Strategies to Get the Most of Your Brazilian BBQ Dinner

2025 DEC 26

Experiencing a Rodizio-style dinner at a churrascaria is a crash course in Brazilian dining, and it can be tough to navigate if you aren’t prepared. It’s simple when you know what’s going on, but when it’s your first time, it can feel overwhelming. Worse, when all is said and done, and you’re leaving for the evening, you might feel regretful or as if you were missing out on something.

The good news is, there’s not actually a lot to learn, so we can give you a quick and complete rundown right here on this page. So, whether you’re preparing for your first trip to a churrascaria, or you’re gearing up for a second (or third) and want to make sure you’re doing it right, read on for all our tips.

Table of Contents

Laying the Foundation

First of all, it can help to learn a little bit of basic Brazilian Portuguese so you know what some of those strange terms are that we use. It’s all pretty simple, once you get a rundown.

Churrasco/Churrascaria: Barbecue! Churrasco is the particular kind of over-the-fire barbecue renowned in Brazil, and a churrascaria is a restaurant that serves it, like Texas de Brazil.

Rodizio: A particular serving style popular in churrascarias; instead of ordering off a menu, various barbecued meats are brought through the dining area, and you can claim a few slices of each. This allows you to try nearly everything without having to overload yourself with just one item.

Gaucho: A cowboy! This is the Brazilian historic cowboy known for their deep love of beef. Our servers are gauchos, and they’re the ones who bring your meats out from the grill to the table, cut off slices with a flourish, and help you enjoy your meal.

Picanha: A cut of beef commonly enjoyed in Brazil, but not usually cut the same way in America. It’s rich, delectable, and full of beefy flavor, and is one of the sources of pride of the Brazilian beef industry and culture.

Cachaca/Caipirinha: For the alcohol-enjoyers, Cachaca is a Brazilian spirit made with sugarcane, similar to rum. Caipirinha is a cocktail made specifically with cachaca.

That’s basically everything you need to know, terminology-wise. If you’re interested in learning the very basics of Brazilian Portuguese so you can pronounce these words properly, we have a guide to that as well.

Now, there are a few other topics worth discussing before you head out to enjoy your meal. We have guides to answer them, but we’ll give you the short version here and a link so you can read more if you want to. We also have a quick FAQ if you have a question we didn’t answer here.

What’s the deal with the red and green cards?

This is a core part of the Rodizio experience. You have a card; red on one side, green on the other.

Gauchos, when they bring meat out from the grill, look for those cards. Green means you’re good to go; bring the meat over and carve a slice or two. Red means you’re good for now, no need to add anything else to the plate.

Other than picanha, what are the Brazilian cuts of meat on the menu?

A lot of the meats on our menu are things you’ll be familiar with: petit filet, sirloin, and so on. A few of the cuts have different names, though, so if you want to learn more, you can read our guide.

Here at Texas de Brazil, we use American names for most of the cuts, so you don’t have to worry about being confused.

What’s the dining etiquette at a churrascaria? Is there a dress code?

First off, there’s not really a dress code, at least not for our churrascaria. We prefer something a little better than jeans and a t-shirt, but we aren’t going to bar you from entering or kick you out unless you’re wearing something blatantly offensive or upsetting to our other guests.

As far as etiquette is concerned, there are a couple of things to know.

The tongs aren’t just for show. Alongside your usual silverware, you’ll have a set of tongs. These are meant specifically for taking meat the gaucho cuts from their skewer and transferring it to your plate. This way, you aren’t using utensils you’ve put in your mouth and potentially contaminating food other diners would enjoy.
Meats, items in the salad area, and the hot bar are all available as part of your meal and come with no real limits other than closing time. Dine as long as you like, take your time to enjoy the atmosphere and the food, and don’t worry about cycling through ASAP.
Drinks, desserts, and the occasional specialty item are not generally included with your meal and need to be ordered separately. We’ll have menus for those.
Sorry, no to-go boxes or doggy bags, except for special items like desserts that cost extra. Try to only grab what you’re willing and able to eat, so we aren’t wasting a bunch of food (though we won’t get mad if you leave a couple of bites behind).

There are a few Brazilian table manners you could learn if you’re interested, but unless you’re actually going to Brazil, you don’t really need them. We understand that Texas de Brazil is a restaurant here in America, and American table manners are much more commonplace.

What’s the difference between lunch and dinner?

Lunch is earlier in the day!

Okay, so there’s a bit more difference, usually. Our lunch menu is generally a bit more limited, and a few of the prime cuts or sides in the salad and hot areas are less likely to be available. The trade-off is that it’s usually cheaper than the full dinner experience.

This varies from location to location; some of our restaurants don’t have different menus, while others do. Be sure to check the details at your local Texas de Brazil.

Do I need to make a reservation?

Need to? No. Is it a good idea? Maybe! Sometimes, we’re half-empty and have plenty of space to get you right in when you arrive. Other times, an event, holiday, or large group has kept us busy, and there may be a bit of a wait. A reservation ensures that there will be a table available for you and your group.

It’s also really easy to make a reservation right here on our website or by calling ahead.

Whew! That’s a lot of information, and we haven’t even gotten to the actual dining experience yet! But now that you’ve laid the groundwork, it’s time to actually come in for a visit.

Getting the Most Out of a Brazilian BBQ Dinner

So, you’re ready to stop in. What do you need to know, and what should you do, to ensure you get to try everything you want without feeling like you’re missing something?

Keep the portions small.

Since your churrasco experience is a continuous dining experience, you essentially have a buffet laid out before you, and it’s very easy to overload on one or two items, only to find you’re too full when the next round comes by.

Perhaps the single biggest tip is to keep portions of everything you grab small.

The good news is, this is done for you as far as the meats are concerned. Our gauchos will generally only offer a slice or two of any given meat (or a rib or two, or a drumette or two), and won’t let you slide the whole skewer right onto your plate. After all, a big reason why you’re here is to try all the meats, right?

The real trap is the salad area and hot bar. The foods there are delicious, but since you don’t have a friendly staff member there to help you with portion control, it’s really easy to make a big salad or a heaping helping of feijoada and fill yourself right up.

That said, a lot of “guides” out there will tell you to skip the salad area entirely. We say: that’s a great way to miss out on some excellent food.

Sure, putting together a salad with a greens mix and some veggies is nothing new, and most of our ingredients are common in America, so you aren’t missing much when you skip them. But some items are definite must-try foods.

Farofa. This toasted cassava adds texture and crunch to anything you put it on, and serves great as an accessory to your meats, so a small scoop will go a long way.
Chimichurri. While you might have had a similar green sauce in the past, Brazilian chimichurri is unique. It’s also a sauce and topping, so a little will last you without filling you up.
Pao de Queijo. This gluten-free cheese bread made using cassava flour is an all-star and a must-try when you visit a Brazilian churrascaria. Just limit yourself to one or two, so you don’t fill up on bread!
Feijoada. Brazil’s national food, a black bean stew, is also a must-try item if you’ve never had it before. It’s hearty and filling, though, so keep your portion light (unless you really like it and want more, of course!)

Most everything else is something either aimed more at our vegetarian guests who don’t get the meat menu, or are nods to American tastes or to kids with picky palates. Things like French fries and mashed potatoes are tasty, for sure, but they’ll keep you from the best meats if you aren’t careful.

Try the meats, and pace yourself.

When your card is set to green, gauchos will come through rapidly, and it can be easy to get overwhelmed. Don’t be afraid to take a slice or two of the meat on offer, but don’t overload yourself.

Critically, don’t be afraid to flip your card to red when you need a moment. If you load up your plate with meat too quickly, you’ll let it get cold, and it’ll lose some of the flavor and texture that makes it incredible.

Don’t worry, none of the meats are in short supply. If one passes you over and you want to try it later, there’s a very good chance it will come around again. If you don’t see it, you can flag down the next gaucho to come by and request that it come your way, as well.

Nothing will be limited from you unless you’re clearly trying to exploit the system by only requesting Picanha or Filet Mignon over and over without touching the other meats. They’re delicious, yes, but leave some for everyone else!

Tip: Don’t forget about the non-beef meats! While the beef is the star of the show, the lamb, pork, and chicken are also all delicious. Grabbing a couple of Parmesan drumettes, a slice from the leg of lamb, and a couple of pork ribs will help cleanse the palate and make each bite of beet all the more unique.

Don’t be afraid to take your time.

As mentioned in the etiquette section above, there’s no time limit other than closing time, so don’t feel like you need to speed-run dinner and be out the door in an hour. If you need a few minutes to rest and let the meal settle, take it!

The caveat here is if we’re quite busy, in which case it’s a little rude to linger for hours while others are waiting for a table. We won’t hurry you, but it’s still nice to be polite, right?

Grab a dessert to go!

Some of our desserts are Brazilian classics, but we get it; it’s hard to find room for one when you’ve been buried under delicious meats and incredible sides.

Like we said above, there’s no doggy bags for the meat and sides, since it would be too easy to exploit the system if there were. But, since desserts are ordered separately, we’re happy to box them up to go for you.

Stop in to Texas de Brazil Soon!

Alright, setting aside the kayfabe for a moment, there’s no wrong way to experience churrasco. Come in, enjoy what you want to enjoy, and leave happy. If that means a big plate of rice and beans with a few slices of meat on top, that’s fine! If you go into it treating it like a battleground where you need to pack in your bodyweight in meat, you’re going to feel miserable and have bad memories of the experience.

Don’t be afraid to simply enjoy your meal. We’re here to help with exactly that, so find your nearest Texas de Brazil and stop in soon. We’d love to show you what churrasco is all about!