Red Violin

Came here for the Summerlicious deal, this being my second time, with a group of 3 other friends.
The atmosphere is nice and festive (although it was *very* warm inside) and, as expected on a weekend, the place was packed. Definitely not a place to dine and chat (more of «dine and yell»)
The first time I came, a few years ago (it had a different name and probably ownership) I remember the food being better. A lot better than this time.
While you get what you go for (lots of meat), the choices for salads/​side dishes is very poor to say the least. Most of the choices they offer do not go well at all with the meats they offer.
Out of the claimed 20 types of meat they have, I only recall trying a handful.
The ones we tried, were just okay. I can’t think of one cut that I could say was special.
The star of the evening for this restaurant that takes pride on their meat selections, was the grilled pineapple: we ate as many as we could.
Even though it was a summerlicious deal, it didn’t feel like a good value.

This place is now called Rodeo Brazilian Steakhouse though it’s in the same location that Red Violin was in & apparently has the same theme. That of a Rodizio. I came here for a company event & thought the place looked very nice. The décor is interesting & dramatic. The salad bar has some delicious options for the vegetarians. Though I wish they had more hot food at the salad bar. The meats were good. It’s a little strange to see guys with big knives & hunks of meat serving at each table. With our group there was a lot of us so we were crowded. Would’ve been nice if they spaced us out more as they weren’t all that busy on a week night so we could have taken up more space. They are only open for dinner so it’s a bit pricey. I would like to try some other Rodizio’s to compare how good Rodeo was.

AMBIENCE /​EXPERIENCE
The restaurant is lovely — dimly lit, candles on the tables, etc.
Super fun with all of the activity — performances, live band, servers coming around all the time.
CUSTOMER SERVICE
Our waiter was average. We definitely didn’t have his full attention and it was hard to get the bill at the end of the night but it wasn’t the worst service we’ve experienced.
The most disappointing part was that we really only got to try 4 – 5 different meats (of the 20 or so they have) because they kept bring the same ones to our table. By the time we realized this was happening, we were too full to bother asking for different cuts.
FOOD ($ 50 flat + drinks)
Drinks are quite pricey ($ 11 for a tumbler) and weren’t my favourite.
Bread — it doesn’t come close to Fogo de Chao.
Salad bar — Of what I tried, it was ok.
Meat — Of what we tried, it was good. They consistently asked me how well I’d like it to be cooked.
Sides — Were ok. We didn’t finish them. They don’t compare to Fogo
Dessert — Super sweet but delicious grilled pineapple
ENTERTAINMENT
Great weekend show — live band and performers
OVERALL
I personally wouldn’t go back but I think it would be a great venue for a first date on a weekend with all of the performances happening.
If you’re looking for a Fogo de Chao comparable, this isn’t it.

I took my husband here for his birthday. We had reservations for 6pm and the restaurant was fairly quiet and we were seated immediately. The service was very friendly and the appetizer bar was fantastic. Plenty of variety but as tempting as it is be sure not to fill up your plate! After appetizers wide variety of meats were offered and all were hot, fresh and flavorful. Side dishes were placed on the table once the meat started to be served consisting of rice, beans and mushrooms. The side dishes were a little bland (which I can understand as the meat was seasoned) but the owner/​staff were quite pushy about us eating them which was a little off-​putting to be honest. One gentleman even said to us «I don’t want to throw that away just eat it.» Around 8pm the restaurant was packed and we needed to ask our server several times for a glass of wine and the bill; I feel they may be a little understaffed. Besides the service hiccups and a bit of rudeness regarding the side dishes (removing 2 stars for that) it was a wonderful experience and I would definitely return. The dessert pineapple is perfection! The price of $ 60.00 a person may sound steep but for the amount of food offered I feel this is a steal. Drinks are quite pricy.

I was a bit sceptical of this place given the reviews I had read on Unilocal.It’s not a place I would have actively checked out on my own, but my friend was having her birthday here so I mosey’d on down to the Danforth to check out this Brazilian Steakhouse!
Walking in, it has a very upscale, classy ambiance. If you come here you probably want to dress up a bit.
When your full party is seated the waiter will explain to you how everything works and will break it down into «phases»:
Phase 1: Brazilian Bread.
Pretty much you get to nom on some normal bread, and some Pão de Queijo (little cheese bread balls) to start. I didn’t try the regular bread but the Pão de Queijo was a little underwhelming to me. Not poofy enough on the inside, I think (a bit hollow in some areas). The cheese taste in the bread is very mild — they smell delicious though!
Phase 2: Appetizers & Drinks
First you will order your drinks. This is the first time I’ve had the pleasure of trying Cachaça (liquor made from fermented sugarcane juice.) Liquor made from sugar? I think I fell in love. I tried it in Brazil’s national drink, a caipirinha! Oooohmygosh. This thing is so sugary (but not TOO sugary) and delicious! If you try it out try it out in a plain version (our server recommended with lime) that way you can really have the taste of the Cachaça shine! It definitely ranks up there with my favourite drinks of all time — I will be seeking this stuff out at Brazilian places going forward!
They have a huge smörgåsbord of salads and appetizers for you to choose from. Shrimp (seasoned very well and a bit spicy! my favourite of all the apps), Cold Cuts, Dolmades, Salmon with Capers, a large array of cheeses, veggies, build your own salads (very plain, I’d stick with the other stuff unless you want just lettuce with some random generic veggies), etc. They even had Sushi, which, while not the best Sushi I’ve ever eaten, was decent considering it was served at a Brazilian Steakhouse!
You get to munch on the appetizers until you & your table tell the waiter you are done. Once you do this they will clear & change your plates.
Phase 3: Meat, meat, meat, meat, some good music, and oh yeah, and some more meat!
This is where the fun begins. Each member of your party will get a card with two sides: one green & one red. When you flip your card to the green side, the staff will start coming in waves to deliver you some delicious meats. They serve a whopping SEVENTEEN types of meats to eat, and carve it right there in front of you! My favourites were the picanha steaks (extremely well seasoned and cooked to a nice med-​rare) and the pork loin crusted with Parmesan cheese (speaks for itself — yum!).
The meats come with some sides: mashed potatoes, rice and beans, mushrooms, and deep fried bananas. The deep fried bananas were TO DIE FOR! I could have seriously eaten a whole bucket of those all night and I would have been happy as a clam!
When you want to take a break from the meatfest, simply turn your card over to the red side and the boys will stop serving you until you flip your card over again.
While you are enjoying your meats a delightful 3 piece band will be singing, playing, and entertaining you.
Phase 4: Dessert & A Show!
During this phase if you are not finished with the meats you can keep your plates and your cards until you tell your server you are done. We were already stuffed at this point so they brought over the dessert: roasted pineapple with brown sugar & cinnamon. Yes, it is as good as it sounds!
The Brazilian Dancers come out at this point and they were INCREDIBLE! Wow, I wish I could shake my booty like that! They are all dressed up with feathers and fans and the girls really know how to put on a good show! They will of course get some people from the audience (including myself!) to get up at some point and dance with them.
Once the Brazilian Dancers are done you get to watch some brilliant Capoeira! Again, these guys are just bursting with talent and put on a great show — it’s really something you need to see to appreciate!
There is a 15 minute recess and the dancers are back for more. The band that plays during all of this is just incredible — the music is amazing!
All in all I am SO glad to have tried this place out! Highly recommended if you’re looking for a different sort of experience with your dinner.

I’d like to think of myself as a big fan of Brazilian Steakhouse. I’m a frequent visitor of Fogo De Chao, Copa Cobana, Brasa — so Rodeo was on my to try list.
If you’ve never been to a Brazilian Steakhouse before, Rodeo would be good enough, the concept of AYCE, different cuts of meat, marinated with different season, is fresh.
Any other Brazilian Steakhouse you go to, when they serve up the meat, the outside is nice and crispy (it’s like the first, best bite of a steak, but every single bite), as they slice you a sliver, the meat underneath it is rare/​raw. I’m not sure that Rodeo has their meat cooked the same way, because it’s well done all the way through and definitely not crispy on the outside.
They didn’t offer us any meat because we were apparently waiting for the sides (for 30 minutes) — only to find out that the sides were some tired rice, beans, and some sauce.
The first waiter that attempted to serve us meat cuts himself — spilled blood next to our kid. Other staff did not come to take care of the blood, we had to clean it up. Prolonged the wait another 20 minutes.
If you can take my word for it that the next 30 minutes has been consistently as poor as it started, without going into details, we stopped in the middle of service and asked for the manager. She was shocked because they’ve never had complaints before, makes us wait another 15 minutes, only to have the server asked if we wanted pineapple, when we asked for the bill. They gave us a 15% discount. Hmmm, no, we barely had a few bites. The manager asked us what we think we should pay — for 2 adult and a kid, barely touched anything, $ 50 was generous. As we attempt to pay, the chef came out and started swearing as us (though we had a child with us).
The one star (as oppose to none) was for the fact she called me because my man had left his new iPhone 5, i returned to retrieve it, attempting to be grateful for her not pocketing the phone, I said, well maybe it would had been better had we dined earlier and the meat were not as tried — she said it would be the same. Honest.
Save yourself the trouble, there’s a reason why the restaurant was half empty on Saturday night. the 2 hour wait at Copa Cobana is worth it!

Because of my injured foot, going anywhere is a hassle. But, because I rarely do go out now, any opportunity to try new places (especially those for Summerlicious) is one I grab readily. My friend made reservations for 4 at Rodeo, previously called Red Violin. To my knowledge, everything is the same… except the name of the restaurant.
Intro. To my dismay, my boyfriend couldn’t find immediate street parking and had to drop me off some streets away from the restaurant. So, I waited for my bf to find parking and we made the slow trek to the restaurant. My second dismay was to see ALL THE STAIRS leading to the restaurant… one set, then another winding set, then two for good measure. My third dismay was to see that the restaurant entrance was a longgg hallway, followed by another set of stairs to our table. Needless to say, I was HUNGRY, SWEATY, and slightly annoyed at the restaurant choice.
Food. All my feelings were quickly put aside as I ate the most amazing cheese bread, apparently, only offered at Brazilian establishments. Imagine a hard yet soft outer crust with doughy and cheesy interior. We loved this so much we asked for a second round of bread. The Summerlicious menu consisted of a buffet appetizer spread: salads, mussels, and shrimp. Main course is all the variety of meats: some were great, other so not. Sorry, I don’t know the names in Portuguese. The meats are complimented by 3 condiments: BBQ Sauce, Chimichurri, and Mustard; And, potatoes, rice, and mushrooms with Black Bean sauce. Dessert was delish, warm pineapple covered in Cinnamon.
Summerlicious price: $ 40. Regular price: $ 60. Everything is the same except with the regular menu, you get Lamb as a meat offering. The other difference is that with the Summerlicious set, you have a time limit to sit at your table. Regular menu you can sit as longggg as you want. But for the $ 20 difference, sitting forever isn’t the best thing after all the meats so if you can get to Rodeo for Summerlicious, you should definitely try.
FYI — On the weekends they have a dance-​like show. I saw a table for two UP, CLOSE, AND PERSONAL to the stage so unless you want to have music blasting in your ear for the rest of the night (and also, poor person that has to sit facing the wall instead of the stage…) do NOT request that table.

Went there for another summerlicious event, and left very full and satisfied!
The below review includes the variations of meat, non stop until you flip your card to stop. Each server explained the Brazilian cuts of meat and they were all top notch, some might not like the rare meat on some of the cuts but I loved it all!!! (nothing is wrong with rare meat…)
I had a Brazilian version of gingerail and it blew my mind away, way better than the Canadian ones! I was even able to get the name and where they get it from, def going to get a case! (no Boose as I was the dd this time). Glad too :)
Even the desert was phenomenal, a sugar glazed pineapple on a rottiserie solo good, wish I saved more rom for it.
Our many servers were all friendly and explained the Brazilian items. Great staff, the way it is meant to be.
Summerlicious cost was $ 35, reg menu price $ 50. I would go back at regular price, quality was top notch, meats were well prepared, anti pasta and salads were good, italian cuts of meat great starter choices, service pleasant!!!
One of my new fav spots!

There were 17 of us last night here for a birthday party.
You start off helping yourself to the salads and appetizers (cheese, veggies, fruit, etc.).
While we were eating, a three piece band entertained us.
Once they realize you are ready for the meat servings, they start bringing it on. You can have whatever you want for as long as you want … they just keep coming to your table with different kinds of meat until you tell them to stop.
Are you ready?!
Chicken legs …
Beef ribs .
Sausages …
Bacon-​wrapped turkey …
Chicken thighs …
Then they brought some platters of mashed potatoes and deep-​fried bananas (I’d never had them before … they are good!).
Then came garlic-​beef (I didn’t care much for this) …
Lamb (I passed) …
Pork ribs (they were delicous!) …
Pork roast …
Prime rib (I passed on it as it was too rare for my liking) …
Sirloin beef (it was well-​done and yummy) …
I was sooooo full!
Then the dancers started.
I’d never been there or to a Brazilian steakhouse before so had no idea what to expect. I just assumed it was a regular restaurant.
At $ 60 a person, it’s not cheap but it’s something fun and different to do, especially if you are a meat eater … but go hungry! My only complaint is that it was really really warm and stuffy (we were all sweating) … they need to get some cool air circulating.

The meat is good but the sides were kinda cold (mash potatoes and broccoli), I just went valentines day with the girlfriend, the service kinda sucks. Maybe because it was v-​day and they were really busy but they should have scheduled more servers in anticipation of it. We were located to the right of the stage and it seemed to us like the meat was always coming out and going to the other side (to the left of the stage). Our side rarely saw them come by, in the 2 hours we were there we only saw 4 or 5 different meats. The entertainment was okay, did not really keep me all that entertained, overall forgettable. I would not personally go back because the price does not justify the experience.

First time there; my husband and I were pleasantly surprised. The restaurant itself is beautiful; the food is great (we loved the salad bar!) and the staff is very courteous and attentive. We missed the dancers however the band was good. A little pricey; nice place to celebrate an intimate occasion.

From 2006:
Really nice salad bar, and a pretty nice atmosphere the time my wife and I were there. Romantic setting, dark, red flowers, candles. The meat courses were satisfactory. I remember I kept going back for the salad bar though.
I didn’t know much about the neighborhood surrounding the restaurant but I remember thinking it would be a cool place to live.

Now called rodeo.

We dined on a Thursday evening. We were the only people there until 8pm when two other tables arrived. The buffet table was delicious, lots of fresh salads, seafood was shrimps and mussels, and lots of cold cut meats and cheeses. The rodizio style meat was not high quality. The sausage, chicken wings, bacon wrapped turkey and bacon wrapped tenderloin were bad tasting. Two of the beef dishes did not taste like beef at all. The beef short ribs were excellent and so was one other beef dish. We asked to stop bringing meat and the server told us there was 10 more things to bring out so there could have very well been a lot more good tasting meat. I wish they would have just brought the good stuff out first instead of trying to fill you up with the low quality meat.

The food was really good. They come around and serve you meat, the trick is to has small portions until you get a meat that you really like. The service was good as well and I like the performances. Ambiance was romantic.
You have to book ahead, the day I went it was really busy. Other than the price I would go back to this place often.

I really can’t describe how the Red Violin works better than Ktimene G. so I won’t.
I loved the whole vibe of this place. It was unlike usual sit-​down meals I had grown accustomed to sharing with my boyfriend. We were there on our first anniversary, a chilly winter evening, but the room had such a warmth about it. At first Diana Krall was the soundtrack, but eventually she gave way to a sizzling live band.
The main attraction would obviously have to be the men who paraded around with their meat on swords, and they did not disappoint. My personal favourite was a slice of lamb that was so tender and juicy that I haven’t been able to get it out of my head to this day. Even the boyfriend didn’t stick with me this long!
I would be remiss if I didn’t shout out to the cinnamon-​pineapple dessert. I will have to try that flavour combo at home! Also, mojito = yum (lots and lots of fresh mint).
Such a fun experience — definitely give it a try if you are up for the splurge or have a special occasion in mind!

I’m going to have to agree with Daniel H on this one. If you have had the US Brazilian steakhouse experience this will be Very disappointing. After my first «Fogo De Chao»
\ Texas De Brazil
experience (both Brazilian Chains) in the states, I had high hopes for the Red Violin in Toronto. Took my girlfriend (now wife) there and I came out extremely disappointed… but she came out super impressed. It is certainly an experience, but once you have done it up right in the states it is on the terrible side in comparison.
As Daniel mentioned, in the US when the carvers come to the table, you tell them your preferred doneness (Well Done, Medium, Rare and everything in between). They then carve off from different areas on the skewer to get you what you want. Not so at Red Violin, you get what you get.
The selection in the US Chains is a lot larger as well. Places like Red Violin don’t have as many cuts of meat, and places like Copacabana has a lot of meats advertised but only serve some of them each night.
I do have to say that Red Violin had an amazing pineapple dessert. Skewer a whole pineapple (peeled of course), Roll it in Cinnamon Sugar, then put it over the flame. Crispy caramelized sugar on the outside, sweet warm pineapple on the inside. I’ve tried to replicate on the BBQ but you need to do it over the wood flames to get it right. It is amazing there.
So Red Violin was nice, but it’s just no where near others out there.
Now there is hope. If you want to try something really close to the US chains there is a new Brazilian Steakhouse in Niagara Falls called Brasa. It’s inside of the Hilton that is attached to Fallsview Casino.
Go there for sure if you haven’t done Brazilian Steakhouse and want to try it out… and then hit the slots at the casino. This is a lot closer to what you get in the US and you will like the experience a lot more.
Hope this helps!

As a huge Brazilian steakhouse fan, I had big expectations for the Red Violin on my weekend trip to Toronto. Sorely disappointed… Anyone who has experienced a true Brazilian steakhouse like Fogo de Chao in the states will know that the Red Violin is just a poor imitation of one. The antipasto bar was small and the ingredients were not fresh. Most cuts of meat were terribly overcooked and of very poor quality. The selection of meat were small and the place just made up non-​Brazilian cuts like «The Big Beef». I asked the server what cut of beef it was and he didn’t know! The servers did not even ask how I liked my meat cooked! Most servers gave me dry overcooked meat and a couple gave very undercooked beef/​lamb sashimi/​carpaccio! One thing was consistent… All of the meat was way too salty.
Also, the servers clearly were not highly trained as they have at most churrascarias. Couple of the servers were cutting the meat with the point of the knife wavering dangerously close toward my eye.
I may be a bit harsh on the place, but if you are going to charge similar prices as the rodizio places in the states ($ 60 a person for dinner), you better give your customers quality at that level. I spent $ 240 dollars on the meal (with bottle of wine and a couple cocktails) and I felt I had been cheated at this sham of a restaurant.
I truly hope for the people of Toronto (and for my next trip to Toronto) that a true Brazilian steakhouse establishes itself in Toronto.

Glad to hear the Red Violin has pulled up its socks. Have been twice, first time was intriguing and the salad bar was excellent, but things started to fall when the meat happened. Second time the salad bar was a shadow of its former self. I question whether the meat is cooked each day and not held over.

I loved everything about this place, from the upstairs location, the candlelit stairs, the Brazilian jazz music, the smiling service. And no wonder Brazilians have all the sexy curves with this good food.
The restaurant works like this: order a drink (mojito, caipirinha, sangria, anyone?), then visit the salad bar, where you’ll find these among the selection:
Pao de queso– cheesy bread!!! (gluten free, made from yucca flour)
Mango salad
Avocado salad (the most avocado i’ve seen in one bowl at one time)
Shrimp (very meaty– yum!)
Mussels
Bocconcini and cherry tomatoes
Sauteed greens
Smoked salmon
Prosciutto (in case you’re worried about getting enough protein later)
Next, the meats are served tablefront, sliced frrom skewers– you indicate whether you want the servers to keep visiting you with green/​red light cards on your table. They’ve got everything from veal to chicken legs to bacon wrapped turkey and pork sausage– it’s very hard to say «no» to the nice young men who visit every couple of minutes.
The most delightful part of the meal was the grilled pineapple desert, also served tablefront fresh off the skewer, rolled in cinammon… fragrant, sweet and light!
Obrigadaaaaaaaaaaaa!
PS. Great place for a date or a splurge– worth it.