Rodizio Preto: Croydon, London

Rodizio Preto

Date of Visit: 20^th July 2013

Ambience

I have been to a Brazilian Rodizio before and from experience, most places are the same in that they keep to simple décor and provide no atmosphere for intimate dining or special occasions.  This however is in the nature of the way such restaurants work – i.e. you will get disturbed by servers every few minutes when they offer more food to you on skewers.

We visited early on a Saturday evening and whilst it was quiet when we arrived, it got busy pretty quickly.

Food

The buffet food in the middle of the restaurant was very limited – I had no intention on filling my plate with loads of carb or hot food which had been sitting there for a while but what I did intend to do was to fill my plate with salad to accompany all the meat that was on offer but the only leaves that were available was rocket which I think is an acquired taste.  I don’t mind rocket personally but it wouldn’t be my choice if other leaves were on offer and other parties in my group disliked Rocket. 

In terms of the fresh meat that was on offer, there was quite a lot of variety (moreso than previous Rodizio experiences) but the only thing missing on the night were chicken wings.  We tried various cuts of meat: gammon, top side steak, peppered beef, chicken thighs, pork sausages, ribs, lamb etc. Some meats were a bit too salty, especially with no greens to accompany them but the various cuts of beef were good, as well as the garlic bread. 

Service

Whilst the service for the drinks were quick, I found the waiters/waitresses to be a bit clueless and lacked attention to detail.  On more than one occasion, they gave drinks to the wrong table and they did not omit ice in drinks when asked.  The servers of the hot meat were efficient but not attentive enough since they would choose to serve food between two people as opposed to the end of the table where a large gap existed.  We had to sit closer together to close small gaps in the hope that they would get the hint and they did eventually.

Summary

Overall, the meal was ok.  The food wasn’t bad but they need to expand on the buffet/salad options and the service could do with improving.  We actually got a deal whereby the buffet was £11 which was reasonably good value but I would not pay £22 for the same experience.  With that said, I would be unlikely to return but it could be a good place for meat lovers!