Espetus Churrascaria

Same quality meat as Pampas. Less buffet selection. Good to make reservation. Service was ok

I love this place! I’ve been twice and I always looking forward to going. The options/​selections are great, the amount you get for the amount you pay is awesome!
I look forward to going again!

My boyfriend and I came here for lunch, and we enjoyed it a lot.
There’s a buffet of rice, pasta, salad, etc. while employees walk around with different types of meats (fresh, warm and juicy). My boyfriend dared me to try the chicken hearts — I did not enjoy it lol. But it’s worth a try, you might end up liking it!
I enjoyed the meats; however, my favorite was the warm pineapple… YUUUUUM.
Downside is that this restaurant is on the pricier side, the two of us came out to be a little over $ 100.

A very fun and relaxing restaurant with TOP service.
The Salad bar is truly fantastic and the quality of the meat served at our table was wonderful.
We had a great time !!!

Were you to read any of my other reviews, check ins you might note that I have an ongoing love affair with all things meat and Espetus is just the place where lovers of meats of all makes and models can scratch that itch.
I give everything on offer a go but was sent to another planet when for the first time at Espetus I was presented with pork belly.
Another favorite is the beef ribs. And then and in conclusion you cannot go wrong ordering anything presented on skewers.
Get some.

First time trying Brazilian food and it definitely did not disappoint! A must try! Spent roughly $ 150 for two and it was worth every bit. If you are a meat lover with a big appetite you will love this place. Great ambiance, intimate setting, great quality food and the dessert, Papaya cream with sorbet was amazing!

Went here for lunch. They are busy right when they open at 1130am so come early or make a reservation if you can. Wow this place was bomb!
From what I remember, the meats I had were:
Pork belly (the one)
Garlic sirloin (the one)
Chicken hearts (not the one, but still tasty)
Chicken thigh
Top sirloin
Chicken sausage
Pork sausage
All the meats were so good.
I had one plate of salad. I was surprised by the quality and variety. Everything was also good. Sweet potato salad, mixed greens, quinoa, beets, cole slaw type of stuff.
I didn’t mess with the hot foods. I didn’t want to waste precious stomach space on anything but the meat. The wait staff was awesome. I can’t wait to come back.
Great value at lunch time. Check for two people (no alcohol) was about $ 75.

We came here last Friday for one of my girlfriends birthday. I’ve been to the SF location before but I think the San Mateo location is more enjoyable. It was easy to find parking, less traffic, and the restaurant itself seemed to have more space.
From the hostess to our server and even the gentlemen walking around cutting the meats onto our plate — the service and staff here was fantastic! Not everyone from our party arrived yet but they seated us anyways, brought us an appetizer plate (pao de queijo, fried polenta, and fried bananas) and took our drinks order! As soon as everyone was there, we went to town! Big time!
Brazil has a special place in my heart so Espetus really brought me back. I’ve been to a couple of Brazilian Steakhouses but I still think Espetus is my favorite (outside of Brazil). Everything here was sooo good! I only wish that I could’ve eaten more lol. We made complete barrels out of ourselves but it was well worth it!

I’ve heard so much hype around this spot and a lot of it is a real thing. I took my dad here for his birthday since he wanted steak and a dining experience that was outside of the typical American steakhouse. It really is a great spot for a celebration.
Here’s what you really need to know:
1. It is so easy to eat all the pineapple. CHECK YOSELF. My mouth was burning like crazy.
2. All the meat. Just get it all. Even the hearts be beyond solid.
3. You may end up in a photo with gaucho… even when you’re not really trying.
4. Drinks be strong.
5. MAKE A RESERVATION. It’s really the easiest way to ensure you have a table.
6. Service game strong. It lives up to the price you pay.
I would come back at some point. It’s worth it if you come hungry and the quality of meeting is superior than what you would get at most steakhouses anyway.

We had a reservation this past Saturday at noon. We arrived 10 minutes prior to opening and there were already people waiting inside. We were seated as soon as they opened.
Definitely try all their meats. Loved the chicken hearts, pineapple, and sirloin steak. I always asked for medium rare or rare, otherwise, it tasted too dry for me. I didn’t enjoy the chicken or the ones that were parmesan because they were too dry.
Loved their salad bar! My faves were the mango salad and the pear salad. Cared less about the warm food, but my son enjoyed it.
I also enjoyed the fried polenta! I asked for extra crispy seconds hehe
$ 28/​pp for lunch on a weekday.
$ 40/​pp for lunch on a weekend.
$ 57/​pp for dinner.
Free street parking in a not-​so-​bad area!
Very attentive staff!
We live in San Jose and this place is comparable to Taurinus in downtown SJ!
SIM, POR FAVOR!!!

Where should i start?!
Did a reservation online, and arrived a few minutes before our time, and we got sat right away :)
Walter, our waiter did an amazing job! Was very helpful throughout the entire time. Always checked up on us, and made sure our glasses were full. :D
It was great eating the different 12 – 14 steaks they had available! It was crazy, did not expect all these different types of meat. And the salad bar! Great items there, i loved the chicken lasagna they had and the beef stroganoff. The fried banana appetizer they put on the table was great! Theres just so much food to like. Wish they allowed take home, but its alright cause the food was delicious!

This place beats Espetus San Francisco hands down. A much bigger space here in downtown San Mateo. Although, I almost did not make it Espetus because after parking on the street, I walked past Ramen Dojo and saw that there was no line out the door (meaning I could have walked in and ordered Ramen — unheard of for that place).
Ramen Dojo temptation averted — I made it to Espetus, was promptly seated by the salad bar. And managed to not give in to the temptation to pile on plate upon plate full of their delightful salad offering as many other customers were doing.
The meat were fresh, juicy, and seasoned right. I enjoyed the chicken hearts, the grilled shrimp, filet mignon, sirloin, and their ribs to name a few. Great company, yummy grilled meat, along with a pitcher of Sangria to share for the table — made for a good, fun dinner outing.

Tasty salad bar with a nice mix of options beyond just salad. Good selection of meats and they rotate them very well. Overall a pretty good place to eat but bring your belt extender. You’ll need it after filling up on all the meats they offer.

Came here for a weekend lunch with some buddies and I’m sure glad we can here. Wasn’t sure how I felt about this place before I came because I’ve eaten at Fogo de Chau and it wasn’t a pleasant experience. The lunch crowd on a Saturday was not bad at all. The only big groups that came were those for Holiday parties but the restaurant was not full. Good thing because we would get more attention and better service. The salad bar wasn’t amazing but it had enough greens for me to feel like I ate something else besides meat.
Some of the things I remember eating:
Filet Mignon
Chicken Hearts
Chicken Sausage
Garlic Beef
Pork Belly
Grilled Pineapple
Flap Steak
Sirloin Steak
Bar:
Quinoa salad
Potato Salad
Mango Salad
Beets
Overall: It was worth it for $ 40 on a Saturday. Clean, Good Food and Good Service.

I went to Espetus one time to celebrate my birthday with a couple of friends. What a birthday treat that was! Compared to the SF location, San Mateo’s location is a lot more spacious and the parking situation is a little more easier though you may have walk a little bit since there’s no parking lot.
In case you haven’t been to a rodizio style churrascaria house before, it essentially works like this. Throughout the dinner service, there will be servers stopping by at each table with a series of huge skewers of meat. At your table you’re given an indicator, which at Espetus is a placard where you can change the color to red or green which tells the meat servers whether you want them to stop by your table (green) or to pass by your table or had enough for the night (red).
They serve you a bunch of different types of meats: Although I can’t remember all, I do remember they served us Chicken Hearts, Sirloin Steak, Ribeye, Pork, Turkey, Grilled Prawns, Lamb and Grilled Pineapple. Even though the sirloin and ribeye are their popular cuts, my faves are always the chicken hearts and the grilled pork. They’re so flavorful and tender. I always found myself requesting for more hearts and pork over and over again. I’m not big on lamb if you’ve read some of my past reviews, but I gave it a try anyways. It was okay. Still tasted gamey to me so it wasn’t something requested for again. For the most part though, all the meats were cooked really good when I was there.
Learning from my experiences eating at the SF Location, I pretty much steered clear of the salad bar. And I’m a always sucker for those cheesy bread balls (Pão de Queijo) they serve you at your table. The salad bar here did seem a little smaller than the SF location, or it might have been because the space was a lot larger which dwarfed it. It’s a good selection if you have to get your veggie intake for the meal, but to me, besides the mozzarella balls, the salad bar is a complete afterthought. Especially since you’re really paying a premium for the rodizio meats.
Espetus might not be for everyone, and it isn’t quite as vegetarian friendly as Pampas, which has much larger salad bar selection. But it’s really a great place to celebrate with a group of friends and/​or family. It may be expensive, but the quality of the meats and the great amount of them they serve you makes it a worthwhile dining experience.

If you’re hungry and have $ 70, come here! You won’t regret it… well maybe after the bill comes and you realize how much it is. But trust me, if you have a special occasion to celebrate or just want to treat yourself, this is the spot. I look forward to when my siblings come back home from college because my parents take us here as a special family dinner… though I’m glad when they come back in general lol. Warning: if you’re a vegeterian, vegan, or don’t like meat, you are first of all, missing out and second of all, should not come here.
This is an AYCE. They have a regular buffet selection at the end of the restaurant with paella, feijoada (my favorite, drooling just thinking of this), fish, salad, cheese, charcuterie, etc. I believe it’s $ 45 to eat this buffet which in my opinion is not worth it — though the food at the buffet is still amazing. But $ 45 for 7 selections of hot food and ***SALAD***…you need to reanalyze your life.
Now onto the best part, the meat! There are guys giving meat to you… what a dream come true! (I can’t tell if this is sounding a little perverted) There is a good selection of meat from lamb (my personal favorite from the meats), filet mignon, skirt steak, ribs, chicken hearts. There’s also a lot of meats covered in bacon, parmesan seasoned meats and garlic seasoned meats. Also… if you want any meat covered in garlic, just ask the waiter and they’ll bring out a slab of it for you.
There’s also some appetizers in the center of your table. I belive it’s fried bananas, some puff pastry and fried polenta (try this, I’m addicted!). Also, if you have room at the end, try one of their desserts. The chocolate cake with ice cream thing and peanut butter pie are to die for. And if someone from your group is celebrating a birthday here (or if you just say it’s your birthday LOL), you get a free ice cream in a sugar bowl… the best birthday freebie I’ve ever gotten from a restaurant, hands down.
Oh man… I need to wait another month until my siblings are back to come back here.

Mehh… i had better. The restaurant is pretty nice and the servers are very pleasant and courteous so one star for them. However, the meats and sides were mediocre at best. I had better Brazilian churrascaria in Miami and Los Angeles.
Ambiance: open
Noise level: Average
Food: meh. meats were salty and dry. The shrimp was the only appetizing part.
Price: expensive for the quality of the food. About $ 57/​person (i have no problem paying for good food)
overall: 1.5÷5
Summary:
From start to finish the servers were attentive and courteous though they kind of slowed down when they realized we hardly ate or touched anything, My boyfriend and I both agreed, this place is just not worth the money. The food was salty and dry with everything tasting like it came from a cheap bbq house. The only good item was the shrimp skewers, though a little too buttery, it was alright. Salad bar did not have a lot of selections and the selections they did had was ok. I dont even remember what i had… Overall I had better and would not be coming back for the food. I will give one stars to the wonderful staff and .5 star for the shrimp.

I went to No CA for a Raider game recently, and I had dinner with some friends the night before. How we were going to go to House of Prime Rib or PPQ Dungeness Island in SF, to Flemings in Walnut Creek, and ended up here is a mystery to me. My friends haven’t changed since college: They are still a bunch of indecisive mofos! o_​O. Espetus is on B & 7^th in San Mateo, and offers Brazilian BBQ @ $ 55/​person for dinner.
The food was very good. Brazilian signature dish feijoda was tasty over the fluffy white rice and topped w/​farofa. In addition, the meats were nicely seasoned and served quickly. Nonetheless, what was missing was more seafood at the buffet like shrimp and mussels on ice. I think Agora in Irvine has better variety in that regard: 4 Stars.
Regarding the ambiance, it is very nice. There is a nice bar to your right, dining area to the left, and buffet to the rear. However, the layout could have been better. The restrooms are in the left rear near where all the servers run back and forth. In addition, the buffet is by a few tables that everyone crosses by and bumps your chair including yours truly: 4 Stars.
The service was mixed. Our waitress was super nice and attentive. However, some of the servers need deodorant and customer service training. For example, we had the red light to stop meat from coming, but we were given fresh plates. When we started looking at the dessert menu, one of the support crew insisted upon removing our plates. How does he know we don’t want roasted pineapple and fried banana (both inc in meal) for dessert?!: 5 Stars for our waitress, 3 Stars for most of the staff, and 2 Stars for the silly server.
Despite a mixed experience, I would return to Espetus, or their SF location. I hear they serve duck & quail in SF. Espetus was not as good as Agora in Irvine, but I liked it better compared to Greenfield (LBC), and overhyped & overpriced Fogo de Chão (Beverly Hills).

If you do not have reservations and walk in looking for a table, lie. Tell them your name is Sanderson Vondersloot and your phone number is: 555−555−5557. I asked the hostess if she needed my social as well and she said «No thanks.» I am guessing that info is sold to the highest bidder, which is concerning and ridiculous, considering they have no reason to use my phone number and last name if I am standing in front of them. I like to lie, so it came naturally. I tell the story cause I suspect some Unilocalers are truthful and live an authentic life.
Anywho, the food is the star of this show and by food, I mean the animals. Cow, Pig, Shrimp y el corazón de un pollo es muy bien. I will say that the ribs, despite being driven around in a limo, are visually stunning, but lack flavor. I could give another one of my strip club analogies here, but I think I’ll keep this review on the PG side of the spectrum.
I suspect they make the sides and salad options very delicious so we fill up on those cheaper items and eat less meat. I have done that in the past and I refuse to take the bait. This go around, I ate cow, pig, shrimp and limited the amount of sides. Despite the price increase, I feel more confident that I got my money’s worth this go around.
In addition and probably most important, the cow is served up rare to medium rare. If you prefer medium to well done, you are gonna have to work for it and make your voice heard. It’s not an impossible feat but it’s definitely important for the folks who are not fans of blood. I, on the other hand, prefer to eat quality meat rare and that seems to be the specialty of this wonderful location.
Now, the attire is as flexible as you care for it to be. I’ve seen girls rockin; the red bottoms and I’ve seen girls rockin’ Tom’s and sweat pants. I suspect the gals who wore the sweat pants have live a more exciting life cause they came to chow and get their money’s worth just like dudes!!!

Meat Sweats.
If you truly love red meat like I do, you know what this is.
Espetus let me indulge my love for red meat with reckless abandon. They offer so many varieties of beef… I had them all. More than once.
You had to know I would!
My experience was outstanding! The service was attentive, the beef parade was constant, and the salad bar threatened to take valuable stomach space.
Oh come on — like your mom never told you to eat protein before you think about carbs at an AYCE.
Keep the table tag on green. The meat will keep coming.
The staff — the entire staff on the floor sang Happy Birthday to my daughter’s fiancée. It was truly a memorable evening!
Yummy cocktails, a delicious meal, desserts worth making room for, easy parking outside, and outstanding service.
I was glad I wore a loose fitting stretchy dress. We left stuffed to death!
Espetus San Mateo, take a bow for your 5 well deserved stars!

Essa é a pior churrascaria que já fui em toda minha vida! NÃO RECOMENDO! Péssimo atendimento, sem contar na demora para servir as carnes… Não merece nenhuma estrela!

Un restaurant de viandes, ou le principe est d’etre servi a volonté.
L’idée est que sur chaque table un disque indique soit «vert» quand les serveurs doivent vous proposer de nouveaux plats, ou «rouge» si vous souhaitez prendre le temps de manger ce que vous avez déjà dans l’assiette.
Les viandes sont amenées sur leur broche et découpée en fines tranches devant vous, une petite pince vous aide à prendre votre morceau.
Assez original et de très bonne viande.
Les desserts sont très bons, on a expliqué au serveur ce que voulait dire «petit gâteau» sur sa carte des desserts.
Compter 70 $ sans alcool.