Cowboy Brazilian Steakhouse — Restaurant in Columbia

I visited Cowboy Brazilian Steakhouse, which is apt that the initials are Cowboy BS, on Saturday, July 11 with a group of friends and was sorely disappointed from beginning to end. The only thing keeping this from being a 1-star review is the good service and some level of forgiveness due to the pandemic.

Atmosphere - 2/10 There is nothing in the decor that says $50 meal. There is nothing in the decor that says “Cowboy”, “Brazilian”, or “Steakhouse”. There is nothing in the decor that invites you in to sit and take in a “fine dining experience”. All the surfaces are hard and cold, the colors are bland, grey, and unappetizing. I felt like I had walked into a warehouse that had a salad bar, table and chairs placed inside.

Service - 8/10 This is the one saving grace. Our waitress was very nice and attentive. It helped that the restaurant was only 1/4 full, but regardless, our drinks were always full, and she did a wonderful job checking in without being the invasive type. The gauchos were constantly moving as well, bringing the meats out quickly. I’d give them a higher score except I saw the manager moping about the room speaking to no one and looking completely uninterested. There is nothing worse than a manager who doesn’t manage and raise the quality level of your dining experience by checking on the customers...which leads to...

Food - 2/10 Where to begin? I’ve eaten at Fogo De Chão and Texas De Brazil and those restaurants are tremendous in every aspect. Cowboy BS, not so much at all.

The first thing they bring is a plate of Asiago rolls. While the inside was soft and chewy (which should really be fluffy), the outside was hard, as though they had been bought in bulk, frozen, and then baked...not made fresh. This will be a theme.

Onto the meats. Every cut of meat that was brought was either dry or tasteless. The parmesan chicken had the most flavor, but was dry as though it were frozen. The bacon wrapped filet lacked flavor and was also dry/tough...as though it had been frozen. The “house special” (pichaña), which is normally what you want them to keep bringing, tasted like a tire. No flavor. In fact, most of these meats had zero flavor, like they had all been frozen and had never seen an ounce of salt. I could down the list of all 16 meats but it would be this theme for every single one of them.

The only thing that the guys at my table really made a positive comment about was the cinnamon pineapple, which you have to buy fresh.

I even went to the salad bar. Tried some basics like cheese and mashed potatoes. One of the white cheeses I ate had zero taste upon entry, but the foulest aftertaste I had ever experience with a cheese. The mashed potatoes were INSTANT MASHED POTATOES?!?! WHO SERVES INSTANT POTATOES AT A $50/PLATE RESTAURANT???!!!!

The only thing keeping this Food rating from being a 1-star review is that I believe all of this food was probably frozen due to the pandemic and they couldn’t afford to just throw everything out while they had been closed.

CONCLUSION: I would rather drive 2.5hrs back to Atlanta to experience Fogo de Chão, paying more in gas, time and money, then ever step foot in Cowboy BS again. If I were to know what Cowboy was like going in, I would’ve expected this experience to cost around $15-$20. But at $40 plus tax, tips, drinks, this was one of the worst meals I’ve ever had. ...

It was the first time I felt treated like trash in a restaurant. I've never had any problems at any restaurant. I went with my husband today to dinner at Cowboy where I was humiliated, treated badly and expelled. We ordered a box because there was a lot of food left and we needed to go home. They said it was not possible because of the policy, we asked to speak to the manager who was called CHANCE, I said I was willing to pay the box because they made two special requests for the cook and for that I am aware and I did not want to waste , he said just paying another 50.00 per box and I said ok and he said it didn't make sense and that if he let us do it he would have to let other people do it (he said it in a very arrogant tone) and I cried at this point because I felt ashamed. So, we had already paid the bill with good tips and the receipt was still on the table, I was already on my feet but I was very sad and crying, so my husband decided to take the good tip that would go to the restaurant through the card and only pay in cash to those who served us and the cook. That's when the manager came back and started SCREAMING to offend us, speaking aggressive words, profanity and insulting us (at this moment my husband was sitting) so my husband made a gesture for him to lower his voice (my husband doesn't speak English) the manager CHANCE came very close to my husband who was sitting and said he would not speak more quietly told my husband to be more humble kept insulting my husband asked me if he was being rude and I said yes (I was never treated like that by anyone he was very rude) then my husband got up, my husband asked him to stop (in portuguese) then CHANCE the manager started yelling saying GET OUT loud as if we were animals. Said never to go back to the restaurant again. He didn't give us time to hand over the tips because he was kicking us out of the restaurant and he saw that my husband was recording the scene on his cell phone and started saying that my husband was yelling at him and my husband doesn't even speak in English and the only moment that spoke was asking for respect and asking if he was being rude and that in Portuguese. Everyone was looking at us and I felt extremely humiliated. But we came back after he wasn't in the salon and we gave 40.00 to the people who served us. I have never felt so ashamed in my entire life, I literally cried because I felt humiliated. Mr. CHANCE you managed to ruin my night by the rude way you treated me and...

We’ve visited Cowboy Brazilian Steakhouse three separate times now, and overall, it’s a unique and enjoyable experience—especially if you’ve never tried a Brazilian steakhouse before. For a little over $50 per person during dinner service, you get access to a rotating variety of meats and a well-stocked salad bar. Typically, the service is efficient, with new meats brought out every few minutes, and you can usually request your preferred doneness.

However, I strongly advise avoiding this restaurant on major holidays or event nights like Father’s Day. During our most recent visit, the quality and service fell well below expectations. Most of the meats were overcooked, with little variety or control over temperature preference. My husband’s first beer was served room temperature, though thankfully the second one was cold. There were multiple 10-minute gaps between meat offerings—something we hadn’t experienced before.

The bacon was soggy, the restaurant felt uncomfortably hot, and we struggled to get simple requests met—like ice in our water. I eventually had to go up to the bar myself since our waitress was rarely around. We were repeatedly offered garlic steak (at least five times), but never the house special until I finally asked for it. For what it’s worth, the house special is fantastic—always tender and flavorful. And if you’ve never had the baked pineapple, it’s a must-try! I could eat an entire one by myself, though they do limit how often it’s served.

While our first two visits were much better, this last one left us disappointed enough that we likely won’t return unless we start hearing that things have improved. It’s a place with great potential, but consistency—especially on busy nights—seems to be an issue.

Videos attached to this review are from our positive experiences. Not sure if cooking staff or management has changed in the past two years? Could be the...