Espetus Churrascaria - Brazilian, Buffet, San Francisco

1686 Market St San Francisco, CA 94102

(415) 552-8792

Parking: street parking

Hours: Lunch Mon-Fri 11:30am-2:30pm, Sat - Sun: 12pm-3pm, Dinner Mon-Thurs 5pm-10pm, Fri-Sat 5pm-11pm, Sun 3pm-9pm
http://www.espetus.com/

Last Visited: September 5, 2010

Food: 3 stars
Atmosphere: 4 stars
Service: 4 stars
Price: $$$$

I had heard of Espetus from at least two different people. They said the food was good, the atmosphere was fun, and it was definitely worth going – at least once. In my marketing class, we have often talked about having a name people can relate to or at least know what the product means. In this case, I have to say Espetus probably isn’t on the right track. The first few times I heard the name, all I could think about was asbestos, but I guess people have been able to move past that. With the word churrascaria, you know what it is, that is, if you know what a churrascaria actually is. For the rest of the world, and I had to look it up before I went, a churrascaria is a Brazilian steakhouse. Churrasco is the cooking style, which is a rough translation of the Portuguese word for barbecue. Modern restaurants have rodizio service. This means that meat waiters, or passadores or gauchos depending on whom you talk to, come to you with a knife and the meat which is skewered and cooked over an open flame. Then, at your table, they cut the serving of meat for you.

Espetus opened in San Francisco in 2003 and then in San Mateo in 2008. Their tradition of bringing a taste of Brazil to the San Francisco Bay Area is alive and well. Their prix-fixe menu is $50 a person for dinner for unlimited trips to the salad and entrée buffet and of course, the meat. Note that there are additional costs for drinks and dessert if you choose to go there.

The dining area is spacious and it’s a nice place for larger parties with plenty of room so you don’t have to worry about bumping into other patrons as you’re walking around the table. On the table is a little chip on a stand that you can spin it to the red or green side to signal whether or not you would like to be served whatever is going around. The staff is very good at picking up when you’re spinning your chip, so there’s no need to worry about feeling bad if you’re slow to the draw. The chip also allows you to take breaks so you can enjoy uninterrupted service or keep it coming.

This was our first visit and after being seated, we were told we could go to the buffet. The buffet had some cooked entrees including fish and rice. There are a number of salads in the buffet island and all of it was very colorful and fresh. I particularly appreciated the grilled vegetables because with all that meat, you need some balance. The hearts of palm salad was also very refreshing. When we returned to the table, awaiting us was a basket of cheese bread rolls, fried banana, and fried polenta. The people next to us just kept eating the cheese bread rolls and asking for more, but I found them a little greasy. The fried banana was rich and sweet and would make a great dessert. The polenta was just okay.

As you eat, the gauchos wander the room in their black outfits with a red waist sash, boots, and of course, the meat. You’ll see about a dozen different types of meat. Tonight we tried filet mignon, top sirloin, beef ribs, pork tenderloin, pork loin with parmesan cheese cubes, home-made pork sausage, chicken legs, chicken breast wrapped in bacon, chicken hearts, lamb, grilled shrimp, and grilled pineapple. The grilled pineapple is a must try because of its sweetness. Many people raved about the chicken hearts, but I thought those were just okay. The best thing is to eat the meat as soon as you get it because the juices seem to dry out pretty quickly. I would probably skip the pork tenderloin and the parmesan pork too – these were on the dry side. The pork sausage casing was also rather tough. The rest was quite good though. I loved the pineapple and the filet mignon was super tender. However, at these prices, and with my stomach, less is more. I don’t really extract the full value from the experience.

If you’re interested in going, it would be fun to go with a large group or for a special occasion. Also, through http://www.restaurants.com, you can enjoy a discount of $25 off of a purchase of two dinners for a small price depending on what promotion the website has going . While that’s not significant, every little bit helps. Also, be watchful of the restrictions on that price.

If you’re willing to cook, you could probably purchase and make a nice steak for these prices, but of course, you would have to cook then. Unless you plan to have a major feeding, Espetus’ business model usually wins on making profit on their customer. I would recommend the experience for those with large appetites, particularly college students, but for me, the value wasn’t there even though the experience was pleasant. It’s worth going once to get a taste of Brazilian churrascaria without going to Brazil.