CLOSED - Copacabana Brazilian Steak House - Eglinton

Update 2021-Aug-22: This location of Copacabana has permanently closed as per Google Maps, Yelp and even thecopa.ca where it is no longer present. The Toronto Adelaide location still exists but is listed as temporarily closed for the lockdown (even though most everything else is open again right now.)

As with Sushi Legend, Copacabana Brazilian Steakhouse was another of my brother's recommendations, in fact it was his treat (belated birthday present.) There are two locations in Toronto; we went to the one at 150 Eglinton Ave. E.; there is another in the core. (There's also another in Woodbridge and Niagara Falls.) This one is a few minute's walk east of the Eglinton subway station so isn't inconvenient.

Copacabana has a darker interior, free Wi-Fi and had live entertainment with a Latin guitar player playing bossa nova and other styles. There are also dancers on some nights, but I am glad I wasn't there on one of them as I didn't want any distractions from the food! There are many booths, but we weren't able to get one because it was too busy.   We were early so I was able to take pictures of the place before the crowds came in.

It was probably for the best as the servers (who are also the meat chefs) had access to both ends of the table. Brazilian steakhouse AYCE servers walk around with large vertical skewers holding the meat selections and large carving knives. Diners' tables have a "Sim"/"Não" ("Yes"/"No") token that can be turned over to indicate whether the diner would like more. The servers carve off thin strips from the skewers and the diner has a pair of tongs used to hold and transfer it to their plate, as much as is desired.

For the less carnivorous among us, there is a full buffet in the back with meatless or cold-meat options. This is what I tried first. Sauteed mushrooms were excellent and Mishy and I both loved the pickled beet salad. Mishy also loved the nachos and salsa though I wasn't able to get any during my time there as they would run out as fast as placed! Caesar salad was crisp and excellent. Even humble mac and cheese was superfluously good. Brazilian vinaigrette was excellent (and seemed very healthy... had to balance out the rest of the courses!) There were at least a dozen types of salad as that I wasn't able to try because, well, I wasn't there for salad!

The first meat entree was flank steak. It was very good, though Mishy didn't like an aftertaste and the sauce could have used more vigor, but I ended up having seconds when another one came around later. Things picked up soon enough as we both loved the chicken parmigiana; so tender and flavourful. Top sirloin was worth the entire visit; perfect in its savour and tenderness. There was also quite a lot of it available so it must be a favourite item there. Bacon wrapped tenderloin were also exceedingly tender, juicy and flavourful.

Chicken drumsticks were also exceedingly good and I loved the spicing. Dry rubbed steak had a wonderful sweetness and was on par with the rest for savour and tenderness. Sausages were just about the best I have ever had... crisp skinned, juicy on the inside and a wonderful smoky flavour. Spicy chicken was not too hot and superb; loved the spicing. And prime rib was surprisingly improved by being cheese-stuffed... delicious.

Filet mignons again exceeded my wildest expectations and like the top sirloin were a delight that it was worth the entire visit for; by far the tenderest melt-in-your mouth morsels of pure delight I've ever experienced. Signature steak was rare and rather chewy but delicious. Garlic sirloin was the only item I didn't care for as it was fatty and there was not much garlic.

One caveat is that Copacabana has no desserts; it just isn't a Brazilian steakhouse thing. As close is it gets is the grilled pineapple that is served just as the meats are during the meal. Well, they certainly make up for it as it's wonderful; the sugars in the pineapple are caramelized and the flavour improves and becomes stronger. It's all the dessert I needed to be sure...

Copacabana's Rodizio AYCE dinner is $38. This seems like a lot as it's just about twice the cost of the least expensive AYCE we've reviewed, but it isn't. Considering the price and quality of the offerings (meats, especially steak, is pricey) and the staff required to cook and serve it, it compares very favourably with other Rodizios, which are often $50 or higher. For comparison, a few days prior we had dined at The Keg Mansion and a 12 oz. steak with a few trimmings was $39. I easily ate more than twice as much here, there were fifteen different varieties, and all of them but one or two were as good or better! Thus, it was actually quite a good value. It was also a wonderful experience and Mishy and I both could not stop thinking about it for days afterwards and plan on returning as a treat in the not-too-distant future.

Rating: 8.5-9/10.