Gaucho's

Every weekend is Gaucho's. The Elite side is no waiting. A couple of $'s more but well worth it. The wait staff and owner's make you feel part of the family and want to return. Never leave hungry!!! Rating is tops!!!!

Posted 10/20/09 | Report Abuse

Was this review helpful to you?

I loved Gaucho's and will definately return. We were greated with a smile and had excellent service the whole night. The only complaint I have is that I couldn't stop myself from eating, excellent food!

I definately reccommend anyone try this place.

Posted 10/14/09 | Report Abuse

Was this review helpful to you?

I took my family there for dinner and could not have been more pleased. The staff was extremely friendly and made us feel at home. The food was excellent and cooked just the way I like it.

Great atmosphere too. If you have a chance don't pass up eating at Gaucho's, you won't regret it.

Posted 10/14/09 | Report Abuse

Was this review helpful to you?

I just tried Gaucho's for the first time this past weekend! It was my best friend's 30th birthday and a bunch of us wanted to celebrate. We called early in the week to make a reservation for the 8 of us and the man who answered the phone was very polite and informative. None of us had ever been there before so we were very excited. We arrived right on time for our reservation and our table was waiting for us. We were seated right away and greeted by our server. He was very nice and professional. Since it was a special occasion, we wanted to try some of their signature martinis. They were AWESOME!! The chocolate covered strawberry martini was amazing! We started off with the salad bar which was really great. All of the items were fresh, which you don't always get with a salad bar. After salad, the "gauchos" began serving us all of the meats. Wow! I couldn't believe how many there were and how tasty they were! My favorite was the chicken parmesan. The servers and gauchos were so amazing. They were quick and attentive to us. Even though we were totally full at the end of the meal, we knew we had to get dessert. I highly recommend the "tuxedo" cake!! It was the best thing I have ever tasted and I am usually very picky about my dessert. Overall, I would say that our whole experience was awesome! I have been telling everyone about how great the food was. The only advice I would give to other customers is to come hungry!!

Posted 10/11/09 | Report Abuse

Was this review helpful to you?

Thank you Gauchos!! We just cebrated my parents 40th wedding anniversary and we will all be back for all of our special occasions. My family and I were so impressed with the attentive service and food. I had no idea what a brazilian steakhouse was or how they served their food. I'm sad that I drove by Gauchos for four years everyday and didn't try it until now! My 5 year old is the pickiest eater in the world and even he ate a full meal. There is something for everyone even if you don't eat meat you will enjoy the huge salad bar. The meats were my favorite though. I really liked the filet wrapped in bacon and the chicken parmasian. I also loved the carmalized bananas. The most important thing was that my parents had a good time and that was for sure. We didn't even know they had a birthday promotion and they still gave my dad his meal free because it was his birthday also.
This place really exceeded my expectations. I would recomend this place to anyone who wants to have a fun night out with family or friends or even just for a date night. First class place.
$$- very affordable - great value

Posted 10/11/09 | Report Abuse

Was this review helpful to you?

Just had dinner at the most wonderful place. I am so glad I listened to all my friends and coworkers who told me to go to Gauchos and not read reviews. I was not expecting much at all when I went to Gauchos because they were advertising "free birthday meal". I figured there was no way my wife was getting a free meal and it was going to be filling. Wow I was wrong!! I can't believe the meal that we ate. We started with a salad bar that never ended and it wasn't just salad it was everything there was even hot food on it. Then the meats started coming out. There were so many meats that I lost count. I have to admit that I thought this was a trick and that I would get a big bill for this big meal. The staff that was bringing out the meats were so attentive to our needs also. At one point one of the meat carvers noticed my wife needed a refill and brought it out for her. Crablegs were the best!!! We ordered those because we love crablegs and they were only $10 to ad on to our meal for all you can eat. We passed on dessert because the server told us it wasn't included and I was still concerned that we were not getting the free birthday meal. We asked for the bill and told the server that my wife had a birthday this month, she asked for the ID and took it and showed her manager. Two minutes later she came back with the bill and the moment had come for me to really see..... I opened the bill and sure enough my wife's entire meal was free!! Wow how can they do that. A free meal for her birthday and it was a great one too. My birthday is in March and I hope it is still going on then too. I will have to see that was a big meal. Great food!! Great service!!! and GREAT DEAL!! You must try this place even if its not your birthday because it's awesome!!!!!!!

Posted 10/11/09 | Report Abuse

Was this review helpful to you?

I have tried Gauho's 3 times and on each time my experience become worse. First, we were told the wait was 40 minutes, but we waited for over an hour before they finally sat us in the "Elite" sitting area eventhough we were not eatting the "Elite" meal. Second, we were miss quoted 3 times on how much our bill would be for with the entertainment book coupon. The price of our dinner was first $29.95, then $34.95 and finally $45.95 after our credit card was rang up. Third, we were told the wine we chose to buy a bottle of was 25% off that night, but on our bill and after complaining to the manager it was not. Fourth, our food was had no flavor. I have eatting at many restaurants in the area and would gladly choose another restaurant when I want to get a good steakhouse meal. I think they convience people to come in with all the "Specials" they are having. If you haven't noticed, they always are having specials and nothing if ever full price. They use a nice reverse pyschology technique on consumers.

Posted 10/03/09 | Report Abuse

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Was this review helpful to you?

We thought we would try Gaucho's as my husband wasn't impressed with their competition in another NWI city. We were really excited as the prospect of finding a nice place to take our frequent house guests. Unfortunately, neither of us were impressed with this place. There was no hostess available when we arrived, she came out of the bathroom about 10-15 minutes of us standing there with employees going by and not even acknowledging us. Then we waited at least an ADDITIONAL half an hour on a MONDAY. Finally we were seated at a table that had been empty THE ENTIRE TIME WE WAITED! Honestly, if we hadn't been so hungry we would have left. We didn't expect the salad bar to be "standard fair", we thought it would have items more native to Brazil. Some of the meat was really dry and overdone. The one we really liked we only saw once, and when we asked for it to be sent around again it never materialized.On the upside our waitress was GREAT (she said she had only been there 1-1/2 weeks)! However, this will be a one time experience. Next time we want to try something like this we'll just make the drive to Chicago or go to our favorite Brazilian Restaurant - Tango Sur (unfortunately not an AYCE).

Posted 09/22/09 | Report Abuse

Was this review helpful to you?

I recently move to Valpo and was excited to eat at a Brazilian Steakhouse because all the ones I have been to were great. This place however, is the exception. I even ate there for my free birthday meal. My boyfriend paid about $30 for his meal so we figured about $15 for each of us plus tip was a ripoff! I would rather eat at McDonalds than eat here for free.
First, we had to wait 30 min and there were many tables available. They sat us in the very back corner which was dark and cold because the building must not be insulated very well. The food was bad. The salad bar was bad..nothing special especially for the prices they charge. They make you get salad first and they will not let you eat the meat unless you finish your salad which is ridiculous! Even the meat was bad. Overcooked and not even seasoned well. They tried to convince me to buy bottled water instead of drinking from a glass so they could further rip us off. On top of that, the service was slow. The atmosphere is horrible, I couldn't wait to get out of there. Don't go to this place even if it's free...unless you are really desparate for a free meal. In that case go for fast food and consider that what you would have spent on the tip or drin. This place is horrible. They give Brazilian Steakhouses a bad name.

Posted 09/07/09 | Report Abuse

Was this review helpful to you?

This is the dirtiest restaurant I have ever ate at, not to mention the smell. I have never been to a Brazilian steak house where the gaucho wouldn't put my meat on my salad plate, he said my server would have to get me a clean plate..How lazy, and I know he is getting tipped out well by the server. The owner Sam Is very argumentative, and not customer friendly at all. Andre, the manager is just as bad as Sam and has a lot to learn about the restaurant business. When we first got there we had to wait a 1/2 hour even though there were empty tables. What is the matter the servers can't handle more than 2 tables? They could if the lazy bus boys would do their job. I would not recommend Gaucho's to my dog.

Posted 08/24/09 | Report Abuse

2 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

Was this review helpful to you?

Okay food, some of the meat a little dry and overdone, salad bar okay. They were not coupon friendly. We were quoted one thing over the phone and it was different after dinner. Had to pay extra because they only accepted one coupon for our table of 8 people.

Posted 07/31/09 | Report Abuse

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Was this review helpful to you?

After reading these reviews, I was hesitant to go to Gaucho's but I took the chance and went and I am addicted. I thought the salad bar was great (all the food was fresh and tasty!). The waitress we had was very friendly, and polite and always came back every 20 minutes to check on us. The chefs who came around with the meat were very polite and brought us back well done pieces of meat like we asked for! As for the meat, it was absolutely scrumptious. The filet mignon and bacon wrapped chicken were to die for, the crab legs were high quality. I love the carmelized bananas! I was very impressed with the restaurant. My father and I were stuck in the corner away from everyone and afraid we would never get any meat but we had to turn our card to stop numerous times because we had more food than we knew what to do with. I highly recommend Gaucho's, it has high quality food at fairly reasonable prices if you pick the right day (we picked Wednesday for the all you can eat surf n'turf for $29.95.)

Posted 07/06/09 | Report Abuse

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Was this review helpful to you?

Just had dinner there tonight. The service was excellent, the food was delicious. We live in Chicago, but traveled there on word of mouth rave reviews. We have been to Fogo de Choa a few times, which is an excellent place, but this is just as good and a little more reasonable priced and I felt way better service. There was not a single thing from the salad bar, to the many meat and seafood items to dessert to the martini's that wasn't delicious. We will go back again and unlike Fogo de Choa, I will take my 4 children there (ages 14, 12, 7 and 2 1/2.

After reading some of the negative reviews below, it is clear that there are some people that will NEVER be pleased and they are only happy to complain about something, anything, because they have nothing better to do. Both my husband and I have worked in the restaurant business at some point in our lives and we can spot great service, great food and a place that will last, they were celebrating their 4th year and I'm sure there will be many more. I'm glad I didn't take those reviews to heart and made the 50min drive out there!!!!

Posted 06/12/09 | Report Abuse

1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Was this review helpful to you?

I was real hesitant on going to Gaucho's after reading some of these reviews. But because of so much overwhelming good reviews from word of mouth, I couldn't help to go and try it myself. After my visit at Gaucho's I've come to the conclusion that there are obviously some people who just can't be pleased. For anyone that had a less than stellar experience at Gaucho's they must have not eaten at the gauchos in valparaiso..

Posted 03/06/09 | Report Abuse

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Was this review helpful to you?

We waited for an hour to be seated. The salad bar was plain. The meat had no taste or seasoning. It's over priced and not worth the money! They're stingy with the portions of meat. If you could get them to serve you. They charge $2.00 for cheap bottled water and don't tell you until you get your bill! The waitress Joey charged someone else's bill to my debit card and they didn't want to return the charges. I was billed twice, and the owner Sam didn't care to correct the matter. I will never go there again!

Posted 02/18/09 | Report Abuse

2 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

Was this review helpful to you?

We just left Gaucho's and it was not what I expected. Everything is a promotion, therefore you can't use the restaurant.com coupon even though the paper states every Sunday. There was salad, condiments and 1 pasta salad. They start out bringing the meat and gradually forget about you. Then comes the bread and potatoes after you have eaten the meat not to mention they forgot the butter for the bread. Then by the time you are disgusted by the wait between meats they bring out dessert and forget to mention that each dessert is $6.95 per piece. Went there once and will destroy my coupons, call all my family that I purchased a coupon for and warn them. We won't be back.

Posted 02/15/09 | Report Abuse

1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Was this review helpful to you?

The food was overpriced and mediocre at best. Not to mention the horrible service! The servers kept bringing around the same type of meat again and again and by the time they brought something new all our other food was cold. The bathrooms were disgusting. I'd hate to see what the kithchen looked like. I decided to give them another chance and attend our company party at their banquet room. More of the same. By the time I got to the buffet line most things were gone. I do not recommend this restaurant and will NEVER go back!

Posted 09/02/08 | Report Abuse

2 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

Was this review helpful to you?

Gaucho's quickly became our favorite place to go- and the monthly specials and deals for kids has made it affordable to go more often. Our whole family enjoys every part of the meal- from the generous salad bar to the awesome mashed potatoes to, of course, the meats. The kids enjoy being able to take part in the Gaucho experience and we've only had the nicest (and most patient!) of servers and Gauchos attending to the many messes and needs of a large family. I personally recommend the cheesy bread rolls they bring to your table as well as the caramelized bananas (oh my!) and the parmesan chicken! Amazing!

Posted 08/15/08 | Report Abuse

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Was this review helpful to you?

I can't tell you how many places I've tried steak and it's all so disappointing because it all tastes so blah. Well not here. I am officially hooked. Not only does the steak taste incredible, it's always hot because the Gaucho's keep bringing more right off the grill. And the chicken and turkey is my wife's favorite. As much as I like to say I'm a red meat guy I have to sneak a couple pieces of the chicken parmesan and turkey for myself. It's really worth it. And the sides are just as incredible. The mashed potatoes are so good and I love the carmelized bananas. The staff was courteous without being pushy and everything was exactly the way I wanted it. I can't wait to get back to Gaucho's, it's my new favorite restaurant.

Posted 08/15/08 | Report Abuse

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Was this review helpful to you?

I live down the road from Gauchos and never tried it out, but always wanted to. I thought it was just like any other steakhouse. I decided to take my girlfriend there for a nice dinner. But, I was worried because my girlfriend isnt a big steak eater. I was pleasantly surprised by the selection and service. I tend to be a little judgmental about service and when I go to a nice restaurant I expect the best in both service and the quality of food. At Gauchos we were politely greeted and walked through the process of the meal. We were shown to the salad bar and were blown away by the selection and freshness of everything. My girlfriend had a field day. I, myself being a there for the steak, was looking forward to the meat carvers. When they began to come around with all those meats I was in heaven. They were delicious especially the Brazilian cut. My girlfriend even enjoyed herself by eating the chicken parmesan and some other non-beef items. The carvers were polite and helped us through the process without cutting any part of us with those knives they wheeled around. It is a different experience and we had a blast. I think this restaurant has all the makings of being a NWI staple. The bar on the other side of the restaurant also looked cool (I was a little to full for a cocktail). So, my suggestion is to try it out, you will have a great time with great service and many different selections of delicious food.
Frank H.

Posted 08/15/08 | Report Abuse

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Was this review helpful to you?

I went to Gauchos on a Friday night. A lot of my friends told me I should go and I finally decided to go for it. So much food!! You should not eat the entire day if you are planning to go. The food keeps coming and coming. The meats were so moist and delicious. The salad bar had a variety of items( I suggest you definately try the bowtie salad.) I would recommend this place to everyone I know. I will definately be going back!!!

Posted 08/15/08 | Report Abuse

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Was this review helpful to you?

Please read the reviews and trust what they have to say! My family tried this restaurant today because we had purchased Restaurant.com gift certificates for it. As one of the other reviewers said, it looks like it could be a gentlemen's club from the outside. When you get in the restaurant it is dark and dingy and DIRTY. It smells like a stale ashtray. That was just the beginning. We then sit down at our table and take a drink out of our water glasses....it is WELL WATER! And not a tasty kind of well water either. Then, we order two plates. I give our waiter our Restaurant.com gift certificate (which was for $25). After we start being served the meat, the server comes back and says that the manager will not honor the gift certificate because tonight's dinner is considered "promotional"? So I talk to the manager who was very rude and he gives me the runaround. So at this point, I figure we will just suck it up and enjoy the meat. But the meat was of very poor quality. It was full of fat and gristle. Everything was over cooked or way under cooked. We have been to a couple of different Brazilian steak houses, and this one should not call itself that. I can easily say that it was the worse restaurant experience I have ever had. I do not see it being in business for long. Please, for the prices you are going to pay at this place, do yourself a favor and take the drive to Chicago.

Posted 06/01/08 | Report Abuse

2 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

Was this review helpful to you?

My husband and I always drove past this place and finally tried it - we are in LOVE with it! The service was incredible - we were encouraged to relax and enjoy the experience! The food - even better. We weren't expecting that much food, but it was amazing. To top it off, we hobbled our full selves over to their lounge and enjoyed some live music and drinks. (I'd be lying if I told you we didn't share a second round of desert later after a few cocktails)! We ended up staying several hours and enjoyed every minute! We'll definitely be back to this place and we highly recommend it to anyone looking for a great evening!

Posted 05/04/08 | Report Abuse

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Was this review helpful to you?

The first thing you notice about Gauchos, especially if you have been to other Brazilian Steakhouses is that it looks nothing like one. The exterior of the building looks like it houses a gentleman's club and the inside, aside from the mural on the wall in the lobby looks like a poor excuse for a cheap wedding banquet hall. I really wish I had taken a picture with my phone of the cheap ceiling fans with the chandelier type light kit. In hindsight, it is a good metaphor for the experience we had at Gauchos: like serving expensive champagne in a trailer park.

The service from the get-go was not overly impressive. In fact, our waited touted that they distinguished themselves from other restaurants of this kind by being more personable, yet he himself was severely lacking in the kind of service and attitude he advertised. The service was unfriendly and quite slow from our server.

The salad bar was no where near up to the standards of a proper Brazilian Steakhouse. It had a few of the items that make this type of restaurant stand out, but nothing close to what Ive come to expect from a restaurant of this type. Not to mention the wall behind it was in desperate need of cleaning.

The food, and lets face it you go there for the all you can eat meat on a stick not the salad, was good. It wasnt near as good as other restaurants of this kind that I have been to, but I really dont think anyone can complain too much about the quality of the meat, especially if this is your first experience with a Brazilian Steakhouse. The only complaint we really had was what they claimed was rack of lamb kept appearing occasionally as filet mignon as well. The gauchos that actually served the meat on a stick were fantastic. They were personable, friendly and seemed to have a schedule for not bombarding you too much with meat all at once.

Dessert was nothing special, the usual fare although they did have one dessert on a stick but compared to the sizes of the other desserts it was quite small. The only complaint I have (I didnt personally try the desserts) was that they had different desserts available for different tables. Tiramisu was not on our dessert tray to choose from but as we were leaving, I heard another server mention it and point to it on her tray.

The prices were pretty standard for this type of restaurant, maybe slightly less. For two adults who got a few drinks with dinner and a dessert drink we were in the neighborhood of $110-$115. Beware of trying to use coupons from Entertainment.com or gift certificates from Restaurant.com at this place, especially if you are going with other people who happen to have a coupon as well, regardless of whether or not you are getting separate checks. They only allow one per table, and the lifeless waiter, rude manager and overly rude, obnoxious and brazen owner all refused to honor our coupon and our friends gift certificate because we were at the same table. Apparently they are not interested in repeat business as they do not make any efforts to ensure you return.

If you can, visit Fogo de Chao in Chicago or Sabor do Brasil in Orland Park before this place. They do the Brazilian Steakhouse style restaurant in a much grander fashion and you will get a more authentic experience. The food at these other restaurants is better and their salad bars offer a better experience as well. You will find better service at the other restaurants as well and except for the friendliness of the gauchos at Gauchos; it really was an awful experience. Well be talking about it for a long time, but not in a good way.

If you cannot make it to the other Brazilian Steakhouses and want to experience one, the meat itself will not disappoint, and you will get a basic, general feel for the uniqueness of this type of restaurant. If you desire to have a full and true Churrascaria or Brazilian Steakhouse experience with good overall service, go elsewhere.

Posted 05/03/08 | Report Abuse

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Was this review helpful to you?

I just want to say that my family almost did not make it to our home 5 min. away before the pain in our stomachs made it necessary to run to the toilet.

Posted 01/07/08 | Report Abuse

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Was this review helpful to you?

I was an invited guest at a fairly large group dinner (app.80-90 people) recently and had an opportunity to eat at gauchos for the first and last time. My first sign should have been when most of the coat hangers left were either broken or the wire ones you get from the dry cleaners. Anyway, their new banquet room is a joke. It's in the basement of the restaurant and has these cheap, white sheets hanging from the walls. Perhaps, they haven't completed the renovations yet? The service was poor. For the entire group of guests, I only saw 2 waiters serving all of us! One of them was actually the bartender from earlier in the evening. By the time they finally got around to all of the tables, the platters they carried only had a piece or two of cold meat. Yum. Also, the salad bar, made up of mainly iceberg lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes and a couple of side salads was never replenished. So many guests were left with a salad and no dressing because they never bothered to check. Perhaps, they are still working out the kinks and haven't quite mastered banquet room service. I know that there are many other options for entertaining a large group in northwest Indiana, so save yourself the money and head somewhere else.

Posted 12/12/07 | Report Abuse

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Was this review helpful to you?

The waitress was very nice, but went today for the first and last time to celebrate our Anniversay, waited an hour for my husband to finally get his food (mind you its all you can eat) he was nice and patient and waited, and said nothing...he finally lost his appetite, We got the bill and they CHARGED HIM For his SALAD!!!
Unbelieveable, we eat out all the time, for the prices they charge, they should never make anyone wait and then charge them for a salad...I will never return again....):

Posted 07/11/07 | Report Abuse

1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Was this review helpful to you?

Its a brazilian steak house. That's about the only similarity you have to the other brazilian steak houses like the ones in Chicago or other big city places. The service was poor. Not sure if it was the wait staff's fault or the cooks in the back. We had to wait a long time for the meat to come out. And when it does come out they ask you if you would like rare, medium, or well done. Well all they served was rare. Really blood rare. The salad bar was sad. I think they went over to the local grocery store and served that. For the $35 dollars we paid, I would have rather drove 45 mins to chicago and ate at the brazilian steak house there and spend the extra $10. After the people in the area eat at a different brazilian steak house they'll probably won't come back. I won't.

Posted 05/04/06 | Report Abuse

1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Was this review helpful to you?