Terra Gaucha Brazilian Steakhouse - Tampa, FL — Restaurant in Tampa

A great local restaurant. It is very easy to reserve your spot with OpenTable, but the place is large enough that if you showed up without reservation, they could probably accommodate you most of the time. They are well equipped for large parties and small parties alike. Rating for ease of reservation is 5 out of 5

The food was excellent, starting with the buffet style table that has a little something for everyone… rice, beans and hearts of palm were my main target here, but i tried many other sides in small portions. Their own hot sauce was a welcome addition. The only thing I thought was below mark here was the fried pork belly - perhaps it was just that one plate that was a but overdone. But I was not here to judge them on their pork belly cubes… the waiters come by your table often to bring by many different meats if your little circle they have for each guest is facing up with yes and offer you slices of meat. You can choose to have some or if it is not something that you wish to eat at that time you can kindly decline and wait for the next waiter with a completely different meats type. Rating for sides is 4.5 out of 5

The meats were hot, fresh and delicious. The waiter will slice a piece off based on the temperature you would like, most of the way - you will then use the tongs at your table to secure the piece before he finishes the cut. At that point, simply flip your circular indicator to No - this way nobody offers you more meat until you are ready. This also makes sure that each slice is nice and fresh. Rating for meat quality and flavor is 5 out of 5

The staff is very friendly and will assist you in anyway they can. If there’s is piece of meat that you really like, you can request for that meat to be brought around rather than waiting on it to show up on its own. Rating for service is 5 out of 5

They do not offer draft beer, but have a few kinds of bottled beer - I personally like beer with my steak. Beer choices 3 out of 5.

Deserts looked really nice, we tried the lava cake and the Brazilian flan - while I am a big fan of flan, this one was not my favorite recipe. It wasn’t bad by any means, just not the way I like it probably a 3 out of 5. Lava cake was an 4 out of 5

Atmosphere - the place is beautiful inside and well laid out. I rate the atmosphere as 5 out of 5

Price - it’s not a cheap meal (adult dinner is about $63 not including drinks, deserts or tip). Nor should it be. You go to the Brazilian steakhouse to have excellent meats not to eat cheap. Excellent quality of meats and good staff come at a cost - just keep the cost in mind when you decide to come here. You will not walk away disappointed with what you get. The cost is considered very average for this type of restaurant.

In conclusion, while I have some small things I thought could be better, it’s all non important stuff for a Brazilian steakhouse. The important things are meats, rice and beans and service - all of which are excellent. Overall I rate this place as 5 out of 5...

I have been to Terra Gaucha plenty of times and it has always been a wonderful experience. The servers/staff are kind and attentive. My family and I decided to celebrate my college graduation at Terra Gaucha, however, it was a disappointing experience. Especially because I told them how much I love going and always have a great time. We made a reservation well in advance but weren’t seated until at least 30 minutes later. Although the servers are kind, when we asked for anything it was forgotten multiple times and we had to ask again. It is usually busy with lots of bustle so we understood that the servers all might’ve been overwhelmed and tired, chalked it up to a bad night. However, the reason I am writing this review is because of, what I think is, the manager. For background, my mom and I did the salad bar while my sister and dad did the meat experience. The salad bar is what I ate for my meal and I was content with that. My sister had gotten a slice of filet mignon for herself but knows it is my favorite so she wanted to cut me off a small piece of her slice so I could have a little piece. As I was eating the piece the manager, or whoever he is, came over and asked if I was now doing the meat experience, I said no my sister just gave me a small piece of her own, he responded that we can’t share meat otherwise he’d have to charge us. At first I thought he was joking because it was the one piece I had the entire night and it was off of my sister’s slice, she didn’t get an extra slice to give to me. Continuing on, I quickly realized he was being serious so I just said okay. When he walked away my whole family was looking at one another in discomfort and confusion. We were having a fun night and the manager put a true damper on it. Everyone else who works at Terra Gaucha was friendly, except for him. He walks around eyeballing everyone like a hawk, it is quite creepy and unsettling. His people skills are nonexistent and I don’t know why Terra Gaucha would have someone like him on their staff. Our server did bring out a little dessert to congratulate me on my graduation which was greatly appreciated. Now I don’t expect my review to make a difference and I’m sure his employment will not be put on the line because of him being an undelightful person, but to future...

My fiancé and I just left this steakhouse, and usually I wait to give reviews but I wanted to get this out while it was fresh. let me tell you, it is top notch. I’ve ate at many steakhouses since moving to Florida from Alaska 6 years ago, and this was, by far, the very best.

First, the food is amazing. I had mainly salmon, beef, and lamb. I grew up with salmon fresh from the river and have learned to avoid it at salad bars since moving, but not here! The salad bar had a smoked salmon that reminded me of home, the whole bar is very fresh.

It was immediately obvious that the kitchen staff really know what they’re doing, as tonight was the first time in 6 years I’ve been able to eat a game meat that had the flavor without the sour. That requires skill in butchering and careful handling all the way to table, and they pulled it off. As for the beef dishes, it was all so flavorful and so tender that knives were not even required.

The real star of the experience was the service staff though. They really over exceeded expectations. I had three waitstaff, Dan, Vinny, and Stephanie (sorry if I misspelled your names!). I have an unusual preference for blue rare meat, and usually just asking for this level of rare I, at least, get the impression that I am inconveniencing the staff. I have seen some eye rolls, and have been told that they can’t serve food that “raw” for “health code reasons”. So in six years I’ve never once had any restaurant that was willing to serve it to me this way. Dan and Vinny didn’t even hesitate to make a special request to serve me both lamb and beef cuts blue rare. There wasn’t any fuss or sighs or funny looks. Dan even inquired how I developed a taste for this preparation, in a very friendly way that gave the impression that the he was inquiring not to judge, but to further understand how to serve future customers. As a business owner myself, I hope the management understand how invaluable this kind of waitstaff are.

I know some readers may be a little anxious about the price, but I can say with confidence that you are absolutely getting what you are paying for here.

If you haven’t tried it yet, you really must. It’s not just very good food, it’s a full...