The flavors of Brazil come alive at EspetuS with San Francisco's very first Rodizio Style restaurant. The concept is simple: serve the meat straight from the fire on which it was cooked so that the flavor, temperature and texture are perfect.
In the Brazilian Language, EspetuS means skewer. In a traditional churrascaria (shoo-ras-ka-ria), meat is cooked on skewers over an open fire and brought straight to the table where it is carved directly onto your plate. For one set price, you will experience one or all of our succulent cuts of meat, continuously served until you are finished eating. EspetuS also has a full salad bar overflowing with the exotic salads and side dishes of the Brazilian cuisine.
The Scene With lilting Brazilian music, a server walking around with a big carving knife, and giant skewers of fire-cooked meat, diners are in for something different at this authentic Brazilian barbecue. Amber lighting and a festive din further enhance the atmosphere in the sleek, hardwood-floored space.
The Food Eating churrascaria style is definitely an event. Diners use a little metal wheel to signal green ("Bring more meat") or red ("We must pause or we will explode"). There are 10 kinds of meat carved tableside. Highlights include tender, salt-rubbed top sirloin bordered with crispy, delicious fat; fabulously moist, deeply flavored chicken; rich, un-greasy house-made sausage; and revelatory chunks of turkey wrapped in wide swaths of bacon. Though there are disappointments--slightly tough chicken hearts and overly salty white wine-marinated sirloin--overall, the meats are magic. For dessert, try the tres leches cake--dense, moist sponge cake with a sugary frosting, or very subtly orange-flavored crema catalana.
I am a carnivore of a man, so even though the service can be a bit rude i would go back. The servers walk around with their nose's in the air. Luckily the server that got us our drink was over the top nice it evened everything out.
Was this review helpful to you?
Yes /
No
(you must log in or
sign up to vote)
the managers took all admins to Espetus last year. very tasty. too much meat for someone like me who doesn't eat a lot of it. the parmesan chicken was off the hook. all the salads and sides at the buffet bar were really good. i don't know that i would pay to eat there on my own. it was much more appreciated because the bosses paid for it.
Was this review helpful to you?
Yes /
No
(you must log in or
sign up to vote)
Really this is a situation of a great concept with spotty execution. It is pretty expensive just for the meat. While it's all you can eat, you'd need to really eat a LOT of meat for it to balance out.
Since there are so many different types and cuts some of the quality suffers. The flank steak was excellent, but the other stuff was just ok.
Wine list is pretty clearly price-driven.
The swords are cool.
Was this review helpful to you?
Yes /
No
(you must log in or
sign up to vote)
Lots of meat, hostile service & ridiculous prices2
I guess if you have a fat wallet and want to impress someone (and you eat loads of meat), this might be a good place to go. Personally, I was insulted by the $20 table water fee and the $20 per bottle corkage. It's not like it's a cheap feed in the first place. To top it off, the staff gave us a lot of attitude.
2 out of 2 people (100%) found this review helpful.
Did you?
Yes /
No
(you must log in or
sign up to vote)
Latest reviews by Citysearch:
(read all 50 reviews
on Citysearch)
Awesome!
By a12i17e
If you love meat, this is the place for you. All of the meat, chicken, pork, lamb, and shrimp selections were tender, juicy, and had the right amount of seasoning (the shrimp especially). The salad bar had a nice selection of veggies and beans and includes salmon. They also have a long list of desserts (didn't really care for the the Tres Leches cake though). As previously mentioned, our bill was astronomical as well. It's $49.50 per person for dinner. Thank god they didn't charge for my 6 year old.
Pros: Excellent service, great selection of meats & poultry. Cons: Double P's-Price&Parking
Posted 03/25/09
Reminded me of being in Rio! Great atmosphere, and customer service
By steve2472
The food tasted great, it was seasoned great, and the service was fantastic. The first time I ever had gone to a Churrascaria was 15 years ago in Rio -- the food and experience was awesome! Espetus brought me back there. I strongly recommend taking family and friends.
Pros: Service, and food quality, and taste Cons: Can't think of one at this time
Posted 07/05/08
Exelent food whit great smiles
By Weldera
As a Brazilian, I have being to several "Churrascarias" before. In Brazil and in few cities of America. What I want when I come to a "rodizio" it`s a good variety of tropical Brazilian salads and some of it`s unique culinary dishes and all the tender and juicy at it`s flavor meat, good meat. How about a friendly, welcome whit a great smile in an ambiance of happiness. After a long day at work or a long weak, I, for sure, can find that at Espetus. Delicious food that worth every penny.
Pros: delicious food Cons: parking
Posted 06/03/08
Excellent food, but a little pricey.
By Ian2008
I love "churrasco"! This is the place in San Francisco to try the real " churrascaria rodizio", the way it's called in Brazil. The service is very good, but I think it's a little expensive if you take your whole family. My bill was astronomic...
Pros: Food & Service Cons: Price!
Posted 05/20/08
GOOD FOOD, BUT $159 FOR WATER??!!!
By elisa_sullivan
Just came back from a holiday lunch with 35 coworkers at Espetus. I collected $31 including tax and tip from everyone. The staff had told me over the phone that drinks were extra ($4-$6 is what they said) so I figured we would just have water. They asked if we'd like sparking or still water so we asked for still water. HUGE mistake. Because I neglected to say JUST PLAIN TAP WATER, the bill arrived with a charge of $159.39 for bottled WATER. I suppose I should have asked how much for water, but I had no idea it would be almost $5 each for WATER!! C'mon people!! You're charging $23.95 for a lunch buffet (Double that for dinner)! Could you at least include the WATER or warn me that you charge $7 a bottle!!!???
