"sauce, bacon Brazil nut toffee, and smoked sea salt $9."
(in 9 reviews)
"My personal favorite was the turkey wrapped in bacon(mmm."
(in 23 reviews)
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Pampas
Rating Details »
- Hours:
Mon-Thu. 11:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.
Mon-Thu. 5:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.
Fri. 11:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.
Fri. 5:00 p.m. - 10:30 p.m.
Sat. 5:00 p.m. - 10:30 p.m.
Sun. 5:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$$$
- Parking:
- Street, Garage
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- No
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Good for:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
448 reviews for Pampas
Review Highlights
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EXCELLENT place!!!
Definetlly a MUST. Food/Service was great.
High class servers with lots of knowledge.
Place itself [interior] is amazing. Cool Lounge area with great HAPPY HOUR. Everything on the Lounge menu is 1/2 OFF.
Cocktails $5.00 !!! :))))
All good things about this place.
Keep up guys!!!!
Ambiance
Modern flair, lighting, layout, and the bar are quite impressive. A great place for birthdays indeed! We had a party of ten upstairs, well accommodated.
Service
Jorge and the boys kept coming around with spit roasted meats on skewers. They even came around when our button was on red/stop. They brought out all of our requests, and were very gracious in doing so.
Side bar
Even though the sides were minimal in my dining adventure, my favorites were the grilled pears, mushrooms, artisan cheeses, and the black beans with pieces of beef shank cooked with bacon fat. The grilled plantains at our table weren't bad either.
Meat
My top choices were the top sirloin, tri tip, and skirt steak. "Juicy perfection" is a good way to describe them. The texture (fat) and taste of the top sirloin was irresistible. I'm also a fan of their chicken hearts.
The pork loin and chicken were just okay...and spicy. Sausage reminded me of my breakfast choriso. Leg of lamb was chewy and gamey. Lamb chops were better and more tender. Filet mignon was rather dry and lacked some taste.
Dessert
I can never complain about dessert, really. I got to taste their tres leches cake, coconut flan, and chocolate torte...and they were all delightful and refreshing. But if I were to pick one of them, I'd probably go with the tres leches cake with tropical fruit and sauce.
Overall
We had a wonderful time....and that's the bottom line!
Although I'm neither a frequent meat-eater nor all-you-can-eat kind of girl, I'd definitely come here again to have the unlimited Rodizio for the following reasons:
1. So many different types of delicious meat on sticks to choose from.
2. Expansive side bar with a wide variety of side dishes and appetite enhancers.
3. Complimentary cheese bread! So good! Too bad this is not unlimited.
Of course, I'd have to have my personal assistant/slave with me to cut my meat into bite-size pieces ready to stuff into my pie hole. My favorites were the skirt steak, chicken hearts, and tri-tip. Our first piece of tri-tip was cooked to perfection - expertly seasoned and cooked medium rare. Heaven! However, our second piece was well-done, under-seasoned and a big disappointment. Booooo!
Overall, it was a good interactive dinner experience. I really enjoyed the hunky men carrying big phallic hunks of meat on sticks, and then I'd turn my head to the left and my slave would be shoving delicious meat into my mouth. My life is so hard!
$44/person for the "Rodizio" (http://www.pampaspaloa...) all-you-can-eat. My favorites were the top sirloin, the filet mignon, the tri-tip and the skirt steak (even the chicken hearts!). Every other items were still pretty good, but started tasting salty after 1.5 pounds of meat gluttony. Oh so worth it though.
And, this is without factoring in the appetizers, the quality open-bar salad items (http://static.px.yelp....) + grilled pineapple ftw, and dessert. Yep, everything was good, no complaints about the food as the stuffed belly can attest to. The caipirinhas were $9 and a bit sweet (albeit from a palate that prefers alcohols neat or -tonics), but strong. Also, they waived the $20 corkage fee for the bottles of wines, which would have cemented five stars.
Lost one star only because they didn't think we'd stay over two and a half hours (we were expecting three hours, minimum)...as they "needed our table for the next party" (though they did offer free drinks at the bar to make up for it). However, our server Yvonne was great! This place is good for a getogether, like with friends that you haven't seen for a very long time. It is also good for a guys night out. The hostesses are attractive. The servers are all friendly. The place is on the fancy side. Combine all of that and it's a great place. Pricey for a meal (http://static.px.yelp....), but worth it.
Bonus review: This Richmond Grove '02 Limited Release Cabernet (http://static.px.yelp....) was great. Made in southern Australia's famous Coonawarra region - the "best cabernets made in Australia" - it is smooth and aromatic, but not overpowering...I'd definitely go out of my way to get more. But it's not feasible, so recommend finding someone who's visiting Australia to bring a case back, yeah?
I'm kind of an old-fashioned guy in that I drown my sorrows in beer. Saturday, after a miserable day, I tried something different--I drown my sorrows in meat. The simple rule of thumb you have to subscribe to if you come here is you're going to order the $44 Rodizio, which entails an all-you-can-eat salad bar and all you can eat meat. Waiters walk around with skewers of meat. When you're ready to eat, you flip a card to green. When you need to stop, you flip it to red. The choices in meats range from amazing (the filet, the bacon-wrapped turkey, the skirt steak) to adequate (I'm a lamb guy, but I couldn't really get into either lamb dish).
You also get free, unfettered access to the salad bar which is a meal of it's own entirely (in fact, you can just do that for $27). It has a great choice of salad options, meat meal neccesities such as potatoes and mushrooms, plus a great option of cheese, cold cuts and olives. It also has a touch of adventure. For as good as the meat was, the best thing I ate here was the cold cucumber soup (the girlfriend raved about the coconut cous cous). To add insult to injury, the dessert we ordered was not only delicious, but included a bacon-hazelnut toffee.
If you live in the neighborhood, this is definitely something to do. If not, it's still worthwhile. Just be prepared to spend an extended period of time listening to the person you came with cry out "Meat gut," which only seems naturally after eating nearly two pounds of beef.
I ordered the lamb shank and it came out 15 minutes after everyone elses entree...It wasn't anything spectacular. The sauce was too heavy and a little too salty for my taste and the side of vegetables were just potatoes, onions and some fennel pieces topped with three baby carrots. I tried some of my friends Rodizio and wasn't too crazy about it either. The chicken hearts were really good though :). My friend loves Brazilian food and said this place let him down so I'm pretty sure it wasn't just me.
Service is very attentive and friendly. My water was refilled after it was half empty which occurred a lot. Really fast staff :).
It's 9:47am and I'm writing this review because I'm hungry and I love meat ...especially when it just keeps on coming!! Unlimited meat! What more could I ask for!! YEAH! Oh yeah, the sidebar is great too. :)
It may get a little overwhelming, but all you have to remember is to turn the stone over to RED for them to STOP serving the meat then back to GREEN when you want MORE. Easy, right?
The ambiance is great and everytime I've been there (Fridays & Saturdays) they have some live music going on. Loves it.
A carnivores dream...
Was dragged here against my will for an all expenses paid work dinner. Poor me, right? I'll give you five reasons to try it:
1) Unlimited Rodizio and sidebar (all you can eat meat!?!)
2) Sirloin filet with parmesan
3) Skirt steak with onion marinade
4) Turkey wrapped in bacon (made me lovingly think of one of my favorite street foods of bacon wrapped hotdogs post bar hopping)
5) THE CHOCOLATE TORTE ... with caramel ice cream and bacon brazil nut toffee!
I'm salivating as we speak.
Honestly, the reviews made this place seem a lot better than it actually is. My dinner experience was rather disappointing.
I came in on a week night and service was ridiculously SLOW. After being seated, I was waiting for over 10 minutes before I had to waive down a bus boy and then a hostess to ask, "Where is my server?" When the waiter did arrive he simply stated, "I'm not really your waiter, I'm filling in for so-and-so, I'm actually in training. Here I am." Honestly, what kind of greeting is that? You're my pseudo-waiter?
Later into our meal the speed of the service seemed to pick up but it took a long time for anyone to clear our plates out of the way. Regardless, a very bad first impression.
Onto the food, the salad bar was a sad disappointment filled with a limited amount of vegetables and salad. In addition, most of the meat came out to be out medium or sometimes medium rare. There was not a lot of distinction between well done, medium or rare for the meats. The pork I found to be way too salty and dry. So was the turkey wrapped in bacon.
The dishes that were tasty to eat was the top sirloin and the grilled pineapples. Honestly, for $44 I expected much better service and quality of food. I've eaten at Fogo De Chao and other Brazilian-all-you-can-eat places, and Pampas just did not live up to the hype.
Save your money and go somewhere else!
Cue the band, open the bottle of wine and flip the Pampas disc to green!
We came here on a Saturday for my Father's 70th birthday. I recommend sitting downstairs if you have the opportunity. It didn't seem as noisy even with the jazz band playing.
On to the food! Pampas all-you-can-eat rodizio with side bar are worth it as long as you show up with a big appetite. The side bar consisted of a nice variety of salad, vegetables, fruit and cheese. The highlight was having waiters walking around with a plethora of spit-roasted meat. Most of the meats on the menu made their way to our table and a few came back by request. Items that I preferred were the sirloin filet, linguica, bacon wrapped turkey and lamb chops with reduced balsamic. My OMG favorite was the slow roasted pineapple.
Although I absolutely had no room left for dessert, a chocolate torte (with a birthday candle) and a coconut flan arrived at out table. I managed to sample a bite or two of both and was happy to have tried these beautifully plated desserts from a Top Chef contestant.
We went here for my birthday, the food was amazing... especially the all you can eat meats -The Rodizio and the spicy drink Cosmo do Diabo. What can I say about these Spicy kinky drizzle drink, I had two and I got hit hard!
The churrasco - Rodizio all you can eat is worth it! it comes with huge salad bar selection. $44 for all you can eat meats and $9 for the drinks each.
The price is ok being Palo Alto and a South American Churrasqueria, It is ok price, bit bit pricey but the food is AMAZING!
In addition, they had a cool Latin Bossa-Nova live instrumental band playing on Friday on my Birthday!
Great place! Great Service! Good Food and nice Ambiance!
I would have to say the atmosphere/decor is what barely gives this place 3 stars for me. I do love the modern decor, and definitely a great place to hang out at the bar. But the food fell short and I prefer Espetus over Pampas.
The salad/sides bar was pretty good but nothing really jumped out at me. The meat selection wasn't as extensive as Espetus, or maybe it was and they just kept bringing the same stuff to our table over and over. Overall everything was just OK, but then again I'm all about quality and not quantity. If you're all about the all-you-can-eat-meat, then this place is definitely for you!
I'll start by saying that I like the little bar area when you first walk in. It is nice an elegant but not too pretentious. The side dishes were just okay, but you are going for the meat, so no bigee. The meat was delicious and once it started coming around, it just kept on coming. The presentation of the place isn't as fancy as the Brazilian BBQ restaurant I have been to in SF, but that could be looked at as a good thing. Overall great place for the Brazilian BBQ experience. They also make good cocktails at the bar as well.
We came here for a friend's bday and sat downstairs in a plush little room away from the crowds. Love the architecture and decor at this place. it's also next door to the Patagonia store!! :)
Had a caipirinha with the bday boy while we were waiting for our other friends to arrive. Pretty tasty, but a bit too sweet for me.
The side bar is really extensive, although I only got a few things. They came by our table constantly with lots of different meats. I probably tried almost all of them. lol!! The lamb chops were really good, bacon wrapped turkey, filet mignon, tri-tip, etc. Mmm...delicious! Come hungry and mentally prepare yourself for a protein filled pig out. :D
I have to agree with my friend who organized the dinner, that Pampas is a great place for birthdays. She had been here like 5 times already!
I enjoy this place very much! I love their modern decor and set up. I enjoy the bar/lounge seating area --it's designed very efficiently to initiate conversation with those around you.
I've had two drinks here, both caipirinhia's. I had the original/regular caipirinhia and the pineapple caipirinha. Both were extremely good and really strong --you get a total huge kick off the cachaca. That could be a good or bad thing, depending on your preference --I loved it.
We had a company dinner here so we had a fixed menu with a choice for our main course. In short, I had Cheese bread, Ribeye Steak, and Chocolate Torte.
The Cheese Bread is scrumptious! I still dream about the flaky crusted roll with the cheese melted inside.
The Ribeye Steak was divine! It was grilled nicely with the right amount of spices and flavors. The whipped potatoes on the side complimented the steak very well.
The Chocolate Torte, I was not a huge fan of. I did not like the bacon infused taste on the side, but the main dessert it self was fine.
Overall, I would definitely go back here again. Just thinking about this place makes me giddy.
Pampas. What can I say? If you want to get owned with an unlimited supply of food, then please come here.
They have over 15 types of meat that will take your stomach to school and back. The price is reasonable at $44 considering the meat is pretty prime and it is all you can eat. Plus, their salad bar alone is pretty awesome.
Great atmosphere which is good for big parties.
Looovvveeeeddd this place!! I had been hearing about it all summer, and finally made it out here with my boyfriend and his parents for his birthday dinner. I thought the atmosphere was great - I really like the split level set up of the restaurant. It made it feel like we had a TON of space around our table even though the restaurant was packed. The decor is also very clean and modern - there were amazing egg shaped bird nesty-type lights above the upper level.
Food-wise - how could you NOT love this place? There are like 14 different types of meats - all cooked perfectly. I especially loved the skirt steak and the two different types of chicken (I'm a chicken fan), but seriously...everything was GOOD. The sidebar with salad and sides is also great. My fave on that was the mashed potatoes and mushrooms. But you have to be careful here because you don't want to get full on this stuff - save yourself for meat!!! OH, and the free cheese bread rolls and friend banana appetizers...both SO good.
Basically - it was SOOOo good, and it's SOOO worth the $44 per person price. I had eaten at Espetus in SF before, and I thought Pampas was definitely a level above that - both in atmosphere and quality of meat.
I can't wait to return!
Update:
Sad to say that Pampas no longer carries Chimay on tap (only in bottles), but that's not really a problem because their caipirinhas are all you really need (with extra sugar requested). Also, the skirt steak and the tri-tip were the best meats at my most recent visit. This is the first churrasco I've been to where the picanha and filet were not the best meats offered. It was still a great meal, and it's still my favorite Brazilian steak house in the Bay Area. (Although I hear that Espetus now has a big, shiny San Mateo location - in addition to the SF location that I previously tried, so I may have to give them a second chance and try the new branch.)
I now understand some folks' comments about the service. Maybe because it was a crazy Saturday night, but we had to pro-actively order our preferred meats because service was generally slow, but as soon as we spoke up, the staff leaped into action, and we finished our meals very full and satisfied.
The live band playing on the main floor near the bar sent Brazilian music wafting over the entire restaurant and was a nice touch.
1 Previous Review: Show all »
-
1/11/2009
Thank goodness we finally have a high quality churrascaria in the Bay Area! (My apologies to all… Read more »
Yum! I love a good rodizio, so I'm glad this place is worth it!
Pluses:
- The meats are well flavored and tender; the various porks were surprisingly moist! My husband usually skips pork, but actually enjoyed and had seconds on the pork loin.
- The salad bar is fairly complete. You don't have to go for the full buffet, which is nice. The bar has enough food that you would actually get full.
- You can order off a menu or go or the buffet. This makes Pampas a great place for groups, particularly if there are people on your group who aren't big on meat.
- There's live music, at least on Saturday nights.
- The architecture's also pretty cool - this used to be Q, but you wouldn't be able to tell after the remodel. There's a basement level 1/2 a flight of stairs down, and an upstairs 1/2 a flight of stairs up with elevator access up and down.
Minuses:
- The service is somewhat slow and the meats don't come around frequently enough. The waiters are pretty good at asking what cuts you'd like sent to you though.
- The gauchos don't ask your preference when they slice the meat (more or less rare).
- The tables are a little close together, making it crowded when the gauchos come to slice meat at your table.
All in all, I'm definitely returning to this place!
i'm writing this as i'm nursing a hangover from last night at pampas followed by blue chalk.
we had a friend's bday dinner here and arrived early for what we thought was a 6pm reservation. since the bday girl thought ppl would be late (and she was right lol) she had told everyone 6pm but the reservations were actually at 6:30. we sat at the bar while we waited and ordered a long beach or 5 made by patrick.
by the time the table was ready i was already buzzed so i dont know if it was ready by 6:30. we were seated downstairs which was kinda lame cuz alcohol and steps do not go well together. but no worries.. no one fell. *whew* ..
i dont believe we had all 13 different types of meat. i think being downstairs had something to do with this too. shoot.. if i was one of them i'd hate to walk up and down those stairs too. the room was small so it was easy to forget about us.
the pook's favorite was the top sirloin. my favorite was either the skirt steak (which we had to ask for and it was long after everyone had finished) or the spicy chicken. the chicken was super juicy and the spices had a nice kick.
we did not enjoy the filet.. it was well done and very tough.. bla.. the bacon wrapped turkey and the sausage were just okay.. the side bar was disappointing.
i'd come back here for their happy hour but not again for the rodizio dinner. there were 19 of us and ended up paying $66pp and for that much i expected to have better food. dont get me wrong.. it wasnt bad.. it just wasnt amazing.
I. Love. This. Place. The ambiance is very nice, and at least when I've been here (which is quite a few times), the service has always been attentive, and the food is amazing. I've gotten the Rodizio every time. The salad bar is one of the most amazing salad bar I've ever seen, complete with all kinds of grilled veggies, couscous salad, noodle salad, smoked meat and cheese, and warm food such as 3 kinds of potatoes, black bean soup, and many others. Then you come back from the salad bar, and there is fried plaintains and brazilian cheese bread on your table. And that's just the beginning! Then the servers come with all kinds of delicious meat - my favorite is the tri-tip and the lamb shoulders.
It is pricey, but for Palo Alto standards, you get what you pay for. This is definitely the one place I find every excuse and special occasions to visit.
yuuuum!!! Brazilian!!! I love meat and I love all the flavors of Brazilian meat!!
This was a perfect place for me to have my 25th birthday with my closest friends and family!! They accommodated all 20 of us right on time!
They have a nice bar to hang out for awhile while waiting for people.
They have a very extensive salad bar which I totally enjoyed along with all their breads!!!
All the meats I had were great! Just near the end the meat began to start coming out overcooked which was ok since I was getting too full anyways! My favorite was the chicken hearts! =)
They do charge a $2/pp cake cutting fee since my friends brought me a cake! =)
I really enjoyed this place and would definitely come back again!
Very attractive place. Service was just perfect, they really pay arttention and want you to have an enjoyable evening. The meats are INCREDIBLE, but a bit too salty... but thats exactly like they are in Brazil so its 100% authentic. Seasoning is to die for. Salad bar was first rate but a rather limited selection compared to what you'd find in Brazil at a similar place. They bring you a starter appetizer plate with cheese bread puffs, fried bananas and fried polenta, The bananas were PERFECT, crisp and hot, not mushy and greasy, desert before dinner! I am coming back for sure. It is a bit pricey but well worth it for the quality and prodigious amounts and varieties of meat offered. Pampas is a gourmet carnivore's dream come true. Try it, you will not be disappointed.
My company threw a dinner for us here the other night. Un-freaking-believable. We had appetizers and wine to start and it was awesome - empanadas, fried zucchini, bacon-wrapped scallops - they just kept coming and they were ALL delicious. MMMMM!
We sat for dinner, and snacked on cheese biscuits and salad and they were both pleasant. I ordered the filet mignon and dear god, was it yummy. I ate way way more than I should have, but it was so tasty, I just couldn't stop.
Then, dessert was a fantastic chocolate mousse, that was fresh, rich, and not overpowering. I was impressed.
The wait staff was pleasant, attentive, and kept my wine glass filled the entire night (though that may not have been the best choice for me). Further, the decor was adorable. Definitely going to figure out a reason to go back soon.
We were driving towards another nice restaurant when we heard jazz music blasting out of Pampas and knew we had to check this place instead. This place has it all! Good food, music and service. Definitely get the $44 Rodizio that comes with the side bar. The meat and seafood are carved into perfect serving sizes so you don't get too full too fast. This is unlike any other all-you-can-eat option since the quantity doesn't undermine the quality. My favorites: fillet minion, tri-tip, bacon wrapped scallops, spicy mango chicken, roasted pineapple, coconut couscous, and roasted peaches. I'll make any excuse to eat here again.
Just went for the first time and had a delicious and enjoyable experience. Not as big as the churrascarias in Dallas, it's a lot more modern, stylish and has plenty of delicious choices.
We brought three young children, which didn't seem well suited for a place this fancy. But we were treated extremely well, and our kids enjoyed the tender meat and chicken hearts too! (And they don't like meat anywhere else!)
My older brother's bachelor party introduced me to Brazillian Steakhouses originally. That was down in Burbank, CA, and many years ago.
I am still full from that experience.
When I got down to Stanford to work, this go-around, my coworker remembered I had mentioned wanting a good steak.
Him: "Dude, I've got three steakhouses for you."
Me: "You da man."
Him: "--And you'll love this: They're all in one location."
How is that possible, you might ask? And if you don't, well, I did, and thus my storyline advances. The Rodizio. That's how.
We ate little breakfast, and no lunch, to prepare. We further tortured ourselves by spending an hour at Fry's before dinner, shopping for needed electronics equipment to nerd out over in temporary office. The wait in Fry's line next to all the goodies was excrutiating. My coworker finally broke down and bought one of those chocolate oranges. We tried to resist snacking pre-steak, but couldn't. I mean... who can resist a sliver of orange-chocolate deliciousness?
Into Pampas we went, at a table we sat, and two Rodizios we ordered. We headed over to their salad/extras buffet and got a small amount of vegetables and carbohydrates to help fool ourselves that we were having a healthy dinner.
Then we sat back down, turned our 'button' to green, and on came the parade of meat.
Sirloin.
Filet Mignon.
Lamb.
Turkey, wrapped in bacon.
Chicken hearts.
Chicken thighs.
Some other kind of beef.
Sausages.
Another kind of beef.
I mean, no effing kidding my cholesterol is at deadly levels.
The place is classy. Warm colors, candle light, really cool design. The servers are friendly, service is great. This is a great place for a date, for a business dinner, or to just go treat yourself to an extraordinary amount of meat.
And vegans! You'll love this! ... oh wait. No you won't.
When I think of Brazilian food, I think carnage carnage carnage. That really wasn't the case for the lunch menu. Friend and I split the citrus salad and feijoada. The citrus salad is self explanatory and the feijoada is black bean stew with farofa, which is some sort of root vegetable. We found out that it was mixed with meat, so we opted out of that. Well, what we didn't know was that the stew had chopped up pork in it. I guess you can't expect everyone to catch on to the fact that you just requested to opt out of the main meat, which would mean you wouldn't want any other meat. I also couldn't help blurting out to my friend, You tricked me!
Anyway, it's a pretty nice, classy restaurant with a bar at the entrance. For the price and selection, the lunch salad buffet looked good. And I'm pretty sure the plantains and cornmeal apps were complimentary. I'm not sure as a whole group of us were there before I arrived.
5 fucking stars thats whats up.
When you first walk in you are greeted by the hostess and a beautiful bar to the right, fully stacked like a girl with double d's. I ordered the gaucho at the bar, its some mango fu fu drink but its good as fuck. What made the experience better was that these assholes in front of me didn't finish ordering their drinks so they were going back and forth asking their friends what they wanted. Patience paid off and the bartender gave me the drinks on the house. FTW
Onto dinner, which was the bomb diggity no doubt (shout out to Blackstreet and Dr. Dre) What I liked:
-side bar with veggies, cheeses, deli meat, mashed potatoes (one of the two used coconut milk), soup, and a bunch of other sides but DON'T FILL UP ON THIS
-the meat was fuckin tender, juicy and fresh to death from the kitchen. I recommend eating EVERYTHING THAT COMES YOUR WAY. They'll have servers walking around that cut the meat right off the skewer. Notable favorites; the chicken, bacon wrapped turkey, filet oh and the fuckin pineapple.
-I also recommend the breads they have: banana, rosemary and cheese. All are very fucking delicious and piping hot. So good
I wasn't even done with my meal and I already wanted to come back.
Overall, great food, beautiful decor, clean bathrooms, great service. Check it out! Fuck yeah!
Oh Pampas, my first time trying brazilian bbq and you didn't disappoint. This place is a meat lover paradise and definitely a must try if your'e in the neighbor hood. Though expect to dig a little deeper into ur wallet. The price is reasonable for what you're getting. A full blast of meat overdose, together with a salad bar is nice experience.
As expected of buffet restaurants everything is a bit salty, simply so that you have to eat more salad and bread. But over all the meat was cook nicely, and together with the nice atmostphere make for a fun evenning. At the end of the night, raising up the red flag to signal your defeat is oddly satisfying mixed with bit of relief.
Go for the food and the experience, and bring someone who can enjoy eating with you.
3.5 stars
Love people coming around with meat on swords, what a cool idea. Awesome food and a great place for a group dinner. Their main thing is the all you can eat meat and the side bar - which consists of over 30 different items from veggies, to salads, fruit, beans/rice, all sorts of things. They even give you a bottomless basket of goodies, plantains and breads.
I give 3.5 stars because the 3 times we have been, we never got the greatest service - slow and not too friendly. It's also pricey, but well worth it. If they had goof service I would have given 5 stars. We will be back.
I like this restaurant a lot, particularly the setting of the bar and live music in the hall....
The dishes are good and the drinks are very selective...
Sam and I happened to know the son of the family who owns the business. He is humble and professional. We like the way the restaurant is running.
Just went here for my birthday dinner last night. It was great, red meat overload. We're not huge red meat eaters, but that's why this choice of restaurant was a special occasion.
We had a drink at the beautiful bar since we arrived a bit early for our reservation, I had a delicious Belgian Ale ($7) and my wife had a glass of Chardonnay ($10) (they only offered one chard by the glass but it was pretty good, I forget the name).
We took our seats and of course ordered the Rodizio ($44) where they bring around all the meats and you get unlimited salad bar. I don't know why anyone would bother with just the salad bar ($27) at a meat-heaven like this but it is also offered. We went to the salad bar one time just to get some stuff to taste between meats. They bring you cheesebread rolls and fried polenta and fried bananas on a little plate for the center of the table, (check the many yelp pics) and all of these were excellent. One of the things they brought around was spit-roasted pineapple which was great and went incredibly well with the fried bananas. Remember this when you go.
The meats were all great, I tried each and every one. Part of not being a huge red meat person is not liking your meat too rare, so I asked for pieces fairly well done, and they could usually find a part to slice which fit that bill nicely. I loved both the filet mignons, the lamb chops were awesome, and better than the leg of lamb for the record. The tasty tamarind sauce for the tri-tip actually went very well on a lot of the cuts. I know it sounds weird but I gotta say, I loved the non-beef offerings the best. They were the turkey breast wrapped in bacon, homemade linguica, spicy pork loin, spicy chicken and herbed chicken, and the marinated chicken hearts. These were my favorites, but everything was really good, it just depends on your preferences.
We had a Ridge Cabernet/Merlot which was amazingly good and went very well with everything. You can't go wrong with Ridge. Also after dinner my wife had a half-glass of the Chilean Pinot Noir (only one offered in half-glass, I forget the name), it was pretty much a full glass in reality, and it was also good (doesn't compare with Ridge but hey). I also had a glass of the best Port wine they had (I forget the name but it was a Vintage Ruby rather than a Tawny, $15) which of course was great.
We split the Chocolate Torte dessert (see yelp pics) and it was quite tasty and impressive. Also I had a Cappucino which was done right and both looked and tasted great.
Our waiter was witty and helpful, and in fact so were many of the servers.
Pampas sits right next door to one of Palo Alto's free parking garages. Big Bonus.
This is the place to be if you like meat. I ordered the Rodizio (unlimited meat) after a moment of hesitation (due to its price) and had a great, hefty dinner.
At $44, the Rodizio might seem like a pricey option. However, the quality of meat at Pampas is amazing! If you are hungry and know that you can eat a lot, go for the Rodizio and they will continue to bring you a delicious assortment of meat until you tell them you can't eat anymore.
Went there last week and had an awesome time. Favorite meat of the night: Grilled Flank Steak. The outside was cooked perfectly and the inside was tender and medium rare. Just too good. The service is great too - everyone was very welcoming and accommodating.
Salad bar was good too. Their black beans were cooked with chunks of meat and bone in it for added flavor. REALLY good stuff.
I gotta say, I enjoyed the flavor of the meats here more than at Espetus. This is actually going to make me lower my rating for the other place since I'm getting a better taste at whats out there.
This place doesn't look as traditional as the Espetus in SF or San Mateo, but the environment looks very trendy and there was even a lower level for further private dining.
If you're hungry, got some cash, and want an awesome dining exerience - go here.
HOLY F%@K!!!
I must have eaten enuf meat for the entire week. lamb chops and leg of lamb with balsamic reduction is succulent, with good balance of savoriness and sweet and sour from the vinegar. cheaper cuts of meat (like skirt steak and tri-tip) were actually better than the fillet mignon, which was overcooked. by better, i mean that it was the best skirt and tri-tip i've ever eaten. grilled to perfection - succulent, tender, well seasoned.
i originally gave 5 stars, but being a hater, i had to revise my rating. some meat, like the fillet mignon mentioned above, and the pork loin, was a bit dry when i went. also, some stuff, like the turkey, didn't come around until the very end, while other stuff came around like 10 times - i.e., there's somewhat uneven timing in offering the meat. i realize this could be due to our card being turned red at times, but we had that thing green for a long time.
it costs a lot ($44 before tax and tip for food alone), but is well worth it given the quality of meat and ambiance. they even had a good jazz band playing tonight. i mean you would pay at least this much for any other nice restaurant if you ordered an appetizer, entree and dessert. this place is not just about stuffing your face with sub-par food, as many all-you-can-eat places are. although i (and most people) certainly stuff themselves like they're morbidly obese here, you can actually eat a more reasonable portion, and still feel like you got what you paid for, since the meat is so good.
forgot the name, but the india pale ale on draft was also very nice here - hoppy but citrusy too.
Got appetite?
Seriously. This is a place where not only will you need a clean palette and an endless empty stomach, but also willing to spend a couple of hours with a few other serious carnivores. With the exception of one person in our party, we all had the rodizio with the salad bar. All of us could not get enough, especially the grilled chicken wrapped in bacon (to quote Homer Simpson, "Bacon...arrggghhh")
My wonderful friends brought me here for my birthday dinner back in April. Service was great! Ambiance is more than I imagined given that the outside facade leaves you to your imagination. The floor-to-wall wine coolers provided inspiration for my dream kitchen. Great service. Bar drinks were great!
Then, we were offered dessert. "Oh!", we all said in unison under our breath, "there is no way we'll be able to fit anymore..." Their special for that night (which I cannot remember in detail) was a passion fruit mousse paired with a small chocolate bar piece, which we were instructed (by the Executive Chef himself!) to bite into after our 2nd bite into the mousse. Delicious.
A warning, though, that the space can get loud. Definitely not a first or second date option or if you want a nice romantic dinner.
I can't wait to go back.
A restaurant where endless bounds of meat travel to you and are sliced onto your plate for you??? Did I die and go to a heart disease inducing heaven?? Nope, just Pampas in Palo Alto. You walk in and are greeted by a warm loft-like space that's pretty much the epitome of downtown Palo Alto niceness. I guess the space is arranged sort of funny, with a raised seating area in the middle, two rows of tables flanking it, and a lower level that is like a human fish tank due to their being windows surrounding it. But still, it's modern, warm, and sets a good tone for the ridiculous binge eating you'll be doing.
I don't really know what to say about the meats other than that they are all AWESOME. My friend and I tried at least two of everything, including the chicken hearts and found everything to be perfectly cooked and seasoned. All the meats were juicy and tender, if perhaps just a little too salty. But the thirst that I built up from heavy sodium intake was abated by our server's almost frenetic replenishment of our sodas (a huge +++++ in my book). I'd say that if there was a meh thing about the food, it was the grilled pineapple. It wasn't bad or anything, but it's kinda like you have all those delicious meats floating around and then there's a random pineapple dude walking around. I didn't really want any but I figured I'd show the guy some love and take a slice since he probably serves the least amount of food in his walk around. Before we started our meat train, we were served fried polenta, cheese bread, and something else that were delicious as well. I only made two trips to the salad bar to pick up some veggies in a half-hearted attempt to pass my meal off as being somewhat healthy with the inclusion of vegetables. The selection was large and the veggies all looked/tasted good, but don't go here if you have a small stomach.
Obviously the service was spectacular. Our waiter kept our drinks full and our plates were replaced several times throughout. Napkins were folded when we got up and the meat-carrying guys were super friendly. It's nice that they don't judge you for being a fat-a** as you're scarfing down enough meat to form a small animal.
All in all this place is great. Great food, great service, great environment. I'll come back here again when I figure out how to prevent cholesterol from clogging my arteries.
Pampas was my first experience to Brazilian fare. And it was Deeelicious and fun!! It's a little pricy, but if you have a big apetite for all you can eat meat, it's not a bad deal. For $44, you can have a plethora of mouthwatering meats as well as a myriad of Brazilian side dishes such as seasonal vegetables, artisen cheeses and salads. My absolute favorite was the ginger-garlic marinated lamb. I just couldn't get enough of it. The meats are juicy and there is a large variety to suit everyones tastebuds. The skewers of meat just keep coming and coming until your stuffed like a pig. The hard part is NOT eating until your uncomfortably full.
And if you are not a huge fan of meat, there are entree items that can be ordered separately as well. Pampas can cater to any dining needs. If your a vegetarian, stick with the unlimited side bar. Seafood lover, order one of their succulent seafood items. Or if your like me, a carnivore, stick with the unlimited skewers of savory meat.
Pampas is also a great place to take out of town visitors for a fun and delicious evening.
Come hungry! This is basically an upscale "all you can eat" establishment. You can purchase just the side bar, which has everything from salad to veggies to pastas. If you purchase the meat as well, servers bring a rotating selection to your table every few minutes for you to try. Dinner for two, including sangria, was $100+.
Atmosphere:
Dark woods, cool light fixtures, comfy leather seats and benches. Very elegant and hip.
Service:
Superb! Best service I've had in a very long time. Our waitress kept bringing us different sauces for the meat, giving us clean plates, and she even offered to fill up a plate from the side bar for me!
Tip:
Live music! There is a gorgeous bar and lounge area at the front. I'd like to come here just for drinks and dessert one night.
