Rodizio Grill Brazilian Steakhouse - Wesley Chapel — Restaurant in Land O' Lakes

So we went in with high hopes after eating our way through nearly every big-name Brazilian steakhouse multiple times in Central Florida—Texas de Brazil & Terra Gaucha in Tampa, plus Fogo de Chão & Adega Gaucha in Orlando. Rodizio Grill just opened a few minutes from home, so we were actively cheering for a new favorite.

The space The building is stunning: high ceilings, warm wood, plenty of natural light. Parking could not be easier—overflow next to Kohl’s if the main lot fills. The host-stand crew was friendly, but even with dozens of empty tables we were quoted a thirty-minute wait. We slid over to the bar for a drink, where we discovered the countertop actually vibrates. Weird quirk & worth mentioning. The beer was nice and cold. They ended up seating us after fifteen minutes. Bathrooms are spotless and inclusive—separate men’s and women’s plus two single-use rooms for anyone who prefers extra privacy. Nice touch in 2025.

Buffet bar tells the truth My quick litmus test at any churrascaria is the wheel of Parmesan cheese at the cold self serve bar. At Terra Gaucha you get an authentic Italian wheel; at Texas de Brazil it’s a clearly labeled BelGioioso from Wisconsin. Rodizio’s wheel had no markings at all, which pretty much summed up the cold and hot bars—serviceable but stripped-down. Even the signature pão de queijo (cheesy bread), maduros, and fried yuca are self-serve instead of arriving at the table. The black beans and white rice (which I always try) were legitimately tasty, so credit where credit is due. The staff refilling the items at both bars need improvement. They would take an item away ( to go refill) instead of bringing a replacement, making you wait extended times for what you might be looking for.

Meat service This is where Rodizio really needs seasoning. The meat lineup is much smaller, the swords themselves less bountiful, and the slices carved felt like tapas samples. No gaucho asked how we prefer our beef cooked; every other house seemed to ask and then bring it automatically on rotation. Everything that landed on our plates was mostly gray and well-done. Our whole table likes medium-rare to rare. We asked seven separate times for specific cuts before they finally appeared, and when the one confident carver did find us he vanished just as quickly. The grill crew needs a crash course on temperature and timing. Salt level is lighter than at the other chains—good if you’re watching sodium, but I’d trade that for a proper sear, more flavor and some rosy center.

Staff cadence Everyone is pleasant and no one hustled us to flip the table, but the gauchos look brand-new to the dance and nervous when slicing the meat. The lack of confidence made me worry if they might drop a knife on us (I've had meat dropped on me at Texas De Brazil). Add a couple more confident meat runners and tighten the rotation and service would improve overnight.

Stack-up versus local icons I’m honestly puzzled by the flood of five-star reviews on Google. Right now Rodizio feels like a polished corporate intro to churrasco rather than the genuine article. If you want the full experience, Terra Gaucha remains Tampa’s benchmark—best cuts, widest variety, most delicious sides—for roughly ten dollars more. Texas de Brazil? After half a dozen visits I’ve put it in the “good-enough but not great” column for similar meat-quality issues.

Bottom line Beautiful room, prime location, and friendly staff, but the kitchen simply isn’t ready for prime time. Not by a mile. You go for the all you can eat meat. Everyone at our table agreed we’ll keep trekking to Terra Gaucha and gladly pay the premium for the better quality of meat & more choices. I’ll watch their reviews over the next year and hope they dial in grill temps, expand the skewer lineup, and start carving steaks with some confidence, because the dining room deserves...

We were excited for this restaurant. We've been waiting for it for almost 5 years, if I'm not mistaken. We've been to many many Brazilian steakhouses over the years and sadly, this one was the least enjoyable. I'll go point by point starting with what they did right and end with what they did wrong.

The service was great, but... Our server was Giovanna and she was spectacular. Someone was helping her and she asked them to get us fresh plates twice. The guy helping her said he would and never returned with plates. I got them myself for the entire table. Overall though, I can't complain about the service. Giovanna was phenomenal, but her backup or support personnel let her down which let us down. I want it known that Giovanna was incredible.

The atmosphere was outstanding! It's very clean, modern, and classy. They did a wonderful job here with the amenities and circuses.

The final positive, with a tiny blemish, is the salad bar. With the exception of the seafood salad that was incredibly fishy smelling (in a bad way), everything else on the salad bar was outstanding!

The three negatives are some of the meats, the gauchos, and the comment cards. Let's do the piddley things first...

The comment cards require a stamp. You want me to pay you to give you feedback? That's cheap and lazy. If you want feedback, you send a manager to tables to ask how the meal was or you give a business reply postcard. Or a card with a QR code to your own survey. No one ever asked us about our meal except for our server. Instead of mailing in my comments where you could view them privately, I'm writing them on Google reviews. The meal wasn't great. It's not worth the 73 cents for a stamp.

Next was the Gauchos. I understand that they need to have a little fun too, but every single beef item they brought to the table was described as "top sirloin" no matter what cut of meat it was. I don't know if they were being funny, if they didn't know, or they didn't care. I knew the meats better than they did and I'm just a customer.

Finally, the nail in the coffin... the meat. What an incredible disappointment! There was absolutely no consistency in preparation, portion size, or temperature. Some was incredibly salty and some was bland. One thing almost all the meats had in common was that they were dry. We'd ask for medium doneness and it would be gray. They don't care as long as they're slicing meat and getting paid.

That's what I was most upset about. I can deal with all sorts of little piddley things, but the meat is the main event and it was not good.

We go to Brazilian steakhouses at least twice a month and we were hoping this would be our new place close to home. Unfortunately, we'll still have to head into Tampa to Texas de Brasil or Terra Gaucha. Such a disappointment. If they're still around in 4-5-6 months, I might try it again and see if they took any of the advice that people...

⭐️⭐️ 2/5 – Disappointing First (and Likely Last) Visit

We recently visited Rodizio Grill for the first time to celebrate my wife’s birthday, and unfortunately, the experience fell far short of expectations—especially considering the $250 price tag for our meal. As a fan of Brazilian steakhouses, I had high hopes for this new addition to the area, but compared to the other options nearby, Rodizio simply doesn’t measure up.

For context, Terra Gaucha offers exceptional meat quality, a stellar salad bar, and impeccable service—all at the same price point. Even Texas de Brazil, though a chain and hit-or-miss, provides a more consistent and enjoyable dining experience than what we had here.

Let’s start with the positives: the service was decent, and the staff was generally pleasant and attentive. However, the issues began immediately with the restaurant’s email promotion. A sign on the table encouraged us to sign up for their email club to receive a $15 discount and a birthday certificate, but when we did so, the waiter informed us that the system was “behind” and that they wouldn’t honor it without the actual email. This felt misleading and set the tone for a disappointing evening.

Now onto the food—which, at a Brazilian steakhouse, is the main event. The meat was of noticeably low quality, overcooked, underseasoned, and frankly just not well-prepared. The gauchos seemed inexperienced, and many of the cuts were dry and flavorless. The picanha, a signature cut, was reduced to dry, skinny strips that should never have been served. The proper technique of slicing the outer char and returning the cut for re-grilling was not followed here, which really stripped the meat of its signature flavor.

The salad bar was underwhelming, and the side dishes, which are typically served table-side at most rodizio-style restaurants, were instead placed buffet-style for guests to retrieve themselves. This detracted from the dining experience and felt more cafeteria-like than fine dining.

One of my wife’s favorite parts of Brazilian steakhouses is the cinnamon-glazed bananas, but even that was a letdown. These tasted more like unripe plantains—dry, bland, and completely lacking the sweet cinnamon glaze that she usually enjoys. The Brazilian cheese bread (pão de queijo) was stale and likely sitting out for some time.

Overall, this was a disappointing and overpriced experience, especially when much better options exist in the area. I was genuinely surprised to see some of the positive reviews given our experience. Between the poor meat quality, lackluster sides, promotional issues, and inexperienced gauchos, we walked away feeling let down—especially for what should have been a special occasion.

We won’t be returning to Rodizio Grill, and I would encourage others to consider Terra Gaucha if you’re looking for a true Brazilian...