Tucanos Brazilian Grill

This style of service is different from the American norm. You go to the well stocked salad bar to get the side dishes, and waiters come around with various cuts of meat on a skewer, which they carve off for you at the side of the table. Your table w ... more

This style of service is different from the American norm. You go to the well stocked salad bar to get the side dishes, and waiters come around with various cuts of meat on a skewer, which they carve off for you at the side of the table. Your table will have a server who takes care of your drinks. Ideally he or she will tell you how the service works, but if you come during peak hours your server may not pass on that information, or it may be too noisy for you to be able to hear. Brazil is world famous for its beef, so I was hoping for a lot of exotic beef dishes. In this I was disappointed. There were a few beef items but not many. There were a lot of medium-grade cuts of pork and turkey. I loved the roast pineapple. In terms of variety it's possible to have a bite of everything and sample eight to twelve different dishes. It's also very easy to overeat at a restaurant like this. In terms of ambience, Tucanos is very noisy due to the high ceiling, the tile floors, and the open floor plan. This is a great place for an office party or an adult birthday party, but not the right place to bring a date, and it's family-friendly but not suitable for children under age 7 or 8. The noise level tends to wind the smallest children up and make them hyperactive and hard to control. In terms of price, Tucanos is an all-you-can-eat restaurant, so you can eat as much as you like. The servers keep coming by one after another with different roasted options. If you stay about twenty to thirty minutes, you should be able to try everything. This is not a place to go if you want to be able to dine quickly or enjoy a conversation with the people at your table. less

I was visiting from Clovis, NM and the receptionist at the hotel told me to try Tucano's. I was totally statisfied with the service & the food was fantastic. I really didn't know what was going on at first. I watched these guys wallk a ... more

I was visiting from Clovis, NM and the receptionist at the hotel told me to try Tucano's. I was totally statisfied with the service & the food was fantastic. I really didn't know what was going on at first. I watched these guys wallk around serving up different type of meat for about ten minutes or so until I realized I should be getting my sides and condiments. I tell everyone heading to Alberqerque to stop in and experience this entertaining and delightfully compelling food. You Can't Go Wrong! less

After experiencing the churrascaria (Brazilian BBQ) experience in Rio de Janeiro and Washington DC, I was eager to give Tucano's a try. One thing should be noted though, many churrascaria's in the United States are chain restaurants that a ... more

After experiencing the churrascaria (Brazilian BBQ) experience in Rio de Janeiro and Washington DC, I was eager to give Tucano's a try. One thing should be noted though, many churrascaria's in the United States are chain restaurants that are very popular and successful in Brazil (ie: Fogo de Chão in DC was one started in Sao Paulo). Tucano's is an American born restaurant and it is very evident. First, meat selection was poor. There were very few cuts of meat offered when compared to many churrascarias. During my dining experience, the beef cuts were few and far between as they hardly ever came around. The servers did, however, come by often with cheaper meats such as chicken and pork. When paying for an expensive dinner like at a churrascaria, you want to eat the good stuff, which I was disappointed that I got very little of. The meats were also of poorer quality from taste and visual inspection. The finest cut of beef and the pride of a churrascaria, the picanha, was often dry and overcooked and not tender as it was supposed to be. Second, service was awful. Meat came by very very rarely. The wait in between for cuts was much much longer than normal. It is a norm that you should always have a cut of meat on your plate at all times, and at Tucano's, you'd have to wait quite a bit for your food (sometimes up to 5-10 minutes for the next cut to come around). The restaurant is small, so the servers should not have any problems making their rounds to all the tables. Third, Tucano's is a very watered down Brazilian experience. The farofa (which is a seasoning of sorts that is eaten with the meat) wasn't even offered on the table. Instead you'd have to go to the salad bar to get cold, bad farofa that has probably been sitting at the bar all day. The caipirinha (official cocktail of Brazil) was watered down. Little things such as how the lime is cut to prepare the succulent and potent Brazilian cocktail were done incorrectly. The pão de quiejo (cheese bread balls) were extrememly hard (like rocks) and I would guess that they are reheated and re-served from previous dinners. I wouldn't even want to guess how their feijoada (official dish of Brazil) tastes. In essence, I was very, VERY disappointed in Tucano's. I would recommend to NOT go to Tucano's unless you want a bad, unauthentic Brazilian experience with bad service. Since it is the only churrascaria in Albuquerque, you'd probably have to settle for it, but I would wait to travel to some other big American city (most coastal cities have them) to experience the real thing (ie: one that started in Brazil). A real churrascaria is worth the wait. less

I ate here at a table alone and it was bar none the worst service I have ever received from a server. The food was wonderful and the server... WHEN I saw him was nice, but I have never experienced such terrible service in my life. I think it was ... more

I ate here at a table alone and it was bar none the worst service I have ever received from a server. The food was wonderful and the server... WHEN I saw him was nice, but I have never experienced such terrible service in my life. I think it was because I was alone on business at a table he thought he wasn't going get a good tip at a table of 1. I had an app, an entree, dessert and coffee. What a mistake being it took over 10 minutes for him to take my drink order but I was very hungry hence all the courses. Oh well it sounds like other people had a better experience and that's great. less

Brilliant! I'm from Washington State and it's always been wonderful the three times I've been. I'm taking my kids this trip and I know they'll love it also. This is the first place my husband wants to stop when we get to Abq ... more

Brilliant! I'm from Washington State and it's always been wonderful the three times I've been. I'm taking my kids this trip and I know they'll love it also. This is the first place my husband wants to stop when we get to Abq. He can't stop raving about it. The roasted meats are delicious, the salad bar is terrific, the atmosphere is great! Overall a fantastic deal for the price. less