05/26/09

One of my favorite Restaurants. Hands Down!!!

by CSMobileUser

Brazzaz is amazing. I often go there when I have that extra money to spend. Believe me when I tell you that if I know I'm going there I don't eat all day because I know I have a real treat awaiting me @ Brazzaz. Everyone that will listen I have told about this dynamic affair that is the Brazzaz experience, and now I have them going back for more. the food, salad bar, drinks, staff, & ambiance are one of a kind. If your dining for business or pleasure @ Brazzaz it is sure to bring a smile to your face & it is that type of restaurant you can have a business lunch or family dinner. Either way the experience will surely exceed your expectations. This restaurant is #1 on my list if it's truly authentic Brazilian Cuisine or not.

03/12/09

Not a TRUE brazilian dinning experience. Dissapointed.

by Roberson32

I have been to Brazzas, I liked it, good food, no arguing that, But like the other restaurants that claim to be Brazilian, they are not. Just becuase it uses some methodes of the cooking stages as brazilian and Poruguese people do, and carry Cachaca Caipirinha, does not make them a BRAZILIAN restuarant!!

The are merely showing you a very small fraction of what to expect if you go to Brazil. I am speaking like this becuase I am from Brazil, and ate at true brazilian restaurants in Modesto, CA. where brazilians and Portuguese People are abundant. SoWE know how to cook and know what we are talking about. NOW, DON'T GET ME WRONG, THE FOOD THEY PREPARE IS GOOD. And, lets just say that, but brazilian, NO! And please, don't get fooled if they throw a brazilian staff member or two to make it look authentic. If you want to truly eat GOOD brazilian dishes, visit any web sites that carry the recipies, or meet some brazilian friends, or go to the few Brazilian stores in The Chicagoland area, and buy the meats there, or any other Brazilian products. I'm sure that the folks at one of these stores would GLADLY give you pointers.

Try to understand, if you go there, expect GOOD service, nice ambience, and good food, just NOT the authentic style you intend on getting. Like I said, I am from Brazil, my mother owned a Churrascaria in Itajai, Santa Catarina. We know Brazilian food 100%.

And just to WARN you!! "Texas De Brazil", another Downtown "Brazilian" Restaurant is a little below average when it comes to this review also. I mean come on...Brazil and TEXAS!!? FOGO DE CHAO, is somewhat better, BUT I still would recommend the Brazilian stores.

Roberson Ferreira Lima

• Pros: Good Staff, Ambience, Downtown, Good Food
• Cons: Thought I was going to get the "Brazilian Treatment"

05/13/08

Let the Parade of Grilled Meat Begin!

by lisagreen

Brazzaz! is now officially our favorite Chicago restaurant. You should expect to go hungry and leave stuffed. This is a one-price restaurant. It's about $50 per person, without drinks or dessert, but worth every cent. When seated, you'll notice a small disk at each seat. One side says "Yes Please" the other "No Thank You". This is to let the gauchos know when you're ready to begin the grilled meat portion of your meal. But first, you'll want to make a trip to the salad bar, which isn't like the normal American lettuce bowl with a variety of toppings experience. Imagine marinated and grilled red peppers, asparagus, oysters on the half shell, sushi, cheese, fruit, breads & crackers, mixed salads, shrimp cocktail, and more. Fried bananas are brought to the table, along with mashed potatos. When you're ready, flip the disk to the "Yes Please" side and almost immediately a "gaucho" will appear with an offering of grilled meat on a sword. They advertise 16 different kinds of grilled meat, and they aren't kidding. My personal favorites are the filet mignon and lamb chops. When you've had enough protein, look for the gaucho carrying the grilled pineapple. This is an experience in itself. Grilled pineapple is even better than when it's cold. There's something about grilling it that makes the sweet sweeter and the tart tarter. I think it's the perfect finish and found that it's very settling to my overworked digestive system. The service is amazing, the decor is beautiful, and the food is awesome. The tables are a bit tight, but that's to be expected in Chicago.

• Pros: Awesome food, great service, a wonderful dining experience.
• Cons: A bit pricy, and the tables are close together.

05/04/08

Meat-o-rama

by hpocket10a1

I was taken to Brazza's as a surprise dinner. Boy-Howdy...was I surprised. Talk about Meat-Coma! The salad bar alone was unbelievable, service 5 star and the meat... out of this world. Hard to say no...and had I known in advance....I would have prepared myself for the experience. A must top 10 list of things to do in the cullinary world.

G.B.

• Pros: Meat-Coma

11/08/07

It was great... but I still like Fogo better!

by natsmacks

It is the same concept and I had a similar experience. However, it just seemed to me that the service was slower than I have experienced at Fogo. The meat didn't come out as frequently and when it did, it was stuff we already had on our plates. Our server was not that great... we had to ask for more of the hot sides instead of him just replacing them... and when we did ask, it took at bare minimum 15 mins for more to reappear. I had a gift card, which is why I tried it, and the food was good, but honestly, I think I would rather go back to Fogo.

• Pros: Food is delicious, salad bar is extensive
• Cons: Our server was terrible, meat selection was slow and didn't vary

07/19/07

Great Food, Outstanding Service!

by tflucht

Went to Brazzaz this past weekend. Booked a reservation. When our party arrived, we were seated promptly, which scores points right off the bat. How many times have you had to wait at a restaurant, even with a reservation--pet peeve of mine.

The restaurant is well-decorated, with great lighting, and a cool vibe. At 8 pm on a Saturday night, it was also pretty full, and had a great energy level. Lots of people having fun.

The service was outstanding throughout the night. From the busboy through the waitstaff, the service was attentive yet unobtrusive. Drinks were refilled promptly, plates removed when needed, etc. Just great service, without being overbearing or chatty.

Of course, it's about the food. At a churrascaria, there's the salad bar, and the meats. The salad bar at Brazzaz is not the largest I have seen, nor is it the most extensive. However, it offers a great selection of high-quality choices, including sushi, oysters, cheeses, salads, risotto, etc. It also covers the bases with the expected selections: hearts of palm, artichoke hearts, other salads, with some extra nice touches. For example, the Caesar salad offers whole anchovies as an option, something you don't normally see. The balsamic vinegar was a good aged example, rich and complex, and was part of a great dessert (more later).

The roasted meats were very good as a whole. The filet was outstanding. Overall, I found the meats to be less salty than at similar restaurants, and I have to say this was not unpleasant. The flank steak was beefy and robust, and the grilled shrimp were a great add to the menu. I also enjoyed the pineapple, also served by the gauchos.

After all of that, we passed on the dessert tray. Instead, we enjoyed excellent coffee, and a trip back to the salad bar for a few wedges of the parmesean reggiano, sprinkled with the balsamic vinegar. Together with a last wedge of the pineapple, this was the perfect light ending to a fantastic dinner.

• Pros: Food, service, atmosphere, prompt seating of reservations
• Cons: Expensive

07/06/07

Best Brazilian restaurant I've been to since my trip to Rio.

by ptygielski

We dined at Brazzaz 22/Jun/2007 and loved it. Made a reservation through the concierge and we were seated immediately when we arrived. My teenage sons loved the various selections of meat that were presented. The sushi and salads on the bar were great. I don't remember exactly what the wine was, but it was recommended by the waiter and it fit in nicely with all the beef we ate. The service was great. the waiter on the others were on top of our every need. Couldn't have been better.

I will definitely dine there nect time I am in Chicago.

• Pros: The meat was excellent. The salad bar was very good.
• Cons: Pricey, but no regrets.

04/24/07

super long wait

by cellydaniel

Don't even bother with a reservation. They still make you wait forever to get seated. The steaks were great but some selections were harder to get. I love the food but I hate the service

• Pros: great steaks, plenty of selection
• Cons: long wait, busy restaurant

04/07/07

Good idea, gone bad

by foodiechicago

Just got back and had to write. We had been given a $150 gift certificate. We were assuming it would be on par with Fogo de Chao. Great experience there. Not even close here. First, service was down right horrible. Why the waiter needed a Blackberry to take our order when the only thing extra at this place are drinks and desserts is beyond me - and it took him forever to get that into his computer - and he got it wrong - twice! When we got back to the table from the salad bar, our hot side dishes which are complimentary with dinner were already there getting cold. The quality of the meat is just fine. The effort to keep the food coming ala' Fogo de Chao was very disappointing. The variety left a little to be desired and the offerings were few and far between. If the guy with the chicken legs and sausages came to our table one more time I was gonna pop him. We had to ask if there was any lamb on the menu. Actually there were two offerings, but we had to ask for them. Wouldn't happen at Fogo. Plus, we got charged for what we assumed was a complimentary after dinner liquer. It would have been nice if we were advised that the shots were $7.00 each - almost as much as the martinis! And what's with the FBI-looking guys all over the place talking into their lapels? They're certainly not there to make sure the food is circulating. Overall, I wish our certificate was for Fogo. For the very same price the service was much better and more genuine. You are bombarded with a variety of superb meat offerings. And the sides are hot when served. Sorry to say this, but the crowd there is also a little more sophisticated and the wiaters are more authentic. Do yourself a favor. Go there first.

• Pros: Adequate quality meat
• Cons: Horrible service

02/20/07

Great customer service

by aelinmay

We went last night at brazzaz with my family from Italy, my brother own a restaurant there and we were amazing with the quality of food and service, never seem something like that in the whole Europe, (knows for the best restaurants), salad bar was fabulous and the meats waiters were bringing meats the way we ask, was fantastic. People are very friendly and polite. It's our favorite restaurant now.

• Pros: 2 thumbs up