Charbroil Grill Brazilian Steakhouse — Restaurant in Dale City

I give this business 5 stars, and I'd be remiss not to mention they absolutely had to earn them as my first impression was subpar.

To start, I made an online reservation a week in advance for 7 pm. I had to drive a few hours to get to this restaurant. Upon arrival, I checked in with the hostess and was notified that they do not honor online reservations if you have less than 5 people in your party. Excuse me?! (There was no indication of this online, nor a follow-up email to advise the reservation would not be honored), so of course, it was upsetting.

I was advised there would be a 30-minute wait for a table. I decided to sit and wait anyhow, given I made the 2-hour drive to go to this specific restaurant.

I ensured I was dressed in business casual attire as I saw they had a dress code online. One can imagine my thoughts as I looked around the restaurant and saw there were patrons there in flip flops (yes on this brisk evening), baseball caps, jeans, sneakers, etc. No biggie, as I was simply hoping for a decent meal at this point. My expectations for this restaurant were quickly nose diving in the wrong direction.

My wait was less than 7 minutes! What a surprise. I was seated and immediately greeted by Connie. The most amazing waitress one could have asked for. She took such amazing care of me, listened patiently as I explained my frustration regarding my arrival and chat with me most of the evening about life, travels, food, and her culture all while she worked. Her interpersonal skills were phenomenal.

I was absolutely blown away with the buffet food options alone! Food was plentiful & there was so much variety! Everything was superb! The icing on the cake was the meat carvers. They listened and ensured I had all the garlic steak, grilled pineapple, and roasted chicken one could dream of. It was cooked to perfection and very flavorful.

My night ended on such a high note. Connie left me with the most special sentimental gift. I walked in there with high expectations, slowly got a bad taste regarding check-in, and left with such a full heart and belly.

I know this review seems awfully lengthy, but it is necessary.

I truly look forward to returning and bringing my family with me. This place was simply amazing! Well...

Took my daughters here this past Sunday as we were wrapping up our Mother-Daughter weekend. My oldest daughter mentioned visiting a Brazilian Steakhouse and this one is closest to us. Sadly, I will never go back.

We were seated relatively quickly and our waitress (wonderful older woman with a mask on) was very welcoming. She explained the service to my oldest daughter and took our drink order and meal order for my youngest daughter (chicken tenders and fries).

I took my youngest daughter with me to the salad bar to get sides and my oldest daughter went after we returned to our table. We sat there about 15 or so minutes when the waitress came to ask how everything was. I shared that none of the meat servers had come to our table, they went to the two around us, but wouldn’t come to ours. She said she would tell them to come. So however many minutes later, they started coming, but it still seemed that they were picking and choosing which tables to visit. In total, only 4 meat servers came to us. My daughter started to notice when one went to the table behind us and then the one in front of us, so she pushed the card closer to the edge. The server who skipped us then comes back with two meatless racks (as he skipped us and went to the table in front of us) and said: do you want shrimp? (He had no meat on either of his meat sword things). It was the most awkward experience ever.

My oldest daughter did like the bourbon chicken from the salad bar, but my check total was $136+. That’s a very pricey check to just have food from a salad bar, plus chicken tenders and fries and a dry slice of chocolate cake for a 4yo.

I won’t make an assumption as to why the meat servers kept overlooking or skipping us, but it became very obvious after a while. My daughter didn’t want me to say anything because she doesn’t like confrontation, but I shared that in the future, she should always address situations when she doesn’t feel she is receiving the service or care she should as a patron. All money spends the same. I paid my pricey salad bar and chicken tender tab and we left. I will make the drive to DC or National Harbor in the future to visit Fogo if she wants another experience.

I will not be returning...

DO NOT come here on holidays — total bait and switch!

They jack up prices for Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, and other holidays without telling you upfront. I showed up at 1:15 PM (brunch time) and still had to pay full dinner prices. No mother with me, no females in my group — didn’t matter.

They don’t warn you until after you’re seated and have or grabbed food. In my case, the waitress showed up after I was seated with a full plate and casually said, “Just so you know, today is dinner prices all day .” I asked her, “Why? Because of Mother’s Day?” She smiled and said “Yes.” All I could say was, “Unbelievable how you guys operate.”

I saw them do the same to other people—waiting until everyone is seated before mentioning it. And let’s be honest, who’s really going to stand up and leave at that point without feeling awkward? They know that, and they take full advantage.

Service was also incredibly slow. We waited over 15 minutes before any gauchos came by with meats, and I finally had to complain to one of them just to get some attention. To his credit, he felt bad about the situation and took care of our table from that point on—doing the waitress’s job, really. Waitresses only spoke to us twice the whole time we were there.

They had plenty of time to warn people while we waited at the entrance benches, but they chose not to. I’ve been here before and never had this issue. Most places offer deals on special days — not here. They quietly raise prices and leave you stuck with the bill.

This kind of practice is deceptive and exploitative, even if it’s not illegal. It shows a complete lack of transparency and respect for customers. Good businesses are upfront about pricing changes, especially when they deviate from normal rates. It’s sad to see a place take advantage of people on days meant for honoring family and creating happy memories, not walking away frustrated over hidden charges and poor service.

Bottom line: If you enjoy surprise charges and chasing down your own service, this place is perfect....