Rio Churrascaria

Good for party & large groups. Clients always enjoyed.\r Brasilian american not quite authentic but overall good.\r Good service and very enthusiastic staff. Thumbs -up ! Pros: good location & food more

Instantly I fell in love with this place. They carve different kinds of meats at the table and it's unlimited! Also, they have an excellent, healthy salad and appetizer bar with more choices then I can imagine. This is definatly\r a place to go with and appetite and it is impossible to leave their hungry. I recommend this place for families, large parties and a romantic evening for two. \r Pros: Great Food, Atmosphere, Service, Everything Cons: Can't think of any more

My parents were in town visiting, and my mom really wanted to go to a Brazilian steakhouse again. The last one we had been to was in New York City in 2004 and cost more than $50/person. We came to Rio on a Friday night around 5:30, so our server was very attentive since we were the only people in the restaurant. He periodically checked in with us to see if there was any cut of meat we wanted to see again. He even had the cooks shuck some more oysters for us since there were no more left on the salad bar. I personally enjoyed the cilantro on the mussels, but both the oysters and the slices of smoked salmon did not have any cilantro. The cinnamon pineapple was absolutely delicious. We even got to sample small pieces of alligator meat (though it wasn't my favorite). There were also chicken hearts, but we were too full to try them. There was such a variety to choose from, and you could always ask for your favorites to come back. It's true that the meats are usually very red in the middle, but I love my meat medium rare. I especially recommend the picanha, which is their house steak. Not all the cuts of meat were great - the lamb was a little dry and the garlic beef was not tasty. Overall, I thought that $26 for all-you-can-eat steak and a good salad bar was quite a bargain. Pros: atmosphere, variety of food, attentive service Cons: depending on preference, meats were usually medium rare to rare more

I used to have a travelling job, and went to a handful of churrascaria restaurants in that time. My wife and I recently tried out Rio Churrascaria in Cary and I though it was at least as good and as any of the those I had been to in bigger cities -- and a much better deal: $25, vs. $40-50+. \r \r We had top sirloin (favorite). bottom sirloin, pork ribs (2nd fav), filet mignon, garlic beef, bacon wrapped beef, bacon wrapped chicken, chicken, pork tendorloin, prime rib, lamb chops, and probably a couple other things I'm forgetting. They also had pork sausages and grilled pineapple, which we didn't try. \r \r Aside from the pork loin, which was very dry, all of the meat was cooked perfectly. Also, the filet was cut before cooking, so instead bringing around a whole tenderloin they brought around filet ""nuggets"". But they were cooked well - still nice and pink on the inside. I agree with other posters (many reviews for the Strickland location, which seems identical) that if you like your meat medium to well done, you will probably not enjoy any of the beef -- most all of which is cooked med-rare. \r \r The salad/side bar was as impressive as others have said (again, dozens of reviews for the Strickland site). My only complaint, and the only thing preventing 5 stars, was that the seafood selections I was looking forward to, oysters, mussels, and calamari, were all iinfested with cilantro (ban The Green Menace!). This vile weeed is reviled by enough people that I think it's cruel to put it in all of the dishes. It's like putting horseradish on everything - enough people dislike it that I think it's a poor decision (maybe that's the point - to limit seafood consumption???). Aside from that, the salad selections were excellent.\r \r Overall a great experience. Many of the occasions we might have just gone out for a nice steak, I'm sure we'll go back to Rio for the variety and unique dining experience. Pros: Variety, unique dining experience, quality Cons: Cilantro! more

We really wanted to like this restaurant - several friends raved about it. Unfortunately, it failed to live up to those reviews. Nice atmosphere, Prompt seating. Friendly wait staff. But the food? We had no clue what several of the items were on the salad bar, and those in our party who did not partake had to wait until everyone was done before any meat showed up at the table. The mashed potato side tasted like it came from a box. The garlic beef, though tasty, was the first meat up and the garlic was so overpowering, it distorted the next serving...chicken wrapped in bacon. Some of the meat dishes were very good, but others were tough (the pork tenderloin for example), or so disgusting that those who tried it literally had to put it in their napkins from their mouth. (chicken legs). Reminded us of a childhood nursery rhyme...those that were good, were very very good, but those that were bad were horrid. The house special beef was excellent! Too bad not all of the meats lived up to it. And at the beginning, the meat servers were very slow at coming around, but it did pick up once we spoke to our waiter. Was a fun experience though (except for the chicken legs) and you do get to eat an awful lot of meat for one price! Pros: Atmosphere, Service, Wine Cons: Food more

When I walked in, I was immediately excited at the sight of the salad bar..but when I got a closer look...my heart sank. It looked and tasted like everything had been sitting there for awhile. So, I thought, one doesn't come here for the salad bar. The meat parade began and I found it pretty mediocre. There were some cuts of meat that were very good, the sausage was tasty, filet mignon and lamb very nicely done. But for the most part, what they were bringing around really wasn't all that stellar...chicken was dry and bland, some of the cuts of meat were tough. However, the service was fantastic, wine was very good, unfortunately I didn't feel I got what I paid for. I think you go there if you're just straight up hungry, and everyone I've spoken to that has eaten there seems to feel the same way. Pros: Service and wine Cons: A tad costly more

Great place to eat. The experiance is something that everyone who loves meat should try. The filet mignon could come out more frequently as I only saw it at my table once. The staff was very friendly and helpful. They even cooked some meat special for my girlfriend who only likes well done meat. Great place to bring someone who is looking for a dining adventure. Pros: Very fun, original dining experiance Cons: Filet Mignon was not on the floor much. more