Alma Gaucha
Phantom Gourmet is all about food and fun, and in those two categories, it’s tough to beat a Brazilian-style Rodizio restaurant. Rodizio refers to two kinds of rotation: the meat spinning around on the grill, and the Gaúcho waiters moving around the restaurant like a beautiful Brazilian ballet, offering you all those delicious meats.
We’re at Alma Gaucha in Worcester. Nelson DeOliveira is from Brazil. He owns Alma Gaucha in the Seaport and has now brought his steak skills down the Pike to Main Street in Worcester. He explains, “This is a family style restaurant, but everyone can get unique experience at the table, we have be able to choose from the menu or the buffet.” He adds, “You can come here, enjoy me with a family as well, and have a good time. Have a great, great meal and a great customer service.”
Nelson also explains the Rodizio experience: “Rodizio is all you can eat. You come over there, you can eat all you can eat from the buffet, the salad bar and the meat gonna come to the table. View, all the cuts gonna come the table. Can eat as much as you want… You can try all different cuts.” He continues, “I select some the buffet. I want to choose some items. I want to choose from buffet, and I leave some room for the meat, because the meat is going to come to the table, and that's my favorite part.”
There are about 70 items on the salad bar, but you still have to show some discipline with all the meat coming. A Caesar salad is a great way to start before the steak, and Nelson recommends the Brazilian vinaigrette. You also can’t miss the heart of palm, which is flown in from Brazil. There’s candied bacon, and black beans with white rice are a classic move if you want to look like you know what you’re doing.
But the real focus is the meats. When you’re ready, you hold up the green button, and the carving begins. The star of the show is the picanha, a very famous Brazilian cut. It’s beautifully fatty on the outside, more like sirloin on the inside, giving you the best of both beef worlds. Depending on the cut, you can get it more rare from the inside or more well done from the outside.
Not all the meat is cooked on the rotisserie. Some is grilled, including the rib eye, which is rich, tender, and full of flavor, served on a traditional Brazilian wooden plate presentation. Another standout is the tomahawk steak, a massive ribeye served on the bone with even more flavor from the marrow and fat. There’s also filet mignon, which is often paired with chimichurri sauce—garlic-heavy, onion-rich, and designed to enhance the lean cut.
It’s not all red meat. There’s also chicken cooked on the rotisserie, basted in its own juices for maximum flavor and tenderness. Lamb chops are another favorite, often brought in from New Zealand, served tender and flavorful with the bone in.
The restaurant itself is a large, beautifully designed space with dim lighting and southern Brazilian art. There’s a bar near the entrance, a counter overlooking the rotisserie and grill, and the whole setup feels like dinner theater, complete with heat and the smell of garlic. Some nights there’s a live piano player, and Brazilian-style cocktails are prepared tableside, adding to the experience.
About one-third of the meats are steak, but many guests go for the all-you-can-eat buffet alongside the variety of cuts and sides. As one description puts it, “They experience the taste of Brazil with a real Brazil steak house.” Another says, “Venha ao Alma Gaucha em Worcester. come to try Alma Gaucha in Worcester.” And after it’s all said and done, the only thing left to say is, “I got the meat sweats.”
