Restaurant Review: Pampa Brazilian Steakhouse

PAMPA BRAZILIAN STEAKHOUSE

9626 Ellerslie Road | pampasteakhouse.com Instagram: @eatpampa

Co-Diners: The E.A.T Crew + The Cox Fam

Pampa Brazilian Steakhouse is a restaurant of legend in Edmonton. The flagship location was originally opened downtown by Oscar Lopez and Joao Dachery in 2011. Their entire concept took the city by storm and everyone sought the Pampa-induced meat sweats! The idea was to bring authentic, traditional Brazilian food to the heart of the Alberta prairies. I honestly can't think of a better fit - traditional Brazilian churrasco paired with Alberta's premium beef. Genius! Since then, Pampa opened two more locations in Edmonton, as well as one each in Calgary and Red Deer. The original downtown location has since closed but the others remain. (There was also a cafe downtown called A Bite of Brazil by Pampa which I loved that has also sadly closed.) Named Favourite Latin American Restaurant 2022 and 2023 in the Edmonton Journal, I myself hadn't paid them a visit in quite some time. Making my way to their Ellerslie Industrial location on a Saturday evening, I could only think of the parade of meats that awaited me. The south restaurant is situated in a huge, almost monolithic building, a veritable palace for all things churrasco - authentic Brazilian BBQ. This style of cooking dates back to the 17th century from Brazil’s southernmost state located in the Pampa region - or the “prairies” of South America. Cattle herders from the area are known as Gaúchos and they historically used open-pit fires to cook meats on large skewers near the open flames. It's pretty easy to see the parallels and the perfect fit with our own celebrated beef culture in Alberta and Oscar Lopez and Joao Dachery knew this. Entering the restaurant, the space is expansive, modern, and there are nods to the Gaúcho way of life through the art and decor. There are multiple dining rooms, an entire wall made up of wine bottles, and there's a main area that contains the salad bar and the impressive rotisserie of spinning meats. It doesn't take long for the tantalizing aromas to seduce your senses. Gauchos (dressed appropriately) circulate the dining room carrying large, sword-like skewers of fire-roasted meat, ready to carve them tableside directly onto your plate. Seated at a circular table in the main dining area (salad bar adjacent), the anticipation was real! But first, a cocktail - and there is no better choice then a caipirinha - Brazil's national cocktail. Pampa offers seven different flavours and I chose the Cashew and Lime Caipirinha ($13.00).

Fresh fruits muddled with simple syrup and cachaça. Refreshing and vibrant!

This cocktail reminds me a little bit of a margarita but a lot more fruit-forward. I was really interested in the cashew aspect of the beverage and it truly did add a subtle and delicious nuttiness to the drink. The lime component felt incredibly classic, giving this drink a great balance of tart and sweet flavours. Very enjoyable and felt like a perfect refreshing match for the food. Pampa specializes in the concept of Rodízio which means "rotation" in Portuguese. This refers to the variety of meats that will be brought to your table and carved table-side endlessly. Each table is given a double-sided red and green coin which allows you to control the Rodízio service. (I could have sworn that in the past each guest was given their own coin, now it's just one for the table.) The green side means "GO!" and that you would like meat service. The red side means "stop" and that you are on a break or are finished. At dinnertime you can expect to see 14 different cuts of meat circulating the room. Also included in the experience is the unlimited self-service hot and cold salad bar. Dinner for 12 Years and Older costs $68.95. We turned our token to the green side and never looked back! The first order of business is naturally the salad bar. There is a huge selection of housemade salads, dressings, picklings, breads, and cheese. There are several hot dishes, including traditional Brazilian Feijoada (which I somehow missed and will have to try next time!). However, my tip is that you shouldn't overdo it with the salad bar because you're really there for the meats. Pacing yourself is the name of the game at Pampa, especially if you're aiming to try a little bit of everything. I made small piles of Salada de Churrasco (a beef penne salad), Pineapple Corn Salad, and Beterraba Assada (oven roasted beets) in an attempt to not get too crazy.

Each salad was very fresh and I loved the smokiness and robust flavour that was front and center in the churrasco salad. This salad felt unique and like a good match to the overall experience. Certainly not a typical pasta salad! The pineapple corn salad was creamy and refreshing, almost like a palate cleanser, which was nice. One salad bar item that I don't recommend holding back on are the Pão de Queijo, a Brazilian cheese bread. They're my absolute favourite and no one makes them better than Pampa does!

This small baked roll is crispy on the outside and warm and chewy on the inside. They are a complete delight and you shouldn't feel bad about eating ten of them!! And then... The meats. Brazilian-style BBQ is a way of grilling that uses skewers in a charcoal rotisserie. The beef is only seasoned with sea salt and other types of meat are marinated before grilling. Our server was friendly but also a little new to her job so I think that we lost a bit of the showmanship that typically comes along with a more seasoned server. We were asked if a medium-rare cook on the meat was acceptable and we all agreed. As the gauchos began to circulate our way, I was sure to say "yes" to everything because I wanted to be able to try all of the meats at least once. We noticed that most of the items that found their way to us at first were the chicken and pork offerings and we didn't see a whole lot of beef. I had to request that more of the beef come to our table and even then it seemed to take a long time. When we did start to receive some of the beef swords the gaucho would often say that it was too rare and would take it away, never to be seen again. Somehow, it felt like our table (which was right in the main room) was in some kind of a dead-zone. The tables right next to us seemed to get a lot more service than ours did and often when the gauchos did arrive their skewer would be almost empty, as if we were the last stop. It was annoying to feel somewhat overlooked. At one point our server asked if there was any meat that hadn't come to our table yet and I gave her a whole list. Later on she asked if there was anything that we wanted more of and again I listed several of the beef cuts and I don't think that they ever arrived. Even though our coin was turned to green (and we never turned it to red) it did feel like the restaurant decided when we were finished and the gauchos just stopped coming.

Here are the cuts of meat that we got to enjoy! Pampa Beef Picanha ~ Our signature cut. Picanha is the premier cut of Brazilian BBQ. This one actually did come by a few times. I loved the perfectly caramelized outside crust but I found the slices so thin that I only really got tough "crust" and not much juicy meat. Petite Tender Com Alho (Petite Tender Beef Garlic Steak) ~ Extremely tender cut rubbed with fresh minced garlic. One of my favourites by far!! This meat was incredibly melt-in-your-mouth tender and I loved the delicious garlic rub that added so much incredible flavour. One of the best! Alcatra (Beef Top Sirloin) ~ Our most incredible cut by size. Well-marbled and tender. This one maybe came to the table once. It was not especially memorable. Fraldinha (Beef Bottom Sirloin) ~ Flavourful and tender, and slathered with mustard, this juicy bottom sirloin is expertly grilled for rich, savoury taste. My favourite cut!!! My ideal texture, this cut is so tender, rich, juicy, and boasts a deliciously salty crust. They never used to cover this one with mustard - that's new. I didn't mind the heat from the mustard but I also don't think that it's necessary - the cut is so good that it doesn't need anything else. I was pretty sad that this cut only came to our table once even though I asked for it several times. Maminha (Beef Tri-Tip) ~ Juicy and tender grilled tri-tip, perfectly seasoned for a savoury taste. I believe that this one also only came to the table once. I enjoyed the perfect cook on this one. Sobrecoxa Com Bacon (Bacon-Wrapped Chicken Thighs) ~ Salt and black pepper to compliment the bacon flavour. Moist. Very flavourful and juicy. The chicken was indeed moist and the bacon kicked each bite up a notch. This one came to the table multiple times and we had to start saying "no" to it. Coxa De Frango (Marinated Chicken Drumsticks) ~ Marinated overnight, secret recipe tenderizes and infuses chicken with great taste. Very delicious and tender!! One of the most tasty chicken legs. Again, this one came by a lot (instead of more beef). Cordeiro (Marinated Lamb Sirloin) ~ New Zealand lamb marinated with a selection of spices to enhance its flavour. One of my very favourites! The tender and well-cooked lamb was full of beautiful flavour and the meat was highlighted so well. Seasoned to perfection. I was sad that this one only came to the table once. Presunto Com Maple (Maple Pork Ham) ~ Juicy roasted ham with a sweet maple glaze, offering a perfect balance of savoury and sweet. Very, very flavourful. Some of the best ham, super juicy, and very infused with a smoky maple flavour. Linguiça (Spicy Chorizo Pork Sausage) ~ Savoury sausage with a touch of garlic and hint of spice. Incredibly delicious sausage that was bursting with juiciness. I loved the developed flavour and authentically snappy casing. Again sad that this only came to the table once. Lombinho (Parmesan-Crusted Pork Loin) ~ A guest favourite. Slow-roasted loin sprinkled with Parmesan, grilled golden brown. The meat was tender and I liked the Parmesan coating but it wasn't one of the best things. This one showed up at the table multiple times and we had to start turning it away. Filezinho Com Bacon (Bacon-Wrapped Pork Tenderloin) ~ Delicious tenderloin flavour with a hug of a bacon strip. This one was fine and tasted nice with the addition of bacon but not on the top of my list. This cut came to the table a lot and we had to refuse it. Abacaxi (Caramelized Pineapple) ~ Sprinkled with a blend of sugar and cinnamon. Whole pineapple is grilled over an open flame. Incredible!! So glad that this came by twice! It's sort of like a fun grilled dessert! So very juicy despite being grilled and deliciously seasoned. Such a pleasure! Then there was this one, which never showed up at our table at all: Copa Lombo (Pork Collar Butt) ~ Juicy, tender center-cut boneless pork butt; slow-cooked on our rotisserie with brown sugar and spices.

Overall, the meat was excellent and you could really taste the quality of the product and the care that goes into preparing and cooking everything to perfection. There wasn't a single item that I didn't like and the way that the rotisserie infuses a beautiful flame-grilled flavour is second to none. There is no disputing it! I just wish that we had gotten more of a chance to enjoy the more premium cuts of meat a bit more frequently and had been made to feel like our table was of higher priority. You cannot end your meal without the Pampa-famous 4-foot Licor 43 ($8.00 for 1oz) pour! It's a must and I highly suggest that you try it!

This digestivo is the ideal way to end a big and heavy meal. But it's more than that because it's a bit of a show! The server will come to the table with a small stool so that they can get up extra high, then they will pour the ice-and-citrus-encased bottle from four feet up with precision aim! (Although our server said that she was still very new to doing it, she seemed to do an adequate job.) The syrupy golden liquid is then sipped - a delight. Licor 43 is a Spanish liqueur made from a secret blend of 43 natural ingredients (hence the name), including citrus, botanicals, and vanilla. Its sweet and complex flavour profile features notes of orange blossom, coriander, and mature fruit. A must! I feel a bit mixed about my visit to Pampa. The quality of the food is undeniably good and it's certainly one of the best steakhouses in terms of trying the incredible beef that our province has to offer. On the other hand, I wasn't entirely satisfied with the level of service. I understand that it's a restaurant with a lot of moving parts and a lot going on but at this price point the customer experience should be paramount. This can sometimes be an issue when a restaurant has been around for many years and some of the original attention to detail quietly falls away. Pampa can easily return to its previous glory with only some small improvements. All in all, the meat sweats are still as epic as they always were! Obrigado!