Ipanema Brazilian Grill

I never had brazilian food before and this place was awesome. It is like $34.95 per person and servers are constantly going from table to table with huge skewers of BBQ meet, anything from beef to lamb and even pineapple. I had such a great experience and it has a wonderful atmosphere. You get a lot of food for what you pay for and the servers are polite, quick and really seem to have fun with their work. I defn recommend it....

Pros: Tudo Bem !

Posted 10/14/06

VERY Brazilian... Authentic/classy ambiance, tasty and tender meats, excellent service. This is very close to an all-you-can-eat (rodizio) style Brazilian Churrascaria. This is how Brazilians like a steakhouse. Excellent!!!

Pros: Everything !!!

Cons: parking

Posted 10/08/06

The food was good but the noise was very loud and it was nothing like what I was hoping. We paid lots of money for bad tasting meat and a cold buffet with such a long line. The staff didn't seem that friendly and not that romantic. It was okay but I would not recommended it.

Cons: Very Noisy

Posted 09/23/06

Excellent!!! Is all I have to say. I took my boyfriend there for his birthday on Monday and he is a meat lover so he was in heaven. I was really impressed with the manager and his wine recommendation. My orange flan looked and tasted divine. The staff is very attentive.
One thing though if you are looking for a quiet romantic spot that is where it is lacking. Its a very busy place.

Pros: Everything !!!!

Cons: little noise

Posted 09/08/06

I had a great birthday dinner here. The friendly waiter explained how the restaurant worked and ecouraged us to enjoy the dinner and relax between servings. The parade of meats was mouth watering. From the bacon wrapped turkey to the spicy sausages. We were a party of two then, but a few months later we came back with a larger group including business associates from out of town. We were not disappointed. Ipanema is a great place if you're looking for something different.

Posted 09/05/06

Wow....What an experience!! The service was very good, and the food was amazing. I went for lunch but cant wait to go back for dinner. We ate unlimited meats....cooked all different ways, which they bring to you fresh and hot on metal skewers which they slice right in front of you. The closest thing Seattle has to the real Brazil.

Posted 08/28/06

Ipanema is a great little place but could use a little more user friendly introduction from the hostess or from a server. The steak is fantastic but the salad/veggie bar and sides could use a little more spicing up. It's noisy on weekends but worth trying.

Pros: Great Steak, Ambiance

Cons: Parking, Loud Music

Posted 06/06/06

The food and service were great! The waiters were cheerful and attentive. It brought back great memories of a wonderful country with delicious food. I was worried about going after reading some of the reviews but after enjoying a nice dinner there I felt I should write about our positive experience!
It is a little pricey but the quality of food offered made it worth it- we are definately going to take some friends back with us next time!

Pros: food, service, friendly

Cons: price

Posted 04/29/06

Drinks were excellent, food and service was wonderful. I loved all the various cuts. Nice to continually have service throughout your meal and always have cuts coming directly to you from the spit. Never a cold piece of meat. I loved it!
The buffet was beautiful - a wide variety of vegetable and fruit dishes. Definitely give a great sense of Brazillian cuisine.
I'm going back for more!

Pros: food, service, atmosphere

Cons: parking

Posted 04/14/06

With all the horrible stares from manager, we felt very uncomfortable in this environment. The place is nice, our waiter was great but if you reserve people and they cancel, you must fit there bill for the reserve. It was supposed to be a birthday celebration, but with a bullying manager who kept us dirty looks, it made everything uncomfortable. We paid lots of money basically for ok tasting meats, and a cold buffet line that only had about 4 plates that were only salad. Definitely not recommended.

Pros: waiters, environment

Cons: management, food, price

Posted 12/18/05

I was very pleasantly surprised when dining at Ipanema. I was a bit concerned after reading all these reviews. The service was excellent, the meat was delicious, and the ambiance was elegant and fun. If there were problems in the past- they have all be addressed. Try it out.

Posted 10/24/05

I'm a Brazilian citizen living in the US, so every once in a while I miss eating a good Brazilian BBQ. I have been to different Brazilian churrascarias in different states and had mixed experiences, so I wasn't sure how Ipanema Grill would compare. The quality of the meat was good, but the seasoning was a bit off. I don't think they use as much seasalt as we traditionally do in Brazil, and that's a big part of the flavor. The variety of meat was pretty good. The salad bar was below average, they have to improve it. The side dishes were OK, I was happy to eat some farofa again. Good service, they kept bringing the meat pretty fast. The dessert I had was OK (Quindim), a little dry. Ipanema Grill is not on my "Best" list of Brazilian BBQ places, but it's in the "Pretty Good" category.

Posted 10/21/05

As a Brazilian citizen living in the Seattle area for the last 14 years, I was looking forward to going to Ipanema Grill and have a little taste of Brazil. On the plus side, the restaurant itself was airy and lively, and the service was extremely attentive and friendly. However, the food and the beverages left a lot to be desired. My husband's caipirinha (the "national" drink of Brazil) was very watery, as was my mango juice. The meat selection was quite varied - another plus - but the flavor just wasn't there. The accompanying dishes of rice, beans, collard greens and farofa, were also poorly prepared. I was eager to love Ipanema Grill and to become a regular patron, but after this experience, I'm not so sure I'll be going back.

Pros: Service, Ambience

Cons: Bland Food, Watery Drinks

Posted 08/28/05

We came here for dinner for a group of 6 people. The steak was normally overdone and each time they made sure to give us just a very small bite site piece. When asked for another side dish of fried bannana, the waiter informed us that there would be a $2 fee for it since this is our 4th dish. This is not about the money but it really upset us b/c this restaurant is all you can eat!!! When ask if there was more papaya, the waiter came back and said they had no more while it was visiable that there were at least 2 ripe ones on the counter.

Posted 08/07/05

Brazilian steak houses are know for being a great value,but Ipanema set herself apart from others, I took a seasoned group of churrasqueiros (experts) there,we had eat at other churrasquerias in Denver,Chicago,New York to name few and Ipanema is as good as the best of them!! the ambiance was festive,the restaurant was full and the energy high!,the drinks awesome and the meats tender and well seasoned,not to mention that they use only natural grass feed products,a real bonus..the service was prompt and very friendly!! I'll definetly will recomend it to my friends and co workers, Seattle should be happy to have a world class churrasqueria... I hope to visit Seattle soon with a big group of people and I'll be there to enjoy some of the best steak in that part of the coast .... obrigado!!

Pros: food, ambiance

Cons: no parking

Posted 08/02/05

I've eaten at a lot of Churrascaria's throughout the world and this is certainly subpar. It would be a shame if you used Ipanema Grill as your reference point for Brazilian BBQ. Save your money and wait until you are in a city with a real one. A few examples...1) Fogo de Chao in Houston, Dallas, Chicago, Atlanta 2) Porcao in Miami (and Rio of course) 3) Samba Grill in Salt Lake City
Service also leaves plenty to be desired. Food is marginal. The other restaurants I mentioned are very good at making sure your plate stays full of meat. Ipanema Grill is slow and I waited 25 minutes just to get one small piece of Picanha (the signature meat).
If Tempero do Brasil in the U-District is still around, go there and eat some good home-cooked Bahian food. Save the Rodizio experience for a good one somewhere else.

Pros: Good Location

Cons: Poor Service

Posted 07/27/05

This was fabulous !. I've just came back to the city after a year and a half away and I was extremely surprised to find out that Ipanema is still there . I'd one of the best experiences before and last Saturday my dinner exceed all my expectations. I tried to make reservations for a party of six but I was told that the restaurant was booked that night , but I was invited to show up as a walk in. The hostesses were extremely nice and sweet and I could notice the effort trying to accommodate us promptly.
We went to the bar ,it was packed,but Pedro and Gabe took great care of us while we were waiting.The drinks were so, so tasty that I could believed that I was in Rio , and the caipirinhas the best drink ever . The manager was warm and proffesional and I noticed how involved she was with all the customers . They 'd large parties that night , but all the servers and bussers were paying great attention to all tables equally. Our waitress , Roberta , was sweet and proffesional, she explained us everything about the food, drinks and answered all our questions about Brazil. Thanks to her we are thinking about our next vacation in Rio. The meat servers were really attentive , but unfortunatly they weren't really talkative, probably because they were busy. After reading the reviews I think it's fair to say that the restaurant is really ,really noisy but it's part of the brazilian culture , I guess . It's not a romantic place to go , but all the comments about poor service are wrong and I think it's fair to say that the manager is a warm, proffesional and an attentive young woman who tries hard to pleased everybody and sometimes it's a difficult job to do. Overall , Ipanema is a wonderfull place to go. I'll be back for sure.

Pros: drinks, happy hour, great for parties

Cons: no valet parking, noisy

Posted 06/30/05

If you're on a high protein diet this is the place for you! The all-you-can eat salad bar and various types of roasted meat will cost you $35, which is a good value for the amount and quality of food that's available here. Dessert and drinks aren't included in that price so unless you're getting a free birthday dessert you can expect to spend around $65 including tax & tip for a full meal. Our party had some problems with a forgotten reservation, but this mistake was quickly corrected and compensated for beyond our expectations. The highlights of the restaurant are the salad bar, which is full of super fresh fruits, vegetables, chilled shrimp, etc., the roasted lamb, and warm roasted pineapple with cinnamon (better than apple pie!). The drinks and desserts are to die for. Skip the fish, everyone in our party unanimously rejected it and for good reason.

Posted 06/25/05

It's difficult to embrace a new concept .At the beginning when the hostess tells you that a whole dinner is $35 per person plus drinks and desserts you probably think that it's too much,but believe me if you consider that it's "as much as you can eat " : beef, pork, shrimp, fish , plus all the salads and sidedishes and the quality , the price is really , really accurate.
The service is really good and the brazilian drinks are something different to try !!
They also have a good selection of wines which goes well with the meat. The only thing to point out is the lack of valet parking . Besides that the experience was excellent!!.

Pros: good food, good music, great drinks

Cons: no valet parking, dark

Posted 06/22/05

Poor ambience (very cafeteria like), the meat had ok flavor, but was consistently overcooked - everything well done and tough. Salad bar pretty standard. Our server was nice, but slow bringing drinks which was odd as there were only 3 or 4 other tables in the restaurant. This place is really overpriced for what you get - if you want great South American food go to the Buenos Aires.

Posted 06/09/05

Been to several radizio restaurants throughout US. Unfortunately, my hometown establishment needs to learn from others in ALL areas. Very disappointed. Brazilian
BBQ can be a great experience; just not in Seattle.

Pros: Clean Bathroom

Cons: Service, Quality of Meat, Hair(s), Value

Posted 05/08/05

Eating at Brazillian barbeques is an interesting experience. There is not really a menu per se. Think more along the lines of an all-you-can-eat buffet only where all of the meat is brought to your table and individual portions are sliced off. The meats were great, and there was quite a selection of different cuts and cooking methods. Our waitress was a little spaced out, and it took a while to get refills on water. It was a bit of sticker shock also when we finall got the bill ($70/person with each of us having 1-2 drinks).

Pros: Great Meat, Ambience, Drinks (quality)

Cons: Expensive, Slow Service, Drinks (size)

Posted 03/28/05

Ipanema is a new Brazillian Grill on 1st Ave, in the space Wolfgang Puck's used to occupy. Ipanema is a great, fun place for dates, big groups, dinner with friends, after work drinks, or drinks for any occassion. The special part of this place is that it exudes a genuine atmosphere one might discover in Brazil or Argentina...wonderful, warm, fun and definitely worth while - and the food is very good. The three times we've been there we've yet to be let down on the quality of the food...

Pros: Atmosphere, Food, Location

Posted 03/18/05