaff and rodizio staff are always lovely and will do their best to get you extra of anything you really liked. The unique cocktails are also delicious!

A fantastic place to dine in Calgary with friends and family. I love Gaucho and would always dine here whenever the opportunity presents. Kudos to the chef and staff that making dinning here always a memorable experience.

I absolutely love the food. Stuff was very nice, helpful. I got useful advice about size of the dish and perfect suggestion about the drink Very nice decorated place.