Ipanema Brazilian Grill

Six of us went there for dinner,the place is vibrant,fun and extremely friendly,while we din't know what to expect our waitress guide us to the whole experience and it was awsome!! the 'mesa do frios" is superb with salads that I never seen in other places,the pasadores brougth all kinds of meats including bufalo,wild board,tenderloin etc etc over and over again tender,juicy and delicious..the wonderful brazilian music added to our experience..A great restaurant second to none!1 we'll be back soon for more...

Pros: food,ambiance,service

Cons: no parking on site

Posted 09/29/09

Why do we go out to eat? For great food, and this was great food and tons of it. Four of us went out last Saturday night for a birthday celebration. Two of our party ate the meat and two had the cold bar option. I was very impressed with the cold bar and next time I go I will try more items from the cold bar and cut back on the NEVER ENDING supply of perfectly cooked meats.
Also the grilled pineapple is out of this world.

I'm sorry other reviewers did not have a fantastic dinning experience, but we sure did.

Pros: Awsome food

Cons: Not a big enough stomach, will have to go back again !!!

Posted 09/28/09

I'm quite sure people have their reasons for negative comments. As for us (family of 4), we enjoyed the Rodizio dinner very much. Perhaps the key is to make reservation, start early and request how well/raw you want your meat to be cooked. We went there at 5pm and everything was perfect since we're the first few parties. The service was quick and friendly. The presentation of the food was excellent and everything was abundant. Within the first 30 minutes, we have already sampled all varities of meat plus pineapple (you have to try it). I'd recommend this place if you like meat. Even if you're vegetarian, they have plenty of non-meat dishes to keep you entertained. It's true that towards the end of the night, some of the dishes were not being replenish but we were able to request the waitress to bring us what we want. Overall, we're very happy with the value, food and overall experience.

Pros: Variety of meat, vegetable, pasta, potato, fruits etc

Cons: A little messy towards the end of the night

Posted 06/13/09

this restaurant is best for cowboys, their grilled foods are tasty and very astonishing... better taste it while you still can guys

Pros: best in town

Cons: what?

Posted 04/28/09

We waited forever at the bar for a table, then asked if we could be seated in the lounge instead. Our server was also one of the bartenders and knew we had been waiting a very long time, so he went above and beyond to accomodate us. He bought us a round of drinks and was very attentive and friendly, which helped to make up for the infrequent meat service. Some cuts were very greasy and fatty, which offset the others that were dry and flavorless. We repeatedly asked our server for specific cuts which were then delivered as we'd asked, (more shrimp, peppersteak, pineapple especially) but it looked to us like the dining room was first in line for meat, the lounge getting what was left over. Oh well. On a positive note, we ordered a bottle of wine, and our server recommended another bottle instead which was a few dollars less than the one we'd ordered, and it was spectacular. These days, every buck counts.

Pros: service

Cons: meat

Posted 04/04/09

Let me start off by saying that I have never felt the need to review a restaurant online before tonight's dinner. Never have I felt like it was my duty as a human to use the power of the internet to warn others of an unknown danger. But then again, never before had I eaten an "Ipanema Brazilian Grill". The general atmosphere was nice; a typical churrascaria atmosphere with more colors. The drink cups were plastic, in fact in looks like they raided the cupboards at Denny's in general. Needless to say I didn't get a water re-fill ALL night. When I finished my first Guarana (Brazilian soft drink), they poured my second once over the melted ice from 20 minutes earlier. The first couple cuts of beef I had were well-done, without even an option for medium rare. I thought at first I would have to leave the CHURRASCARIA hungry. Finally came the Picanha, (which they erroneously called "top sirloin"). These cuts varied from very good, to too rare and chewy. Besides the Picanha, other meats that stood out were the Buffalo and Wild Boar, not typical at a rodizio style restaurant. So besides the service being very slow, the meat being either too rare or too well done, the other main area of criticism came from the side dishes. Usually you would expect a medley of cheese bread, potatoes, and fried banana. Instead, the sides were FRENCH FRIES (really?!?!?) and the saddest (breaded!) and fried banana I've ever seen. No body wants their bananas fried in the same oil that french fries are fried in. As a result, the couple bites I took of the banana literally tasted more like ONION RINGS than bananas. Bottom line, if you are in Seattle and absolutely NEED to eat a whole bunch of picanha, skip out on Ipanema.

Pros: Good atmosphere

Cons: Bad food, service, and vibes

Posted 03/07/09

this is a great place to eat if you love meat! we have been twice now and we definately get our moneys worth. it seems like we got to eat at least 8-10 different kinds of meat while we were there. they also serve fried bananas and cinnamon sugar pineapple that is amazing. you should definatle take advantage of the lunch special. you only pay $17 for the meat and unlimited salad bar until 3pm. we love it and will definately be going back.

Pros: you get to try lots of different meats so it is great if you are indecisive

Cons: parking can be difficult, it's seattle

Posted 03/01/09

For us, it's a very-special-occasion-only outing.
I think the rodizio should be $25 not $40 and the buffet price somewhat less, also.

Posted 02/24/09

This is the very best food experience of my life. You can go anywhere to get good food but NOT the experience you will enjoy at Impanema

Besides great food, they have added FUN to the menu at no charge. When you walk in the door you think. WOW!! You ain't seen nothing yet. This place rocks your senses. If you do not have fun and enjoy the experience here, look in a mirror, there is your problem.

Of 66 reviews, 32 were 5 star, 6 were 4 star and the rest don't count (in my opinion).

THIS PLACE IS A MUST !!!! If you get lucky you will get Noah as your server!

Gary

Pros: It's all good!!!

Cons: None

Posted 01/16/09

I am surprised, I thought it would be the only claim to this restaurant, for being the only one that serves barbecue that I have a lot of people understand that the beef and barbecue.

Have you lived in Brazil, I am married to a Brazilian, know well the barbecue! sorry but the meat does not look like or with a little barbecue in Brazil,
Have you lived in other states where there are great Brazilian Barbecue where they intend to work even barbecue.

I decepcionei yesterday 11/20/08, I was lunch with my wife does not like the food, by the way do not have anything to Brazil, very bad, the meat then, I agree with our friend who wrote down, dried meat, nobody can talk and that the family barbecue, seasoning horrible, and care should improve a bit too.

I only guide for those who will eat the meal as the food is not good it is worth paying 40.00 per person for dinner.

I believe that such criticism can be constructive, because the restaurant is not good, ta exchange manager at the time of the official or improve, the good would seek a Brazilian who knows the preparation of barbecue cooking and thus could prepare a good roast beef avoiding that the movement no worse every day.

Posted 11/20/08

Not Recommended - Bad barbecue - Bad Service -

There is only one restaurant with Brazilian barbecue in Seattle, and they still manage to make a mess of meat.

I went to dinner on Monday 17/11/08, the meat was horrible, dry, without any seasoning, they should have used the meat rest of Sunday.

Customer horrible, because when I went to claim the manager told me.... eat Mac Donald's.

People who delivers the meat very bad manners, get out with all the dirty laundry of both splashing fat.

Do not get it because I had a meal so bad, because I have friends who frequent the restaurant at lunch is already about two months and said that the meat and the service very good

If the lunch and that cost around 18.00 and and say well, what about dinner that costs 40.00 and become a mess.

So I would like to know why my experience was so bad, after paying 40.00

I am disappointed, at dinner I did not come back, I try to go for lunch with my friends tell whether the meat and the care and even better.

Posted 11/19/08

We went here for dinner for a special occasion and had terrible food. The servers were very nice, but the food was DRY! The only meat item that was not horribly overcooked was the lamb, which I don't eat so I don't know how good it was. The shrimp was so overcooked that the shells stuck to them. We were the only dinner table that night (there were people in the bar) and all 6 of us asked for something that was more rare. We would have been happy if they just threw one piece of meat on the grill for us to share, but we were just told we were out of luck. I went home and ate a sandwich, something I don't think I should have to do after a $40 meal.

Since I had heard such great things about the food I decided to send them a message, via their website, about our experience. I was just trying to figure out why our experience was so bad, hoping it was something out of their control. I was hoping for a sorry or response or explaination telling me why we spent about $350 that night, but the last half of our meal we were talking about all the places we wish we had dinner instead of there. I work in the industry and wasn't going to post anything since I figured I would get an email telling me what happened that night. I haven't heard one thing from them, leading me to believe they don't care about unsatisfied customers. Since they don't care about customers going away happy I decided to post this review.

I have heard they are good for lunch, but I won't be going back to find out...

Pros: servers were nice, even turned up the tv for us

Cons: Terrible food, no response to complaints

Posted 11/13/08

I really enjoyed the variety of food available and the dinner is very reasonably priced. The only thing that detracted from the experience was the horrible service we received from our waiter. We were one of two large parties that evening, each with about 15 members. I was nearly suffering from dehydration before the night was over and towards the end of the night, we found out that he had not put in our dessert order until about 15 minutes after we ordered it. A couple members of our party requested separate checks and after about literally 30 minutes of waiting for him to return with change/cards, he gave us a speech about how much of an inconvenience we had been. Not only that, but he charged our party for two extra dinners and the dispute was not settled until we asked to speak with his superior. All in all, decent food, HORRIBLE service. If you get the guy with the thick accent and long, wavy hair, ASK FOR SOMEONE ELSE.

Pros: Good food, great variety, reasonably priced

Cons: RUDE EMPLOYEES

Posted 11/07/08

Wow, for short notice they got us in. The meat was to die for. I loved having the guys come along every so often and offer us some other type of meat. The atmosphere was very friendly and the servers were tons of fun. Love the music also! I have been telling all of my friends about it.

Posted 06/28/08

My sister and I went to this restaurant and absolutly loved it! We felt the staff was great and the food was even better! I'm from south america and its almost as good as home ;o)

Posted 06/25/08

We?ve been regular customers of this establishment since they opened more than 3 years ago. We keep coming back and recommending it to our friends / acquaintances for several reasons:
Number One: the food and the drinks ? If you are a meat lover, this is a great place to indulge yourself with a wide variety of meat cuts for a very reasonable fixed price. Filet mignon, pepper steak, chicken, prawns, pork, wild board, cow and pork ribs, and many more. You can eat as much as you want until you can?t possibly eat anything else. They also have seasonal specials that make the menu never dull. The wine list offers an interesting assortment of wines from different regions and countries. But of course, you need to try the CAIPIRINHA.
Number Two: the people working there. I have nothing to say but good and positive things about the Ipanema?s employees. They always greeted and served us with a warm attitude. Even if things were not going as expected (long wait to get a table, missing orders, etc), they always showed a willingness to sort things out. For example, we?ve been offered complimentary drinks / orders and they continuously checked back on us to find out how things were going. If you are a night owl ? like us - then you will love their late happy hour (from 11 pm to 1 am).
Finally, I firmly believe that people should refrain themselves from posting defamatory claims about people?s personal life in these reviews. If they have a desire to vent out, then they should use other methods.

Pros: Food, drink, service, ambiance, friendly people.

Cons: Street Parking

Posted 06/24/08

This was the place for the perfect Birthday Dinner. What a terrific place, fun and lively. Damian was our server and she/he was friendly without being fake or too much. The description of the molten piquant chocolate dessert had me wanting dessert firt! Since they knew we were there for a celebration, Damian was attentive but also gave us privacy. The 16 cuts of meat in the Rodizio-Table side service were cooked perfectly and the "mesa de frios" / salad bar had a great variery of vegetables, salads, cold cuts, cheeses and even some seafood in addition to a "hot table" of rice, beans, and pasta. The only downside is that it's easy to over eat! I recommend this place to anyone who is a meat lover and for those evenings you want to remember for a long time.

Pros: great food, service and value

Cons: can be a bit loud

Posted 06/22/08

LOVE IT!!!
Great meat,if u are a meat lover you have to go there! they have 16 different kinds of meat and it is the best I try in town so far.
The service rock especially the argentinian blonde girl that was very helpfull and sweet!!
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!!!!!

Pros: Greast service and meat

Posted 06/22/08

It was difficult to find any information on Ipanema's Happy Hour that was less than two years old, which is about the only thing that moved me to post. So, here's a quick rundown: Happy hour is 3-6 Monday-Friday The food on the small plates or bar list (whence the happy hour food) is typically quite good, though it often takes its time in arriving. Happy Hour drinks include discounted beer, wine and sweet tropical drink specials (that are actually akin to my experience of cocktails in cheap bars in latin america - think whiskey and coconut milk - kinda gross, kinda delicious). I don't find the service to be hostile...more...entirely indifferent. That said, if you're passing by, feeling slo-mo and there's room in the bar area, it's a pleasent enough happy hour.

Posted 06/18/08

I will start off by saying that the food is good. The meat is delicious and the meat cookers and servers are, for the most part, such great guys! Now, let's move on to the aspects of this place that trump the tasty food. To start, I understand the owner has changed since I was there so maybe (hopefully) a thing or two has changed. The manager, MARIELA, is a wretched woman who is incredibly unproffessional and obviously doesn't care about her employees OR her customers! If you make a reservation for a certain number of people and somebody doesn't show up (through now fault of your own, eg traffic or something), you are forced to pay the almost $40 meal per missing person!! This is perposterous and unsympathetic, and the manager presents this information in the most unpleasant, uncomprimising way. I've watched as she insults and belittles her employees right there in the restaurant. I'm sorry, but this disfunctional way of working with people really carries over to the energy and hospitality that employees cary over to their clients. I also learned many horrible thing about the old owner, Marcus, who has filed bankrupsy when he's not bankrupt and run out on his employees paychecks, etc.
So like I said, the food is good, but the all around energy is abosolutely awful if you have to deal with the manager or rules in any way. AUGH! The only way I would want to support this place is if I were to get food to go and not deal with any of the politics (it shouldn't be an unpleasant experience, really!), but do I really want to give money to a place that treats everyone so terribly?

Pros: food

Cons: unauthentic, people are treated terribly

Posted 06/12/08

We had reservations and were promptly seated. The hostess was very friendly and answered any questions we had with a smile. She checked on us several times. The wait staff was great. They were prompt in bringing around the meat selections. All were very tasty, moist and cooked perfectly. The filet mignon was great as was the pork loin.....my favorites. The cold and hot bars provided a good selection of vegetables, cheese and salad items. Don't fill up here.....wait for the MEAT! We will go back. Highly recommend.

Pros: Lot's of food for $40!

Cons: Did not find any.

Posted 05/21/08

When I lived in Seattle I went to this place WEEKLY! Now I live in TX and when I'm in Seattle I always make a stop there for lunch with my friends. We call it "Meatsa-Meatsa", that's our code for its time for some awesome food. It's great for lunch plans work/personal and dates in the evening. The staff is friendly, caring and always on spot at the right time...the meat and food bar are amazing! Enjoy.

Pros: Lots of Variety, you can even take a vegetarian and have them fed well!

Cons: I don't live in Seattle anymore.

Posted 01/28/08

Went on my birthday 1/15 this is the place for great food. Been to Brazilian restaurants in Las vegas, Mexico and just recently in New York. We have here in Seattle a Gem of a place. The variety of food the decor and service outshines all others. A great experience, don't miss this opportunity for great eating pleasure.

Posted 01/17/08

Ipanema is the third Churascarria that I've been to. I visited one in Costa Rica and one in Australia. Ipanema is great! The food is amazing, the wait staff is friendly, the cold bar is extensive and fresh and the bartender serves drinks with lots of flair. The hostess (who I assume is the manager that others refer to) greeted us with a smile and a friendly attitude. She checked on us during our meal and also made sure to wish us well on our way out. The grilled items that were offered while we were there were: buffalo, garlic steak (my favorite!), wild boar, cheese steak, pepper steak, garlic shrimp, a few different types of sausage, turkey bacon, pork ribs, beef ribs and grilled pineapple dusted with cinnamon and sugar! This was one of the best and most fun dining experiences I have ever had in Seattle. For our meal we each had the traditional dinner and we also had a bottle of wine. The ticket was right around $100.00. This is a great date spot and I would recommend this restaurant to anyone who enjoys meat! (You could even bring a vegetarian here with their cold bar containing so many fresh veggie dishes.)

Pros: Romantic, delicious, unconventional.

Cons: Parking on the street only. But there are garages nearby.

Posted 01/03/08

This place is fantastic! I've been several times for lunch as i work just up the street but i'd never been for dinner until recently. Dinner was even better than lunch with more choices of meats and veggies and other stuff. Everytime friends or family come into town this is the first place we take them. My sister who lives in town loves this place and now takes all her friends here as well.

The staff is courteous and friendly, and we've never waited longer than a few minutes to be seated. Most of the time, especially during lunch, we've been seated right away. They have great beverages and we've never experienced crying babies or unruley kids while dining here.

We can't wait to go back again.

Posted 10/24/07

Hostess was rude when informing me my table wouldn't be ready for 15-20 minutes when I had reservations. Waited until 30 minutes past my reservation time before leaving. The manager told me "they guarantee a table, not a time." Isn't that what a RESERVATION is???? Food might be good, but I'll never know because I'll never go back.

Posted 10/20/07

I really liked this place. We were seated immediately and the staff were all very friendly and helpful. We had already eaten but the drinks were good and the food they served to other patrons around us looked so good we came back the next day and had dinner. It was fantastic, with skewer after skewer of fantastic sizzling meats being offered to us as fast as you could eat. Not only a great variety of seasoned meat, but good music and a skilled wait staff making sure your needs were met. Another review I read said they didn't have a changing table for their baby. Thank god for that. This is a quiet bar and restaurant with no crying babies or bratty kids. Our kids are grown now, but when they were younger we took them to the local pizza parlor, not a nice quiet bar / restaurant. I'll definitely go back again.

Pros: Great food and service, nice ambience

Cons: none

Posted 08/24/07

While visiting Seattle my husband and I came upon this great Brazilian restaurant. The atmosphere and decor was very nice and the staff was extremely friendly. We had no problems with being seated right away. The food was excellent! We ordered the Rodizzo, which are different cuts of meats offered to you off of a larger skewer. We never had to wait for the Pasedores to offer us a different type of meat . Loved it! Loved it! The Brazillian music playing added an extra touch to our eating experience. I would highly recommend this restaurant to any of our friends. Would difinitely go back! I would suggest going there for lunch when it is not very crowded.

Pros: All you can eat for Meat Lovers! Great price!

Cons: Couldn't find any?

Posted 08/05/07

I don't know if a l will eat here again. They say they are kid friendly but I don't see how when they don't have any changing tables in the bathrooms. I had to wait until I got back to my car to change my baby. Also they charged me for my son who is 5. When I looked at the reciept once I was home I realized what they had done. It says on the reciept for ages 7 to 12. They never asked how old my son was. The food was good. I just wish that when they say they are kid friendly for it to be true. I called to see if they would credit me for the child and they said they would. They took my information and said that they would have to do it the next day. I have never seen that credit on my card yet. This came from the manager. Why he couldn't do it him self while I was on the phone I don't know. I do hope that they read there reviews. I have told people about it stating that the food was good but not kid friendly. Make sure when you go with your kids that you let them know the age if they are under 7.

Pros: Good food

Cons: not kid friendly

Posted 06/25/07

I don't plan to recommend this restaurant to anyone, ever. On a Saturday evening at about 7:30 our group of five walked in. Understanding that this is a busy restaurant I told the hostess how many were in our party. Shejust stared at me. Clearly, by the numbers of people waiting, there was a wait. I had to ask her how long she estimated a wait would be. She and the front-end manager discussed the issue (and for some reason it was an issue) and came up with an estimated time of 20 to 30 minutes. No problem, I said and had her put my name on the short list. After waiting for 30 minutes, in which time a group of 8 left and no one of the many waiting at the front was seated, the others in my group, sensing it would be longer asked me to check about the wait. (By the way, it took them more than 10 minutes to clean a single table, even though more than 15 people were waiting and had been for a long time.) I was then told it was only chance (yes, she said chance) if we would be seated at all. To make a long story short, we left after waiting 30 minutes not to have a chance to sit. I wonder how long it would have taken them to us we were waiting in vain. ... By the way, on our way out of a nearby Japanese restaurant, (where we were seated promptly and attended to very well) we noticed a small group that had been waiting in the front of Ipanema Grill across from us -- clearly, they weren't important enough to be seated either.

Pros: don't know, didn't get to eat

Cons: Host and front-end service

Posted 06/12/07

I had lunch at Ipanema about a month ago, and although the carnivore in me loves the restaurant's concept, I honestly wasn't that impressed with the food. Dining at Iapnema involves visits from pasadores, sullen but attractive Latin gents roaming the restaurant with enormous quantities of roasted meat on spears. No, I'm not kidding. The meat choices are quite varied, but I didn't find any of them to be particularly tender or memorable. There was a decent beef steak encrusted in parmesan, along with sausages, pork, and even chicken. Though I wasn't enthused by the flavors, watching the pasadores saw off portions of meaty goodness above my waiting plate made for a unique dining experience. Of note, diners indulging in the rodizio lunch are entitled to unlimited visits to Ipanema's mesa de frios, a buffet laden with salads, cold cuts, and cheeses. There is a hot buffet as well, featuring Brazilian side dishes such as rice, beans, and seafood. Perhaps my palate simply isn't used to the Brazilian flavors, but I just wasn't crazy about the seasonings for most of my choices. I must also confess that I wasn't really crazy about the Brazilian national drink, the caipiranha, either. A caipiranha consists of muddled limes with sugar and sugar cane liquor--don't think for a minute that it tastes like a mojito! The cocktail was almost too strong to consume, and would most definitely not be something I would order again. Although I am not a big new fan of Ipanema, I still encourage adventurous diners to give it a try. It's a fun experience, even if the flavors don't suit your taste buds. My recommendation is to go for lunch, as the rodizio lunch price is $14.95 compared with the $34.95 dinner (which in my opinion would definitely not be worth it). As for Ipanema's sometimes-maligned service, I am pleased to report that our hostess was perfectly bubbly and the pasadores efficient though perhaps not so effevescent.

Pros: Fun experience, friendly hostess (on weekend days)

Cons: Food preparation average, flavors hit-or-miss

Posted 06/05/07

I had read many of the reviews prior to going to Ipanema, some not stellar on their service, so I had no expectations on how my experience would. My husband is from Brazil and I had lived there for a while so we wanted to try this restaurant and see if it's possible to get great Brazilian BBQ outside of Brazil. We were pleasantly suprised as the food was fantastic! The meats are perfectly grilled and the pave (a dessert with ladyfingers and passion fruit) is fantastic. The signature drink, capirinha, tasted like we were on the beach in Brazil. The service was wonderful, both our waitress and the manager on duty were very attentive. I would definitily recommend this restaurant. Yes the prices are a little high for some, but so is any nice restaurant in downtown Seattle and Ipanema is an all you can eat!

Pros: All you can eat, great bbq meats

Cons: Price

Posted 05/24/07

I've just had the WORST dining experience of my life !!! If they don't like people coming 10 minutes before their closing hour, tell us in the beginning and we would be happy to go to another restaurant. The manager was rude and a despicable woman who should not be allowed to speak to other's until his attitude problem is taken care of. If this restaurant is sooo concerned with making money and profits well they're going about it the wrong way.? I don't! What is worst of all, this poor excuse for a manager upset me and the rest of my family. I will never go back to Ipanema and I will tell everyone I know not to go there unless the want to be overcharged and a big plate of rudeness.

Posted 05/09/07

Out experience at Ipanema was great! We walked in and we were greeted by a very bubbly hostess who seated us promptly next to the window! Our waitress came over immediately with a smile and explained how the dinner worked and made a great suggestion on a drink called cap-a-something it?s the national drink of Brazil if you eat there you must try it! There was a huge variety of salads to choose from as well as all you can eat meat! We will be back!
Thank you Ipanema for a great night!

Posted 04/06/07

Definitely not "Customer is Always Right" restaurant management:

When you have read 1 review of a restaurant in which the chief complaint concerns the management, you consider that perhaps a single customer had a bad experience. When you read two reviews concerning the same theme, you maybe think hmmm....when you read several reviews on that same topic and then experience it first hand, you are probably best off avoiding the place to begin with, and that can be my only recommendation. Arrogance does not begin to describe the manager on duty this evening when I was out with a large group celebrating an engagement. The situation? Two couples at our table left early and both paid cash, one at the table witnessed by everyone at the table, and one at the front of the restaurant to a staff person not involved directly with our large group. After receiving a bill that included both couple's meals, drinks, tax and gratuity, and questioning the bill with the server, we had to hear from this very unprofessional manager about how she should have charged us more for the group and didn't (five no shows, apparently, and yet not an empty table in the restaurant, so not sure what the point was, and even more importantly why take it up with my table, who had nothing to do with organizing the event??), and she still insisted we had to pay the extra $100 on the bill, claiming there was no one on staff fitting the description of the lady our friends had paid, and utterly ignoring the full payment by the other couple. Nice little scam there. Not wishing to make a scene, we paid the bill. Strangely enough, as we were leaving the restaurant, the lady on staff that fit the description our friends gave us (when we called them to ask about their payment) walked back in our area. Not on the staff indeed! The manager and her arrogance and deceit with regards to our payment situation precludes any further visits by me, or the other 36 members in our group. If you do go, beware cash payment!

Pros: Food is a break from "normal", tasty and interesting food mix, something for everybody

Cons: Very loud, definitely not good for romantic dinner or large groups, cash payments handled improperly, expensive relative to food quality

Posted 03/30/07

One word that best describes this place - disorganized. The food was average, but the service was just poor! Our waitress had no real sense of urgency to address our needs. When it came time to pay our bill, we were charged for 2 additional people, that had already paid. After getting nowhere with the waitress, we dealt with the manager, who was really not willing to even investigate the problem. When we gave her a description of the person that took the money, she claimed that the person did not work there and was not around, but coincidentally, she was out front as we were leaving. Instead of addressing our concern, she took up the challenge by telling us that she did us a favor, by not charging for the 5 additional people that did not show up. This so-called manager, was unprofessional and all but called us liar's! Obviously, customer service is not a priority here. Have a big party, don't bother going!

Cons: Not friendly to large groups. Service was less than average.

Posted 03/30/07

Though this restaurant has fairly average food, the service is horrific. Servers are disinterested in clients, and most of all, manager is an unpleasant character. Honestly speaking there are so many good restaurants with top service in Seattle, so why do we need some place with mediocre food as well as service with an attitude, esp from the manager?? Get rid of her!

Pros: Location

Cons: Service, Management

Posted 03/30/07

This place is a meat-lover's paradise. The buffet offers some excellent cuts of various meats prepared in different styles that are succulent and delicious. The "salad" bar has a lot of great fruits, vegetables, and salads that are also excellent. The fried plantains are so addictive (and fortunately, they'll keep bringing you more!) and the other sides are good as well. They've got some great specialty drinks that are definitely worth a try. The staff seems very friendly and we had a discussion with our waitress, who was from Brazil, about the dining offerings back there. I'd recommend this place to all the carnivorous people I know!

Pros: All-you-can-eat and it's worth eating!

Cons: Not quite vegetarian friendly.

Posted 03/26/07

OK, so if it weren't for the meat servers that redeems this place from really getting a 0 out of 10 it would have made the rating go into the negatives. First of all the service is terrible and completely disorganized! I called to make a bday reservation for a table of 7 and when we got there our parties name was not on the list and the hostess arrogantly started arguing with us. After back and forth conversation as to when we called to reserve the hostess turned to argue with another server about where to sit us. Once we were seated, I went to get my camera from the parking and what I witnessed just completly finished making it a terrible night for me. I saw a man screaming at a bus boy and a cook at the back with strong insulting words in spanish. When I came back to my table I learned that it was the owner screaming at the workers to work faster. I was astonished to the treatment of the workers at this restaurant. Call me paranoid, but I used to work as a safety and health inspector and I have to say this place completely breaks occupational safety and health law and not to mention worker rights! I am not surprised why the workers are so frustrated and disorganized at a place with an owner like that. In addition to the slave treatment, this guy must pay below minimum wage and no overtime! Umm, this makes me remember the story about a worker spitting on the food bc he was so frustrated at the conditions of his work! THIS PLACE IS NOT WORTH IT!

Pros: meat servers

Cons: service, owner

Posted 03/23/07

The service was terrible, especially a manager / waitss playing the
role of a professional host (all the same person and not acting the part
of either).
That night I saw this manager/so called host, arguing with one customer
in front of the customers. She was very unprofessional and had no
manners what so ever. This manager instigated the argument and
expssed such anger with an outrages temper. Leaving the poor customer
embarrassed to her feet. ( If I we that customer, I would have
slapped that waitss and business with a law suit, for poor food, for
being unprofessional, embarrassment, and mental anguish).

Pros: Meat

Cons: Service, Salad Bar, Bar

Posted 03/12/07

What wonderful food, drinks, service and great hostess. Originally from NYC, I have eaten at many ethnic restaurants and I was thoroughly impressed. The flavors...wow! The garlic steak appetizer's juices flavored my delicious spring green salad. The meats were just what I expected...flaming hot, charred on the exterior and moist and tender and juicy on the inside with lots of spices(not hot but flavorful). The salad bar was a plus. The fried plaintains and desserts were excellent also. Service by everyone was superb, especially the hostess who explained the whole concept to me at the door. Lived at the Harbor Steps on business so I tried this restaurant. All I can say is that you should patent your recipe and open restaurants in Boston, NYC and Washington D.C. We do not have anything that could compare. Pay the price because it is definitely worth it!

Pros: Meat, salad bar, ambience, service.

Cons: Bar tender was not very attentive.

Posted 02/14/07

My boyfriend & I were having a night on the town to celebrate our 6 year anniversary. We had our hearts set on a restaurant, but when I called to make reservations -- the VM noted that the restaurant would be close for a holiday party. We were VERY dejected. So, although we are from Seattle -- I hoped on citysearch in hopes of finding another choice that would WOW us! We wanted ethnic -- I noticed a couple Brazilian restaurants. Ipanema had the best review and sounded tasty after review of the menu. We were staying in a swanky hotel up the street, so we walked to the hotel. Immediately we were greeted & seats which was nice since we didn't have reservation. Our waiter had a great sense of humor & gave us a solid explanation on how the menu worked. We could chose from one of their sandwiches (which all sounded tasty) to a buffet style entree that included A LOT of MEAT!!! We opted for the buffet. We were in for a pleasant surprise! The 'salad' bar which included so much more than salad was wonderful -- black beans & rice, a wonderful shrimp salad, garlic mashed potatoes, all different grilled veggies, etc. -- but when the meats came around... let's just say is was a carnivore's heaven. From the peppered tenderloin, Swiss & steak, bacon wrapped turkey, garlic prawns, filet migon, papaya chicken, grilled fruits & veggies and more... we ate our hearts out! I will say all the meats had tremendous flavor and excited our palates. Additionally, we ordered a pitcher of the Sangria with fresh fruit that too was very yummy! Overall -- we can't wait to go back again. Dinner $35 a person, lunch (for the same buffet) $12 -- I think either way it's well worth it! I'll be taking my meat lovin' brother back in February for his birthday! Oh and we found the restaurant to have a romantic edge to it... not really intimate, but a place where you feel like you can really kick back and enjoy yourselves! We both agreed that we were glad the other restaraunt was closed.

Pros: Wonderful food, pleasant/fun service, unique & unforgettable experience

Cons: No real Con's unless you don't like meat!!!

Posted 12/10/06

My boyfriend and another couple went to eat at Ipanema last Monday, and it turned out to be such a great find! We got there early so we sat at the bar and had some mojitos while we waited for our friends. They tasted so great! When the other couple showed up the manager seated us promptly for our reservation. We ordered the Rodizio ( Brazilian Berbecue). Everything tasted great. The service was fast and friendly, and combined with the delicious food and great ambiance made for a great night out. Highly recommended!
All in all we had a great time, and we will definitely be back.

Posted 12/07/06

What more can a carnivore ask for??! For myself, I can only eat a certain amount before I feel as though I will topple over and fall to the ground. For my family however, they are always MORE than excited to dine here. With a great selection of meat (beware though, if you tend to keep the place card on green [meaning go], and you are constantly eating every last shred of meat that lands on your plate, they may be a tad hesitant to grace your table every two minutes..), and an excellent side dish of fried bananas (that are also bottomless), you really can't go wrong!

Pros: all-you-can-eat, family style

Cons: parking downtown

Posted 11/21/06

This has become a favorite spot of ours for after dinner drinks. A long time ago, I came in with a group and had the Meat Fest, and OMG (my advice is that if you come with guys, don't try to keep up with them!). All the reviews about how delicious and intersting and fantastic this way to eat are right. But, I have to say that after that experience, it was the Caipirinha that brought me back. I mean, I can only eat "meat fest" so much, but I can sure indulge in a Caipirinha often! I have now sat at the bar a few times, snacked on Empanadas (they're good) and indulged in conversation with the gracious staff that run this joint. It is a comfort and a joy to find such friendly faces, good drinks, and good food in this part of downtown!

Pros: Drinks, Food, Freindly

Cons: Parking

Posted 11/16/06

One nice and sunny week day in mid September, my spouse decided to skip office and took me there as a surprise and I'm glad he did. It was recommended to him by a colleague. Usually I read reviews before I visit a new place but I?m glad that this once I didn?t. Coz had I read the bad reviews written back then, I would have never gone.

It was a weekday and we ordered the Buffet. We were seated quickly although I agree that the waitress is not very friendly and looks sulky.

The all you can eat Buffet is a very interesting and unusual experience. There are side items or the salad bar (atleast 40) and then there is meat carved specially for you. Different Servers come to the table carrying long metal SKEWERS with various cuts and flavors of Hot-of- the- Grill Pork or Beef and they carve it with a HUGE knife as per your taste and you can decide which all you want to try. They provide you with Tongs to grab those delicious slices A Cardboard token on the table informs the waiter if you wish to be served or need a small break to polish off from your plate.
Some of the meat cuts were tough, but that?s me. I loved the sausages though. What I enjoyed the most was the salad bar. It was an extensive and unique display of pilaf?s, sweet and savory salads and greens along with fresh fruits and cheese and cold cuts. I loved the marinated mushrooms and the artichoke salad.
Keeping beans and rice handy and mixing it with various meat cuts offers an interesting and unique flavor. A complimentary (inadequate as it was so yummy) portion of Fried Banana works as a dessert and ends this hour long session

Like I said, overall it was a very Unusual and Interesting experience and we just paid $17.50 p.p for over an hour of gluttony and interesting display of new flavors.

Pros: Unsual and Interesting Experience, Extensive and Deliciously different Salad Bar

Cons: Parking in downtown

Posted 11/11/06

This restaurant was the finest in food selection I have ever been to! They bring the best tasting meats (14 to be exact) to your table until you want no more. The food was a delicious value for the $35 pricetag. Even the salad had wonderful unusual offerings such as prosscuito & salami, fresh asparagus and seafood. You must try the house drink and the creme de papaya desert!

Posted 11/11/06

After my experience at Ipanema, my first reaction was WOW! The food here is unbelievable and the service is above and beyond one's expectations! If you enjoy incredibly well seasoned meats that'll stimulate your taste buds just the right way, a salad bar that goes beyond all other salad bars and service that compliments your dining experience just right.....than Ipanema is the place for you. The atmosphere is comfortable and warm, and from the moment you enter the restaurant it appears as if it's the mission of the staff to make your experience an enjoyable one. There are so many cuts of meats to choose from but I really enjoyed the Picanha and the Brazilian beef which both complimented the fried bananas, black beans and rice perfectly...... I can't wait to go to Ipanema again.......I've been telling all my friends about it!

Posted 10/19/06

My boyfriend took me here for my birthday last week. The food here was absolutely delicious! The fried bananas were to die for, and they even had drinks made with caju (cashew juice). The servers were super friendly and funny. Be sure to try the Pork Tenderloin with parmessan, it makes me drool just to think of it. The buffet was very good, but don't be too tempted to stuff yourself on these side dishes--save your tummy space for the meat! The music was wonderful too. I've been to a Brazilian BBQ restaurant in Sao Paulo, and the staff here was just as attentive and friendly as the Brasilians I met there. The drinks were not as strong as what they serve in Brazil, but I think that's because Americans aren't used to the strong cachasa taste. I just asked the waitress to make mine much stronger, which they did.

Pros: Food, service, music

Cons: price, shrimp

Posted 10/15/06