We visited Chao Goiano Brazilian Steakhouse and Bakery today to celebrate my father's 74th…read morebirthday. We made reservations several days in advance and even called to confirm and add another guest. Although there was a noticeable language barrier during the call, we brushed it off, hoping for a smoother experience in person. Sadly, that wasn't the case.
Upon arrival, we were greeted by Bruna, our waitress, who offered us the choice of two tables--one still being cleaned and one that was already clean but marked "reserved." We chose the latter, which was nicely set. At this point, we still had high hopes.
We let Bruna know that this was our first time dining at the restaurant, but she did not explain how the steakhouse experience worked--no mention of service style, signal cards, pacing, or expected flow. When we asked for clarification, she brought over the head chef to help. Unfortunately, this didn't help much. Due to the language barrier, the chef simply began listing the meats available, pointing to various parts of his body to indicate items he couldn't pronounce in English. We were still left unclear on how the full dining experience would go.
While we waited for the steakhouse service to begin, some of our party visited the buffet and came back thoroughly disappointed. Several dishes were missing or cold, and some trays were completely empty. To make up for the lack of side options, we were later offered plantains, yucca fries, and another item we couldn't identify due to the same language difficulties.
Meanwhile, I witnessed a chef blowing his nose into a napkin right at the cook's window, fully visible to guests. He then turned away to finish but immediately resumed handling food without washing his hands. I alerted Bruna to this and to the poor state of the buffet. She informed the manager, who then became visibly upset--at us. He never approached our table or addressed the issue. Instead, he stared at us repeatedly throughout the meal, until my sister waved at him, making him quickly avert his gaze.
Drinks were another issue. While Bruna made fresh pineapple juice for my sister and me (which we appreciated), the rest of the table ordered sweet tea and had to ask for sugar because it was unsweetened. My aunt and mother asked for lemons and received limes, only then learning that lemons weren't available.
Eventually, the steakhouse servers began coming around with meat, but most of it was undercooked and very tough. Our entire party stopped eating fairly early. We had chosen this restaurant based on positive reviews, hoping for a memorable birthday meal, but it fell flat--especially when compared to Cowboy Brazilian Steakhouse in North Charleston.
To wrap up the night, we asked to split the checks. Bruna didn't know how, so she asked the manager for help. Instead of helping her professionally, he scolded her in front of us: "Let me show you so I never have to show you again." He didn't actually explain the process--just clicked around and walked off. Bruna, to her credit, figured it out and got us our checks.
Despite everything, I want to recognize Bruna for doing her best under pressure and with limited support. She was the only bright spot in an otherwise disappointing experience. Between the food quality, sanitation concerns, lack of service clarity, and unprofessional management, we won't be returning.
