Chama Gaúcha Brazilian Steakhouse - San Antonio — Restaurant in San Antonio

Hey everyone,

I’ve been a massive fan of Chama Gaúcha for years. Seriously, it’s been my go-to spot for any special occasion, and I’ve raved about it to anyone who’d listen. My family and I went there to celebrate an occasion, so you can imagine we were really looking forward to a good meal. The place is usually buzzing with friendly faces, and yesterday was no different - the staff greeted us like old friends, and the vibe was just as warm and welcoming as I remembered.

The setup at Chama Gaúcha is pretty neat with an open salad bar before you dive into the main event - the steak. We did as we always do, got a bit of salad before our plates were filled with the real stars of the show. Everything tasted fantastic, living up to my memories of why this place was my favorite.

But things took a weird turn as we were winding down. The manager came over to check on us, which I thought was nice until he zeroed in on our salads. What started as a casual check-in quickly escalated. He asked if we were going to finish our salads, and I tried to explain, super politely, that we were full from the main course. Suddenly, he raised his voice, chastising us about waste right in the middle of the restaurant. Saying do you think the salad is for free? Do you think we don’t pay for the salad? We’re not gonna serve you next time, etc. etc. Everyone started staring, and what was supposed to be a happy family meal turned super awkward and uncomfortable

I was so taken aback, and confused about what’s going on. I never get treated like this in this restaurant ever I know the Owner we always talk. Everyone treats us in a really good way. There’s never been any sign saying you gotta eat every bite of your salad or else. I even offered to take the leftovers home to avoid waste, but he wasn’t having any of it. Just kept going on at us in front of everyone loudly talking to us everyone on the table in a really disrespectful way and if like we do this on daily basis it’s just something that happened so unintentionally that we did not finish our salad and it’s probably the first time happening.

It was beyond embarrassing and completely unprofessional and ruined our night. The thing is, I’ve always talked up Chama Gaúcha, telling everyone how great it is. But after being treated like a kid getting a lecture for something so minor, I just can’t see myself going back. Actually would never.

It’s such a shame. The food is still amazing, but part of what makes a restaurant great is feeling welcome and respected. I hope they take this feedback on board. A simple heads-up or a polite reminder would have been enough if there was an issue. There’s no need to make customers feel bad, especially when it’s something so unintentional. And especially that the customers are there to enjoy themselves and support your business.

So yeah, that’s my story. It’s a bummer because I’ve loved Chama Gaúcha for so long, but I guess it’s time to find a new...

This is the absolute best restaurant I have eaten at in San Antonio so far. This establishment has all bases covered. This is a fine dining location but not in the strictest sense. You can be dressed very casual but the experience they provide is one of the most proper I've had in the city.

This is even far better than the "house on a stick" in the downtown area.

There is plenty of parking. They do have valet parking available. They actually had staff holding the doors open and greeting customers before we reached the reception. It appears to be handicap friendly.

I believe reservations are important if you have a large group and/or arrive later than say around 6 pm. Otherwise, we did not have any issues with our two person party. We were immediately seated, and along the way, we were greeted by many staff members as if we were old friends.

The place was busy but it was well managed. We did not need to wait long for anything, and in most cases, they anticipated our needs. This was true professionalism.

It is primarily an all you can eat, BBQ meats buffet of beef, pork, chicken, and lamb of about 8 to 10 different cuts as far as we could tell. There were sauces available, but to truly enjoy the quality, I strongly suggest you eat the medium rare level with no added flavors.

The wine selection is pretty decent. The wife was very happy with the Reisling. The wine will cost 15 to 19 per glass on average. Desserts will cost you but they are well worth it. The cheesecake was the best I've ever had. The creme brulee was only second to a restaurant we went to in Louisiana.

Prior to your meats being delivered, you have the option of the pasta and antipasto style salad bar. All choices are decent. Be warned that the shitake mushrooms are going to be a little different from what some of you might expect.

You will be served a few well-made sides in addition to the salad bar. They are very tasty but redundant by the time the meat dishes start coming. You'll initiate the servings of freshly sliced meats upon flipping a square tab over to the green side. Once you have a few items on your plate, flip the tab back over to the red side or the meat servers will keep approaching your table.

Our main staff member enhancing our dining experience this evening was Diana. She was an absolute gem. Very friendly, knowledgeable, and provided options to us that were appropriate.

On the way out we noted the wine being g kept in two large display chillers. There was also a bar where there is the potential to meet a new friend. There is also a limited amount of seating available for when you are waiting for a table or the preponderance of your guests to arrive.

We HIGHLY RECOMMEND this dining experience. Be advised you will pay about 100 bucks a head if you enjoy the full experience. This does not include the tip, which should...

Waaayyy long time ago I was receiving an award from UTSA. Instead of going to it, we went to Chama Gaucha (choices). I had seen it on the Food Channel and we were dressed up so we went… we LOVED it. The atmosphere, the staff, the service were all wonderful. It was the first time we had gone and it was a dinner time. Through the YEARS we always go during lunch… like, AT 11 we are there. It always been fantastic service and we really enjoy seeing some great staff who usually recognize us. It’s nice. This year (‘25) we changed things up a bit. We went for DINNER and we took my daughter and her boyfriend (it was his bday and mine back to back). We paid a butt-ton of money. I was terribly disappointed in the service, the atmosphere, and the food. The guests were AWFUL (letting their kid in diapers play on the floor) but you can’t control the guests. We weren’t treated like the fancy pants people we were used to from lunch. No chairs pulled or napkins placed on the lap. Fine. I can do it. During lunch, I regularly put my meat on my veggie plate because I like mixing it up (literally) but I guess dinner rules are different so they required me to get a separate plate. Nbd but nobody gave me a second plate. We finally got that sorted out’ish and I was ready for my meats! I was super surprised to find out that the dinner rush was “slow”. Servers weren’t out as much as lunch. Idk. I kind of expected dinner to be quicker for turnover. I recognize that the staff were still hustling bc our favorite guy that we always see during lunch was there for dinner… and he looked exhausted! We mentioned our bdays and were given desserts. That was nice. But the whole “vibe” was off. It was way worse than the lunches we are used to. Ngl, I had a higher expectation for dinner because of the price and because it’s dinner. Highly disappointed. It was far from a tragic event but it was so bad that “we” have decided to forego our anniversary meal there and are trying a different steakhouse instead. I’m sad and I’ll miss you guys. We’ve had issues in the past but the big ticket bday meal killed it for us. I loved the cheeses and the chicken salad before you changed it to this weirdo version thats still ok but not the same. It’s been fun giving you guys money for all...