Copacabana (downtown)

All-you-can-eat meat in a cheesy rodízio

Copacabana is one of the few places in Toronto to experience a Brazilian churrascaria, rodízio style. A churrascaria is a grilled meat restaurant while rodízio means all-you-can-eat. In Brazil, such restaurants typically have waiters going around tables with different cuts of meats on a skewer. The meat is carved tableside. Outside of Brazil, this sort of restaurant is simply known as rodizio, or a Brazilian steakhouse.

Copacabana is the longest-running rodízio in the Toronto region. However, this branch is not the oldest. It’s the most convenient though, right in downtown Toronto.

How to eat at a rodízio

The typical rodízio has a buffet where you pick up vegetables, appetizers, and desserts. But that’s not what diners are there for. Waiters roam around the restaurant, brandishing skewers of barbecued meats. Diners use a mechanism on the table to get the waiters’ attention. At Copacabana, this mechanism is a disc. Flip to the blue side “Sim” (Yes) to indicate you want more meat. Flip to the red side “Não” (No) to stop the flow of meat.

Copacabana also provides each diner with a small tong to grab slivers of meat as they are carved in front of them.

Special orders can be made on request, especially for more expensive items or items that take longer to prepare. The hostess at Copacabana frequently moves around the restaurant and asks diners which items they would like to have. This is a good idea as it reduces food wastage.

The food

Everyone comes here for the full rodizio experience. That is, buffet and tableside meat. The other option is just the buffet, which is extremely poor value at $50.85 on weekdays. Note that Copacabana does not have soups and desserts.

The buffet selection is fair and has some traditional Brazilian foods like feijoada (bean stew, the national dish) and farofa (toasted cassava flour).

There is also a bakery counter with at least 8 different types of bread like cheese bread and pita. The counter was staffed with bakers who pumped out baked goods all throughout the evening. The ovens are just behind the buffet, so you can observe fresh food being made.

I tried everything except some breads and salads. They were all decent. The best of the buffet is the spicy kale salad and surprisingly, the fries. The kale salad was vibrant and spicy. Fries were double-fried, crisp, and not too salty.

For the barbecued meats, I tried almost everything on offer. Quite a lot of meats were stuffed or smothered with cheese, which I found strange.

• Picanha Brazil. 8/10. This was my favourite of the night. It was tender, had the right amount of fat, and flavourful. Importantly, it was not over-dressed with seasonings and cheese.
• Top Sirloin. 8/10. My second favourite of the night. The sirloin had a rich cap of fat and was seasoned simply with salt and pepper. The beef shone through with a light char.
• Shrimp. 8/10. Light seasoning and juicy. The flavour of shrimp was front and centre. Not jumbo but not tiny either.
• Chimichurri Steak. 7.5/10. Standard chimichurri (parsley, oregano, and garlic sauce) and steak.
• Filet Mignon with Bacon. 7.5/10. The bland filet mignon was saved by the bacon. The bacon was slightly chewy. It was a missed opportunity to add textural contrast to the steak.
• Moroccan Chicken. 7.5/10. The chicken was moist and well-cooked. Skin could be crisper, but I can see how that would be difficult with the marinade around it. Although the spices were indistinct, the chicken had a pleasant savoury taste.
• Cajun Chicken. 7.5/10. Similar to the Moroccan chicken but slightly spicier. Taste is just as indistinct but the meat was juicy.
• Picanha with Parmesan. 7/10. Similar to Picanha Brazil, but with grains of Parmesan cheese around it. The cheese didn’t really come through and did nothing except making the steak unappetizing to look at. This was an error in conception because cheese powder gets soggy when it is left on barbecued meat for some time.
• Leg of Lamb. 7/10. Gamey hunk of lamb. Nothing too special.
• Prime Rib with Cheddar. 7/10. This one looked really weird. There were big cubes of cheddar cheese embedded inside the meat. Ignoring the cheese, at least the meat was good.
• Roasted Pineapple. 7/10. Since there is no dessert at Copacabana, this is the next best thing. Although it was roasted, it was really just warm pineapple. There was not much caramelization. The pineapple was served throughout the night so it could also be a palate cleanser between meals. The pineapple acid aids digestion and makes space for more food.
• Garlic Sirloin Steak. 6.5/10. Standard steak with chunks of garlic. Strangely, the garlic wasn’t aromatic and was borderline acrid.
• Parmesan Filet Mignon. 5.5/10. Filet mignon is one of my least favourite cuts even though it is one of the most expensive. It has little fat and flavour, although it is very tender. The delicate taste of the filet was lost in the Parmesan cheese.
• Skirt Steak Dry Rub. 5.5/10. BBQ spices are coated over the meat. It tasted like a generic spice mix and didn’t add much to the meat.

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The disadvantage of a rodízio is that it can be difficult to get the meats you want. The waiters might run out of meat before they get to your side of the restaurant. That was what happened to me during my visit: I missed out on rib-eye, flank steak, and salmon. To be fair, the waiters rotated their starting points throughout the evening. The hostess also checked in on my table frequently and asked what other meats were desired. We asked for chicken repeatedly but it took a long time for it to appear in the rotation.

In addition to the roving meats, waiters also distributed appetizers. I was looking forward to pão de queijo (cheese bread puffs), a Brazilian street snack. Unfortunately, they ran out of it before they reached my table. There was a second batch but I wasn’t able to wait 30 minutes for it. Panko-crusted bananas also ran out before they reached my table. I did try the corn bread which was simple and wholesome.

The place

The interior looks like a nightclub. There are two dining levels. The buffet is on the lower level. Some seats overlook the ground floor reception area. The seating arrangement is tight but manageable. On Fridays and Saturdays, there is live entertainment but you pay $5.65 more. Come early or make a reservation on weekend nights.

Verdict

Overall, the food was all right but the high price and unpredictable supply bring the overall rating down. Compared to top-end rodízios like Vento Haragano in São Paulo, the price point is similar but the quality is mid-range. Service is better here than in Brazil though. 7/10.

Practical information

Name

Copacabana

Rating

7/10

Recommended dishes

Picanha Brazil
Top sirloin

Prices

Rodízio (meats and buffet), Sunday to Thursday: $62.15 ($55.00 excluding tax)
Friday and Saturday: $67.80 ($60.00 excluding tax).

Address

230 Adelaide Street West

Hours

Monday to Friday 1700h – 2300h
Saturday to Sunday 1600h – 2300h

Date of visit

January 2020