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Mon-Thu. 11:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Fri-Sat. 11:00 a.m. - 9:30 p.m.
Sun. 11:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m.
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Meat. Meat. Meaty meat. Mmmm...
It was my younger and older sister's birthday's. And we were a group of 20. This is cheap brazilian steakhouse buffet ($20 per person). Esp. on the weekend.
Come here hungry. There was enough stuff at the salad bar to pick from to take the edge off all the protein. I loved the chicken wrapped with bacon and some other meat I can't remember. YUM!!! Also loved the banana for desert.
The place is filled with all sorts of people: families, couples, groups of people that appear to know each other, and other random meat-eaters.
Parking: Street parking
Size of location: whole in the wall (somewhat small)
Price: $19.99 w/o tax (I went on Saturday)
I 'went there' this time and did the chicken hearts or livers or what ever they were - and well, they weren't 'bad" the Boyfriend who likes them, said they were incredible - so we will got with his input, as he actually LIKES putting that kinda stuff in his mouth.
Seaweed salad - yum...
all the buffet dishes are actually quite solid, and not just an after thought - Made with what is seasonal, the butternut squash and pumpkin were both incredibly tasty.
and then the sticks came out! When the guy came around with the lamb (my favorite) I was thrilled, my BF actually made the comment that I am prolly the happiest eater he has ever seen, especially when there is huge chuncks of lamb for me to chew on.
Tri tip was a little on the done side (for my taste) the Top sirloin, and eye of round were fantastic. Bacon Bacon - did I say bacon?? wrapped chicken! yes please! and incredible wings with lots of immensely tasty seasoning.
the pineapple with the cinnamon makes a great palate cleanser and the deep fried banana for dessert....
ciprihana with lime to wash it all down.
The service is family, and you get a little bit of that pretense from them -- which it is what it is -- I think it sorta adds to the flare of the place, maybe one day they will have a skewer nazi "no meat for you!"
Now THAT would be cool.
I've been to the Brazilian Steakhouse in Vegas, and the higher end one in SF, but this one is just… Read more »
I hate giving less than three stars because I like to think that restaurants out there are really trying and positive reinforcement always helps. Sorry, Cleo.
If you are training for an eating competition, please practice at Cleo's. For $20/dinner, you have access to as much food as you could ever imagine. I did not say it was as much *good* food as you could ever imagine, just food.
After we hit the salad bar/buffet of randomness, the various meats on sticks kept arriving every two minutes. I couldn't even keep track of what was on my plate at any given time. We had no chance to enjoy the different meat offerings (which included top sirloin, lamb, garlic tri-tip, wings, chicken hearts, sausage, etc etc etc) because we were being continuously bombarded. Again, it's best to come here if you just want to look at a plate full of food because there isn't anything else look at. The restaurant is a wide open boring space with no atmosphere and huge curtainless windows looking out onto an El Camino intersection. Blech.
I liked the top sirloin very much, as well as the sweet potato (I think?) dish from the buffet. Everything else just seemed to be fillers and very random. Although, when the waiter asked if we would like any bacon-wrapped chicken, I didn't even let him finish the words before uttering a resounding "YES." I tried a chicken heart too. Sorry, chickens.
Loved the food at this place last time I was in the area. It is kinda in a random place but location doesn't matter because the meat was so fresh and tender everytime the server came around to bring our table a different type. Definetly recommend this place to any meatlover with a good appetite. So when you do go don't fill your stomach up with soda or anything to save room for all the different meats.
Meat tastes like murder...and murder tastes pretty damn good doesn't it!
OK, big deal...you park on the street...the decor and ambiance are a little plain, you want ambiance...go to Nawlins! You want decor, eatin a furniture store.
If you want as much meat as you can eat, come on down to Cleo's!
The salad/side bar was meh...if you want salad, you're in the wrong place!
I actually went into meat overload here and didn't think that was possible:
The Tri-tip was real good!
The top round was a hit, the eye of round a bit salty.
I liked the bacon wrapped chicken, the wings, and the legs...pork sausages could have been spicier.
The lamb and roast pork were good.
The garlic beef was the home run for the evening topped only by the chicken hearts!
Ignore the whiny little bitches who are hating on this place, good wholesome fare at a reasonable price...I'll be back again!
A friend had been raving about this place and as a "thank you for taking me to the airport" lunch, we came here.
Food came quickly and the sides at the 'buffet'-esque bar were nice enough. Servers were attentive and friendly. My water glass was constantly topped up - I couldn't ask for anything better than that.
I found some of the meat dry and bit too salty for my taste, but I'm willing to give this place another shot.
I enjoyed the sausage and beef dishes. I wasn't brave enough to give the chicken hearts a shot. *shudders* I'll take along food snob hubby and see what he has to say. :)
Meat. Meat. Meaty meat. Mmmm...
It was a weekend evening and my partner was on a crazy diet that limited what he could eat. But meat was allowed and there's something irresistible about sitting down to your own set of tongs.
And these days, $20 is easy to part with when it fills you up.
Come here hungry. There was enough stuff at the salad bar to pick from to take the edge off all the protein. And through all our meat eating, I, not surprisingly discovered that I tended to favor the beef stuff over the others. Also loved the banana and sliced pineapple.
The place is filled with all sorts of people: families, couples, groups of people that appear to know each other, and other random meat-eaters.
They have serious problems with their service here. I'll get to the food later.
We came with a large group and so my brother and I were relegated to a smaller, separate "kids" table a few tables down. We were close enough so that the servers "knew" that we were in the same party. From time to time, we would leave our table and visit the "adults" table. At around 9:30ish (they close at 10), I went to the bathroom. They only have one bathroom by the way so that pretty much sucks in every way imaginable! So, that took forever and by the time I came out, our table had been cleaned. What the freak? I guess my brother got lonely and left so the table was empty. What, they can't walk over and ask? Assholes.
Prior to this horrible oversight, they also didn't offer us any fried bananas. I looked around at the other tables and everyone was given a plate of fried bananas without having to ask. I thought, "alright, maybe it's because they bring it out at the end of the meal." No, they don't. So, I ask and the guy asks me "how many?" I say "four." I love me some fried bananas. He then stands there and looks at me and asks, "for how many people." I feel like a glutton and reply, "okay, just two." What the hell, we are at a buffet and you're making me feel bad for eating like a fat ass? Why the hell do you think I'm (and the rest of these restaurant patrons are) here?
Yes, no refills of water either.
I agree with many of the lower starred reviews. Yes, the meat is overly salty and overly well done. This is probably a clever ploy to prevent you from eating so much. And, it works because how much of overly salted and overly well done meat can you eat? The lamb smells because they don't know how to cook it properly. The chicken is dry and too salty. The pineapple is not sweet. There's a theme here.
The buffet is very random and, though I've never had Brazillian food, I'm pretty sure garlic mashed potatoes (which are bomb by the way, but who can fuck up that?) and lasagna aren't part of their cuisine.
I didn't get my money's worth. You just get so nauseated from the poorly cooked meat. Sad to say, I ate more of the buffet food than the meat. And this is a supposed to be a meat buffet?
After reading a few mixed reviews, I felt like this place was worth a try... We heard that Cleo's was only $20 for adults and $9 for kids, so we thought - why not?
I made reservations, and the host advised me that they had a 1 hour-45 minute maximum since it was an all-you-can-eat buffet. I thought that was a little odd, but totally understand after being there. We went on a weeknight, and the place was about 3/4 full, so that was a good sign.
If you haven't been to a churrascaria, the meat comes to you on skewers and sliced for you at the table. You then use your tongs to take the meat just as it is dropping off the skewer. The meat usually comes non-stop at churrascaria's until you start begging for mercy... However, this experience was very different. I found myslef waiting for the next meat to come to our table (and waiting, and waiting...). Once the meats arrived, they were all well-done! I like mines medium rare. They had about several types of beef, pork, sausage, bacon wrapped chicken, and chicken hearts (!). The best thing was the grilled pineapple and bananas (believe it or not).
I think I was spoiled when I visited Austin's Fogo de Chao, so this place was definitely a let-down. I guess you can say: you get what you pay for, but this was not worth $20 in my book. I would definitely pay the $50+ for Fogo de Chao. At least you enjoy what you are getting, and the food keeps coming (which is what a buffet is all about).
I would definitely not go back, and would rather spend the extra few dollars for a better quality meal.
Pros: Good price with good food
Cons: except some of their meats are a little too dry, too salty, and it seems to be over-cooked.
Advise: I would recommend takeing a good look at the meat first, make sure it is juicy and not hard to chew before you ask the waiter to cut it for you, so you don't waste any of the food *wink.
Recommendation: I especially like their lamb, and chick hearts. They taste great. I would go again.
3 STARS
The food here is 3 stars.
It's okay, but chew and swallow quickly!
Once it cools...the meat can get a little chewy and a lot tasteless.
1 EXTRA STAR
One additional star for affordability.
If you've never had churrascaria before, this is the place to try it. If you do like it, you can choose to spend more money at other establishments, because it only gets better from here.
Overall, I'd eat here again. It's alright. It's like getting a burger at a fast food joint, instead of at a diner or a fancy establishment. It's not great, but good enough to satisfy a craving...a meat craving. It's the broke man's churrascaria. You've got nothing to lose...except $15-20. DO IT! =P
Muito bom. Very good. i think its a great dinner for 20 bucks. i'm bias cause i love things brasilian, but having freshly cooked meat brought to your table every two minutes is bomb. Carne de vaca (steak) Frango (chicken wrapped in bacon and chicken hearts) Carneiro (lamb) Salsicha(sausage) Pinapple and fried banana. Carne demais. meat overload. Service is friendly and attentive. location is good, usually can find parking right in front. i believe Cleo's is moving close by to a bigger better location soon.
Very affordable place for Brazilian food. The meat is hit or miss, depending what you get. I am a fan of the top sirloin and lamb. Be warned. Some of the other meats can be pretty tough and dry. Example one: beef brisket. One thing to try is the pineapple! Very sweet and the touch of cinnamon is great!
DON'T COME ON A HOT DAY! We went the other day and it was awful. Flies started swarming our table and landing on our food, drinks, everything. Very disgusting. Fortunately, the waiters finally got the A/C working and got rid of the pests. However, by that time, they had all lost their appetites.
The only reason I am giving this place 3 stars is I've been here prior to that incident and never ever have experienced this problem. Definitely try this place out, preferably with a big appetite and on a cool evening.
Basically you come in, sit down, and order your drinks.
You hit up the buffet, which is not even labeled and has some cheap-o/weird stuff in it.
I tried this gravy looking thing with meat, which was good.
Anyways, you sit down and eat your cheap buffet food and some guy comes around with a huge skewer with a bunch of meat on it.
He tells you what kind of meat it is, and asks you if you want some.
Then he gives you some.
The end.
The steak was so fricken GOOD!
I tried a chicken heart to look like a sav, but it wasnt even worth it.
Plus, I felt like a creep.
Side note:
Sit near the kitchen entrance to get first pick.
Also, they bring out pineapple and fried bananas.
GET THE FRIED BANANA, OMG.
Anyway, this place would be a million times better if the buffet had better food.
I had a HUGE slice of flan for dessert, and some funny cheese/fruit layered cake.
Delicious.
SO IN PARAPHRASE:
meat and dessert are delicious, buffet is meh.
I arrived a little late to the party, but there was already a nice chunk of meat sitting on my plate (thanks, friends!), which I believe was the top sirloin. That, along with the chicken hearts were probably my 2 favorites. Tri-tip came in a close second. I'd say half the meats plus fried bananas were good, but otherwise, the other half of the meats were a bit too rare on the inside, and the outsides were overcooked and hard to chew. The bacon wrapped chicken was a bit dry. And unfortunately, the pineapple (which is usually another favorite of mine at churrascurias) was not sweet, but for some reason they also kept running out before arriving at our table!
I do think I have a new favorite drink though in the Guarana. It tasted like a less sweet sprite. Yum! And as a natural energy booster, I was not too affected by the usual ensuing food coma. Service was decent, and you should definitely make reservations if you decide to come, but I think I'll hold off till I find a place with better quality meat.
No thrills here...just meat! At $20 for dinner, what more can you ask for! The service is good. The food comes out fairly quickly. Their salad bar is okay. The meat is tasty. I love the chicken hearts! :-) Drinks are on point. Great place for hungry meat lovers!
I am not even sure where to start.
Cleo's is just as much of a churrascaria as is Hot Dog On A Stick. Simply impaling food with a sharp pointy object does NOT automatically make it better. To call this place a churrascaria is an insult to churrascarias, Brazilians, meat lovers, and the letter C.
When I heard about Cleo's in San Bruno, I couldn't wait to try it. It's been a few months since I vowed to not waste money on Espetus (http://www.yelp.com/bi...) again, and I was in the mood for some unlimited meat. My parents and I got in the car and made the drive to Cleo's.
Located on El Camino Real between, across from and next to car dealerships, this place looks and feels like a waiting room at an abandoned car dealership, where they happen to serve food. It's a giant rectangular room with the ambiance of a prison mess hall. Who had chosen THAT shade of brown for the walls? I had never seen a color like that. The tables were covered with dark burgundy tablecloths, which, in turn were covered with white butcher paper. The tables were spread far apart, perhaps to allow easy access to the salad bar in the far left corner of the restaurant.
We came in at 6 pm, and we were the third party in the restaurant. It must have been really early because the waiters and the meat were nowhere to be found. I made a beeline for the salad bar and put a couple of things on my plate: veggies, yucca, rice, lasagna, cheese bread. The veggies were very fresh, and the rice was ... rice. Lasagna, which their website claims to be "amazing," was absolutely disgusting. It had cheap pasta layers, regurgitated ground beef and stale ricotta cheese. Stouffers makes much better lasagna, and it could be ready in 5-7 minutes! The cheese bread tasted like it'd been sitting out for a couple of days.
Then the meat came. Unlike real churrascarias, Cleo's chose to bring out the meat one sword at a time. Originally, I had thought it was a cost cutting measure, but now I realize that was not the reason. The true reason they brought the meat out painstakingly slow, one-by-one, is so that they had plenty of time to overcook the remaining meat.
I get it. For $19.99, they can only afford cheaper cuts of meat. I understand why ALL meats were chewy, stringy and fiber-y. What I don't understand is why everything (and I mean everything) was overcooked beyond recognition. I know some people like their steaks well done, but this was cooked several clicks past well done. Apparently, when it comes to their rotisserie ovens, "these go to eleven." Even the sausages were cooked until they shriveled into pathetic, disgusting, oblong pieces of you-know-what. The brisket, the sirloin, the lamb - everything was overcooked. The chicken wrapped bacon was the best of the worst, although bacon smelled like fried pork skin. SHRUG.
Look, I am a big guy. I can easily do a 90-minute eating session at a churrascaria, waiting for more meat to be shoveled my way. Usually, I only slow down to say "More, please!" Even I couldn't handle Cleo's. $19.99 may seem like a bargain, but I left the restaurant hungry, disgusted and utterly disappointed. The only item worth eating was the fried bananas, and they are not worth the money or the trip.
I noticed that some reviewers say that it's "the same quality as Espetus" and compare it to "$50 power dinner at Fogo de Chao." Clearly, they were drunk when they wrote that. People who seriously believe that Cleo's could even be compared to a real churrascaria should have their Yelp privileges revoked for 6 months. They should also be sentenced to 12 months of strict vegetarianism. I am just saying.
AVOID!
Meaty...
Food is alright, so is the service. Nice looking place. I came at lunch for the $15 all you can eat. Salad bar is okay...I wish they had warm vegetables though. They also have deviled eggs and some meat in the bar. Then they come to your table with the meat... You can have a lot of meat, but the taste isn't particularly special. I guess this is more of a quantity over quality type of place. I think the top sirloin and chicken legs are the best. They have warm, juicy pineapple with cinnamon.
Very reasonable, great seasoning on their meats. Be prepare to eat all you can meat and afterwards, you probably don't want to eat any meats for awhile, totally meated out!!!
Anytime I feel like I got to have meat, I come here and I'm OK for quite awhile. Highly recommend this restaurant for meat lovers, you won't be disappointed.
This place was just ok for me. I've eaten at a few other Churrascaria restaurants, all of which were of much better quality. The best thing about this restaurant is the price. For less than half the price of your typical Churrascaria resturant, you can still enjoy the experience of dining at a Churrascaria and sampling the various meats they offer.
The food itself wasn't that great. The meat was often dry and definitely lacked quality. The meat was being served at a fairly quick pace, but I kept finding myself waiting for more red meat. The salad bar wasn't that great either, full of heavy starchy food to get you full quicker so you eat less meat. I think I'd rather spend the extra $30 and get some quality brazilian bbq at Espetus.
This is a pretty good brazilian place =) San Bruno isn't the most exciting place to be so usually there's a decent amount of parking. Great salad bar and decent service. Con, It's a bit tough not to over eat here.
When I don't have the money to go to Espetus I would definitely hit up Cleo's again. I went here when I was sick and didn't think I would be able to represent as a big guy, but definitely did some damage.
The service is really good. They check on you constantly and keep your drinks filled. They are very attentive and are willing to check on whatever type of meat you are looking for.
The food itself is very good, especially considering the price. The meats are good, a few are a little tough, but overall good. The salad bar is really goooooooooooood. Their salsa is exceptional and they even have deviled eggs.
I can't wait to go back and inhale a few pounds of meat...that didn't sound right.
I heard about this place on PBS a long time ago and finally found the opportunity to check it out. At $19.99 for all you can eat steak is pretty decent. Since it was my first time, though, I tried a little bit of everything. My favorites were the various beef specialties and the chicken hearts. The chicken specialties were really dry. I don't remember much of the pork, but I guess that tells you what I think of it. At first, the salad bar was delicious, but after the first helpings, it started tasting kind of weird to me. (I was really hungry when I dived into the salad bar, though.)
My boyfriend had actually wanted to take me to Pampas, but I didn't want to spend the money. I'm glad I came here first, because his Pampas-spoiled taste buds did not appreciate Cleo's as much as I did.
Try going early and sit as close to the salad bar as possible. We came at 8:15ish, forty-five minutes before closing, and felt that we were neglected. It also didn't help that a humongous group was seated next to the salad bar and the kitchen, so by the time the servers got to us, the food was either gone or cold.
I would recommend Cleo's for a low-key special occasion and just for the experience.
UGH. I heard about this place from a friend, so I decided to take another friend of mine here to see what all the hype was about. I've been to Espetus in SF, and I'm a huge fan of churrascaria, so I was hopeful...
The first thought that came to mind when I walked into this place was "gross." The restaurant just looked really dirty and dingy. There was no sense of decor whatsoever and the chairs looked like they were greasy (no joke). I tried to put all that aside and give the food a chance.
When I went to the salad bar, the food did not look fresh. Come on now, I was there for lunch, so you would think (and hope) it was cooked that morning. Some of the stuff looked like it was leftover from the previous night. As for the skewers, the chicken wings and the sausage was overly salted. It actually gave me a headache with each bite.
I kid you not, we were there for probably 20 minutes before we left. It was NOT worth it. You might as well pay a little extra for Espetus, and get fresher food, a larger salad bar, and a cleaner restaurant.
Even if there were better Churascarria places around I would still come here. You can't beat the value for under $20. and it's all you can eat, mostly meat, and chicken. The sides are not the greatest but decent to accompany your mostly protein offerings. (Hint: Try not to fill up on the lasagna.)
I have been here no less than a dozen times, it used to be more of a Pizza place (if you can believe it) then they had this guy playing guitar and singing popular english songs translated to Brazilian Portugese, (Like Eagles, or Led Zeppelin) on Friday and Saturday nights. They have also done some renovations.
The wine selection is very limited but there was some good Argentinian red (I don't remember it ) that complimented all the meat offerings well. I always bring friends from out of town here because the food is reasonable, you get great selection, and it's inexpensive.
First time ever trying this place and we're very disappointed meat are all salty and chewy they probably just re-heat the meat from lunch time service coz we came around 5:30ish and we're the second customer that day which is friday it's kind of weird for a friday afternoon it should be packed but I guess their food is not really that good that's why nobody's there and we made a mistake we should just went to Don Pico's instead and they are packed the line is long.
Anyways AVOID AVOID AVOID this place
This place hmmmmm...... Let's say if you like MEAT and you are hella hungry and you are really feeeelin for a buffet. One word to describe this place would be.............DABOMB!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! for $19.99 you can't go wrong bro!!!! They have brisket, serloin, chiken, pork, sausages, and lamb. Damn!!! Dat's like all the farm animals on a skewer!!! They don't use any shmacy fancy ingriedients on their meats ok!! Salt and pepper on dat bad boy and Blam!!! bring it on out dogg!!! Ohhhh yeah........ did i mention the buffet table??? if you want some salad and other hot foods they have some too. To top it all off, they have grilled pineapple..... It be serious up in here!!!!
Da only reason why I left out a star is the Gaurana!! It's a Delicious brazilian soda!! It taste like ginger ale but hellllllla better!!! The only problem is they charge $3.00 a can!!! It's not even in a fancy style can. It's just a regular looking can!!! But you know what????? I get in anyways. like a druggy on crack. Why am i complaining then you ask??? Same way a druggy complain about how expensive the crack is. and you get me every time you bastards!!!
(note: Alright you haters out there and you know who you are!!! This place is not Harris, Alfreds, House of prime...ect and You are not in a vegas buffet either. Take this place as what it is OK!! Not all the meats are going to be cooked perfectly to your liking!!! Just come here with a hungry appetite and enjoy!!!! don't make me put you in your place again!!!!!!)
I Love this place--- Great place for groups, prices are pretty decent-- Great meat. and Yummy Cheeeesy Bread... I guess the only thing is that it is sooo popular that its really hard to get in w/out reservations---
This place gets *********************** :)
i've been to the $60 churrascarias, so this was a pleasant surprise to find a good tasting meal for only $25.
granted you are not getting the best cuts of meat, but the grilling and seasoning are pretty good (except for the high salt content -- too high on some cuts)
came with a bunch of friends--definitely no ambiance, loud (popular)
and they didn't have the grilled pineapple!
they served us bacon wrapped chicken, beef with garlic, sirloin, eye of round roast, pork cut, chicken wings and breast, lamb, pork sausage, and a few others
chicken hearts -- done very well, soft and flavored
the salad bar was small without high turnover, but acceptable
the meat always came out tender and juicy, and the fried bananas were nice
you do get what you pay for, but it was worth it
I'm not sure what the heck is up with the 1 star ratings. Of course this isn't Espetus. This place is what it is: an affordable brazillian steak house. Not everyone can indulge themselves for the price of Espetus (myself included). So what does one do when they want to try brazillian food but definitely can't afford it? Go to Cleo's. It doesn't disappoint.
To the those dissing on the meat quality, don't believe them. The cuts of beef are tender, juicy, and flavored just right. They'll cut it just the way you want it. The service isn't slow like some will try to lead you to believe. They came to our table at an often enough pace. The result? I was able to leave a very full man. All the other buffet items aren't bad as well. Some good items in the buffet cart.
You can't beat the price either. $15 for lunch and $20 for dinner. Completely and totally doable. Some have associated this place as ghetto, but do not believe those haters for a second. It is extremely clean on the inside and it is definitely not nasty like a lot of joints you'll find in SF.
In closing, please do not let any of the negative reviewers keep you away from this place. The food is great and the price is awesome. Unless you are some high-class food snob that eats beluga caviar like the common man chows down on hot dogs, this will fit in very nicely with your meat-craving needs.
Where else can you find $20 Brazilian BBQ?! Excellent food, excellent service!! Cleo's offers all the fixins to compliment juicy succulent Brazilian BBQ! I really liked the cheddar bread, top sirloin, tri-tip, bacon chicken, pineapple and Caipirinha.
A birthday dinner brought us here and the staff did a wonderful job accommodating our 20 person party. From drinks, keeping the meat coming, going next door for a special creama request to refrigerating the cake.
FIVE stars across the board.
Dollar for dollar, Cleo's is the best bargain you'll get for Brazilian Barbeque in the Bay Area.
I've been there for lunch ($14.99) and dinner ($19.99) and both times were just SUPERB!
They keep the meat coming and they're not stingy with the portions.
The side dishes that they serve are a perfect compliment to the variety of meats that they serve.
Personal favorites from the hot side: tri-tip, top sirloin, sausage and chicken wings. On the buffet table, the yucca root, mashed potatoes, cayotte and carrots w/ corn. On the cold side, the potoatoe and chicken salad, devilled eggs and tuna salad.
The fried plantains were perfect even if they were room temperature. Usually, anything fried gets soggy after they cool off. Not these plantains! Plus, they keep refilling them.
The service was good, but both times I went was kinda slow so I don't know what it would be like if the place was busy.
Granted, Cleo's isn't as fancy as the other Brazilian places, but if you aren't a food snob and a meat lover, this place is for you.
I have been to my fair share of Brazilian BBQ joins here and elsewhere. Cleo's by far offers the best bang for the buck. For $20 bucks you get all the meat that your gut can hold, and prolly a little more.
The wait staff is attentive and friendly as can be. Every time I have been there they have gone out of their way to make your dining experience one to remember, and they have.
Being a meat lover Cleo's is perfect for me. The constant parade of delectable meats was euphoric. The only problem is that I had to pace myself because I didn't know what was next! I learned quick to take your tongs and take small amounts.
I have some personal favorites. I loved the tri tip, the lamb, and the bacon-wrapped chicken. I would ding the restaurant in only one way, the food bar at the back of the restaurant is small and there just isn't the variety that some other Brazilian BBQ joints have. I am sure that it has to do with the size of the restaurant and it really didn't diminish my dining experience. I just like variety.
This place is great for parties and get togethers with family and friends. If you haven't been before, I think this is a local must. If you have, go back and enjoy another great meal.
Dollar for dollar, the best!
The service was fantastic and way beyond most restaurants. They served us platanos and I asked if they had any crema fresca. They didn't, but the waitress went next door to get some for us!
Now that's what I'm talkin' about. The food was good as well. Yeah, it's not $50-$60+ Brazilian, but not all of us are ballers. =P
Brazilian BBQ on a budget? Hell yeah. Definitely coming back.
Cleo's offers one of the best priced Brazilian Barbecue Buffets in the Bay Area for only $20, but they can kind of over do it with the salt.
I was super excited to go to Cleo's as I'm a carnivore and love barbecue of all kinds, but during the meal I was kind of taken aback by how much darn salt they added! Although the sides were okay and it was a really unique experience having the servers offer you meat on giant skewers, the overpowering flavor of sodium just kept coming back to my mind.
The one dish I really enjoyed despite this was the garlic beef. That cut had a lot more garlic rubbed into it than it did salt, so I enjoyed it a lot.
Cleo's is a novel Bay Area restaurant to visit at least once, but I would recommend it only for the fun experience.
For the price you get ($20) for a buffet of just all meat and side dishes, etc. you get your money's worth easily. I think I ate so much I got sick and not in a bad way. Well, it wasn't really their fault 'cuz I drank too much later that night. However...the whole experience was great. Before I could even sit down to catch a breath they had people w/ meats on their swords asking if you'd like a piece of whatever they were carrying. It was great. People wer friendly and this place gets packed quick if you don't come early. My favorites were the garlic pork, chicken hearts!!!, grilled pineapple with cinnemon on it (love!), and a few more I can't think of.
Although I've heard other places have quality meats and more of a selection you can't really beat this. Other places you pay what you get for so I understand. But being not a real meat person myself usually this place had tons of meat already and a good selection. Some things were better than others but generally I enjoyed the experience and the food.
Awesome!!! I've been there couple of times and this is so far my favorite Brazilian restaurant in Bay Area. I think the food is very good, the buffet has lots of varieties, and the service is very very good. I really like the place and every time I go there I gain 2 pounds... But it worth!!! )
One thing that I really like about there: it's not expensive at all... I've been to several Brazilian restaurants in the city and this is the most affordable....
I've been here 2x in a week! My brother took us here for my nephew's graduation dinner and then I took the bf for lunch after kayaking 3 days later. (I almost dined here 3x when the bf wanted to go back the next day!)They serve 8 varieties of meat on skewers plus a wide array of self serve side dishes including veggies and soup. It really is a lot meat to last you a couple weeks.
I heart their chicken hearts, garlic sirloin and tri-tip, pineapple with cinnamon, okra, mustard greens, beets, guarana soda, papaya cream dessert and fried bananas. I'm sure we'll be back soon to try the other desserts and the Caipirinhas.
It's a casual dining place. Parking on the street can be tricky, but luckily we didn't have to park far both times. Their bathroom is clean and the staff is pretty friendly and will happily pose for pictures with you.
This a great place to shock the palate and fun dining experience. Everything is good and tasty!!
Made reservations for 6PM on a Saturday, so NO WAIT!!!!!
FRIED BANANAS YUMMMM!!!!!!!!!!!! I normally hate fried bananas or fried plantains, but these were good.
ALL THE MEAT YOU CAN EAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Every type of meat that came out, I had it. I didn't like how some stuff were a bit too salty and a bit too dry for my taste. Some meats were moist, but the majority were too salty. I liked the lamb, and pineapples. Pineapples were SOOO GOOOOD. Normally, I like to fill up on meats because they cost more, but the pineapples were so good. The outer part of the grilled pineapple were covered in cinnamon, which made it yummy, tasted similar to a cinnamon roll.
I didn't eat that much, it could have been the fact that I didn't bring my buffet style clothes...which includes sweats and loose clothes. Loose clothes is less restricting, so I can fill up on more food.
If you come here, don't fill up at the food bar, save your stomach for the meat.
came here on friday nov.13 with 8 other people to celebrate a birthday party. we thought we would have trouble getting 9 seated, so we made a reservation for 8pm, but when we arrived, there were plenty of seats available. let me just say that in the two hours we were there, i did not stop stuffing myself full of dead animal parts. there is a decent salad/pasta bar, but you are there to consume the tri-tips, eye rounds, sirloins, roasted pork, sausages, chicken thighs and hearts (and bacon-wrapped breasts!), cinnamon pineapple slices, and delicious lamb. some of the meat was a little too salty, but for the most part, they were cooked pretty decently. the servers are attentive and friendly, and the price is right for the amount of food you get ($20 dinner buffet). aside from some of the meat being too salty, my only other issue with this place is the pace of meat coming out of the kitchen. i realize they have to keep it slower so that diners cannot screw this restaurant into a hole, but i wish they at least picked up the pace of carting out deed animals; at the end of our two hours there, however, i was waddling to my car as i drove my stuffed belly to the mission for drinks. cleo's, you slay me.
25% off wine
Millbrae, CA
Free Dessert
South San Francisco, CA
San Mateo, CA
Category: Brazilian
South San Francisco, CA
Category: Brazilian
Millbrae, CA
Category: Steakhouses
Neighborhood: Hayes Valley
Category: Steakhouses
Palo Alto, CA
Category: Brazilian
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