Texas de Brazil is one of the many newly opened restaurants in Mall of the Emirates’ recently added wing.

Although it’s located in an area with numerous other restaurants, Texas De Brazil just always seems to be so much more in demand. Practically every time I pass by it, there’s a line of people standing just to put their name on the waiting list. Of course, I had to go see what the craze was all about!

We were lucky to be able to make a reservation and got a table as soon as we walked in, despite the fact that the place was packed. We were seated in an L-shaped booth, towards the inside of the restaurant, and near to the buffet station.

Our waiter explained the concept, and since this is our first time going to a churrascaria-style restaurant, we were excited to try it. The way it works is that there is a large appetizer buffet of over 60 items that you can choose from. Once your done with appetizers, you head over to the soup station to to sample some of them, and then you stay seated for the rest of the dining experience, while the buffet of meats comes directly to your table. On the table, there is a token card that has a green-colored side, and a red-colored side. If you place the green side facing up, the waiters carrying large metal rods of all different kinds of meat (fresh off of the grill) come to your table to serve you. You have to make sure to flip the card over to the red side when you feel that your plate is getting full, so that they won’t keep loading it up!

After ordering our drinks, we headed over to the beautifully laid out appetizer spread and there were so much of a variety to choose from.

Included were all different kinds of salads, cheese, smoked salmon, a selection of olives and other vegetable condiments, shrimp ceviche, grilled peppers, pineapple carpaccio, as well as very healthy side dishes like green beans and asparagus.

Even if your not big on meat, you can easily fill up on the appetizers. However, if you are a carnivore, then try to ease up on the appetizers and save loads of room for the main attraction, the meat. With all of these delicious starters, I almost forgot about the mains!

Our drinks were soon presented to us; we ordered the Mirtilo Mojito and the Passion Fruit Mojito. The Mirtilo was a blueberry virgin mojito, with loads of fresh berries in it. The Passion Fruit Mojito was delicious and had a bit of a tang from the passionfruit and lime.

After sampling bits of the cold appetizers, I tried their famous Lobster Bisque, and it was definitely worth all the praise it got! It’s so creamy and scrumptious I would literally come here just for this.

Once we finished up the appetizers and soups, we were really to flip our red token over to the green side. Within minutes, a waiter was at our table with a large rod of filet mignon. He sliced it and it was placed on our plate. Soon, a stream of different waiters came to our table carrying all sorts of meat, ranging from flank steak, bacon-wrapped chicken, parmesan-crusted chicken, top sirloin, ribs, lamb chops and picanya.

What I loved is that some of the meats were well-done, while some were medium-rare. They really cater to the different tastes that their guests may have. I admit, I should have flipped my card over more often to the red side, because half way through, I was stuffed. Luckily, there are a few palate cleansers, and you can always take breaks.

After all of that delicious meat, we needed a light and sweet dessert. When we asked for a dessert menu, our waiter brought out a tray of the different desserts that were available. You can choose from cheesecakes, cakes, pies and ice creams. Since we wanted something light and creamy, we went for the Creme Brûlée.

It was brought to our table quite quickly and it was made in perfect form. The crust of the brûlée had the perfect crackling sound to it; the cream inside was smooth and had little specks of vanilla bean. It was just the right kind of end to a great churrascaria experience!

The endless buffet at Texas De Brazil is 165 Dhs per person. You can choose to enjoy the starter buffet (without meats) at 95 Dhs. If you are going the restaurant between Sunday through Wednesday, you can make a reservation ahead of time. If your going Thursday through Saturday, there might be a bit of a wait, so I would suggest heading there first, put your name on the list and then do some shopping/browsing until your table is ready.

Ratings (0-5): 

• Staff/Service: 5
• Ambience: 5
• Food: 4.5
• Presentation: 5
• Cleanliness: 5
• Value for money: 4.5

Overall Rating: 4.83

Worth Trying?: I would come here again and again.. and again. And I would come here starving! Oh and it’s also very family friendly since kids under 5 eat for free!

For more information, call Texas De Brazil at +971 (0) 4 453 5478.