How To Survive Your First Churrascaria Rodízio Experience

A favorite among the meat-loving Cariocas, these round robin steak houses offer you the unique opportunity of eating all the meat you can stuff inside yourself for one set price. It’s traditional not to eat for the entire day, and then go to a rodízio and gorge.

A word of caution: Waiters make their rounds with lightning speed, and before you can say “lingüiça” leen ‘gwee suh, the waiter will be offering you another cut of beef.

To avoid indigestion, it is recommended that you cover your plate with your hand until you are ready for that next sliver of meat. Although there does exist the danger of being stabbed in the hand when doing this, it is the only way to inform these speedy waiters that you need a chance to get caught up before the next round.

A churrascaria rodízio [shoo ‘hah skah ‘rree yah ho ‘gee zee yoo] is not recommended for vegetarians, dieters, or long-winded conversationalists.