Pampa Brazilian Steakhouse

This has to be one of the worst restaurants in the city of Calgary. Everything about this establishment is mediocre at best, and it’s not hard to tell that it starts from the top down. Management/​ownership is clueless and from what I can gather and have heard, they treat their staff extremely poorly. It’s evident that this business is starting to fail as of late, and it’s not hard to see why.
I would not recommend that anyone visit this restaurant and I would not want to eat here if it was the last restaurant in Calgary.

Set your discs to SIM, POR FAVOR! (Translation: YES, PLEASE!)
The green side of your double-​sided disc signals the Rotisserie Technician Extraordinaire (I made that up just now. Edit: I learned they’re actually called Gauchos) to serve you a rotating range of succulent, well-​seasoned meats tableside. My personal favorites are the garlic rump steak and bacon wrapped chicken thighs. (who can resist bacon wrapped ANYTHING??!)
The salad bar is well equipped for any omnivore. MVPs are the beef carpaccio and the thinly sliced pineapple and ham. Honorable mentions include pickled watermelon peels, pickled radishes and housemade salads. I highly recommend you jazz up the simple greens with specialty olive oils and vinegars from Edmonton’s Evoolution. I’m in love with the pear and cranberry white balsamic!
The price is on par with other Brazilian BBQ spots at $ 45/​p for dinner & $ 25/​p for lunch. Both options offer the salad bar but lunch serves only 6 meats. The service is always top notch. The only thing stopping me from giving five stars is they charge $ 2/​person for water.
Alas, all good things must come to an end when the disc is inevitably flipped to red. Look on the bright side, you’ll always remember the meat sweats.

Good food but the variety is not that much compared to other Brazilian places I have been. A bit expensive for what you get.

Visited the place during their 2 – 1 promo which sounded like a good deal. We were a group of 6 and had made resos. They seated us at the far end of the restaurant right by the wall in a corner. The table looked small for 6 people, looked more like it was for 4. The tables around us were so close to us that we had a hard time moving back and forth to the salad bar, it was like a maze walking around all the chairs and tables around us.
Service was weird. We walked in to the restaurant and the guy at the desk was occupied, which I understand, but he just ignored us for a solid few minutes until he finished. Uh, a hello would have been nice to know that we aren’t invisible.
We sat at our table and they came by to ask if it was our first time, which it was. We were all hungry so we had our little paper things to indicate that we wanted meat but no one came by our table for a good 15 minutes until I got impatient and asked to be served. Once I complained, they basically sent everyone our way. I don’t know if we were being ignored because they thought we were not ready yet or if because we were tucked away in a corner, but the servers with the meat blatantly walked past our table numerous times until I got up to complain. Was not ideal. If you have a big group, I would specifically request not to be seated in the far corner against the wall, cramped between the other two big tables.
The salad bar was nothing special. I tried most of the dishes and my favourites were the garlic rice and the beet salad. Was hoping to see more flavourful dishes as sides, but I guess a salad bar is a salad bar and you can’t expect much.
It would be nice if they had all the meats they served on a list somewhere on the table. I had no idea what they had and were serving, and wasn’t sure what I wanted to try because I could only compare once the meats were out. I just tried one of everything.
The meats seemed a little too tough — not sure if it was the quality of the meat or if they were over cooked. Some meats were way too salty and some just didn’t have much flavour to it. My favourite was the chicken with the bacon which I had multiple servings of.
Overall, it was a lot of food for a really good deal but I’m not sure how the place is going to stick around on regular price. I have visited Bolero and Gaucho before and remember Bolero being good but I got too cheap to fork out 50 $ for it and Gaucho which I thought had great sides and really flavourful meats, but how often can one go for an all you can eat Brazilian BBQ. I’d have to try other places again to compare to more recent experiences, but I can’t imagine going back to visit Pampa any time soon unless they have some kind of amazing promotion again.

Visited twice in October for their two for one special.
The service staff was great. We didn’t have to wait long for our table. You’ll like what they’ve done with the space they have.
Meat service was prompt and you never had to wait long before someone was at your side, ready to give you delicious cuts.
Salad bar was pretty deece but not the best.
It would be nice if you were given the option between regular tapwater and their distilled $ 2/​person water.
If you’re dt and looking to eat great food until you hate yourself, eat here.

Good stuff but can get really expensive. They keep bringing you the meat rapid fire. Room looks pretty nice though

I took my out-​of-​town sister for dinner to Pampa on the weekend. The salad bar was good but the meat came too fast too often even with our red «stop» card out. A few cuts were good, others not well seasoned and a bit tough as I’ve tasted at other Brazilian BBQs.
But what really did NOT impress us was $ 2 each for a glass of tap water! I know this is Calgary, the land of oil & gas stupidity, but we’re not morons. If I’m paying for water I want to know I’m paying for it and I want it in a bottle!

We came here for the 2-​for-​1 promo (which has now been extended until Nov 14^th). I’m not really a big fan of Brazilian BBQS as I can never stomach that much meat but this was too good a promotion to pass up. Instead of having to pay the full dinner fare of $ 44.95/person, we paid $ 30/​person ($ 2 for water, along with gst + gratuity).
Pampa is a large restaurant with ample of space that gives off a comfortable vibe with its white interior. The salad bar was very extensive and of good quality. To name a few items, the salad bar included beets, cold pasta bar, broccolini, asparagus, cheese plate, beef carpaccio, quinoa salad, mash potatoes. etc. Its variety surpassed Bolero’s salad bar imo. The only item I would suggest Pampa adding would be a fruit section, which would have been a great way to end off the end of a 2 hour long meat consumption.
The meat was of good quality and served at a good temperature. The rodizio servers were quick to approach our tables, maybe even a bit too quick. Before I knew it, my plate was stacked with a variety of meat cuts and I was eating it without really knowing what I was putting into my mouth. My favourite was the bottom sirloin and the chicken drumstick. The only thing missing from Pampa was grilled pineapple!

I went to Pampa in Edmonton last year and loved it! I am so happy they are in Calgary now too! I had my birthday dinner here and it was just as amazing as my first time! I love the salad bar, great selections, LOVE the roasted garlic and the olive oils & vinegars. The garlic steak is one of my favourites. I also tried the Brazilian Lemonade which was good too but next time I will probably try the Caipirinhas. I desperately wanted to leave room for dessert but I couldn’t turn down more steak! I highly recommend this place!

A few of us came to take advantage of their 2 for 1 dinner rodizio (until the end of October). I’ve only been to Gaucho and Minas and all of these places offer a similar selection of meat. Despite of the other reviews on the doneness of the meat, all of the items we sampled that night was cooked according to our liking and I was happy and surprised to see chicken hearts (not on the web menu)! The side/​salad bar was decent but I was disappointed that they took away the cheese wheel. I also noticed the price has gone down from $ 54.95÷59.95 to the current price of $ 44.95 which is a lot more reasonable imo. However, they need to really rethink their pricing for children — my friend and I didn’t bring our sons because there’s noway our 3 and 4 year olds can eat $ 19.95 worth of meat ($ 19.95 for 3 – 5; $ 29.95 for 6 – 11). Minas only start charging $ 1.25 per year for 4 and over! Service was pretty good — we were checked on a couple of times by a manager to ensure everything was going well. Overall I’m glad we took advantage of their special offer and gave them a try.

Probably gives Brazilian steak a bad name and should apologies. Went there for the 2for1 Rodizio sounds like a decent thing to do. Took about 40 Min to be seated with reservations, once seated we were asked still or sparkling — thinking there would be a charge for sparkles we ordered Still wooops 2 bucks a head for water, what is this Brazil!
The meat when sliced looked nice and juicy, only to be disappointed with tough finger spraining work especially since they don’t use quality steak knives :(
The taste is like eating a burnt salt cube Yummm. However, i still managed to eat probably 2 Lbs and drink about 10 L of water so maybe 2 $ for water isnt to bad: O
The salad bar is decent nothing to crazy
The Good: My wife loved the cheese bread i think she ate more of that then meat lolz
Service once seated and forgetful about mentioning a water charge, which we forgave due to the great service we did receive.
All you can eat Meat Salt
The best work out you can get — like sawing a rock with a spoon
Conclusion:
If your in for a expensive fix of meat hit one of the many awesome steak houses our fine city has — heck there is at least three two in a 4 block radius and skip this disappointment.

Took advantage of pampa’s current 2 for 1 deal. I really enjoyed the décor and service. Staff were wonderful. A lot of the meats served were overcooked. The buffet was decent with fresh choices. I would like to give it a better rating but the rodizio let this place down.

The restaurant has a really nice open concept and I like watching them grill the meat. The salad bar was really big with lots of options, especially pickled food. I enjoyed the pickled watermelon rind and I want to try to make some next summer. There were lots of sauces to choose from at the salad bar but I didn’t manage to get any until almost half way through my meal because the meat kept coming and coming and I couldn’t resist. The meat was hit and miss, some pieces of the signature rump roast were really delicious and perfectly cooked while other pieces and other cuts of meat were over cooked, tough and really salty. One of the chefs that served the meat was amazing he would stop by every table every single trip. However, after it got busier and more meat servers started serving meat the service wasn’t as good. Even though our sign was green they never stopped by and we couldn’t get a hold of our waitress because she was busy serving lot of other tables. That being said it’s a really good deal to go before the end of October because they have a 2 for the price of 1 dinner special. When it’s original price I would rather go to Bolero because they have more cuts of meat and they have grilled pineapple.

Heard of this place through Facebook and saw that they had a 2 for 1 rodizio deal for September and October so I was quite intrigued by it. Took my boyfriend here for dinner and I got us reservation beforehand. We came 10 minutes prior to reservation however it took us 30 – 45 minutes to be seated which was quite a disappointment.
Once we got seated and took a look through the drink menu, it kind of shocked me that water was $ 2/​person. The salad bar was alright, most of the food was gone and it took a while for the food to be brought out. Most of the meats brought out were dry, we didn’t even get through all of the types of meat. They brought the same ones out about 2 – 3 times. I personally have been to better rodizio restaurants, maybe this one wasn’t meant to be.

Way to Pricey
Went for our Wedding Anniversary on July ¹⁄₁₅ and was completely disappointed, expected to pay more than normal and that was not a problem. BUT expected a better experience for the price ($ 200 plus for 2 people). ALL the meats tasted the same and TOO MUCH SALT, nothing had a distinctive taste, meat was fatty and grissly. Salad Bar was «eye candy» only and really nothing had any flavour, was hard to make a salad with what they offered, deserts were also «eye candy» and way over priced. Service was good but slow, only one waitress, gaucho’s were fast and efficient. Can’t recommend to anyone, what a waste of a Special Day and BIG DOLLARS. There are much better Brazilian Steakhouses in the city.
Definitely will not return.

We’ve been to other rodizio restaurants, but Pampa’s level of service is something to write home about. For our first outing, we tried the Mother’s Day special, a 5-​meat subset of the normal 11-​meat selection. My fave was the bacon-​wrapped chicken and the grilled pork belly. From the salad bar, I most fancied the warm grilled pineapple and the beef carpaccio. Even my dessert, a dark Callebaut chocolate mousse, is worth calling out specifically. Well played, Pampa, well played.

It’s Mother’s Day and Pampa is open (they are usually closed on Sunday afternoons) for this special day! The boys made a reservation on Open Table and I’m glad that they did. This place is packed (190 people seating capacity)! All kitchen gauchos, and front of the house staff were extremely attentive, pleasant and helpful. The owners made a smart move to hire enough staff for the afternoon. Presentation and attention to detail at the salad bar was amazing. Unlike Gaucho’s, the salad bar is strategically placed in the centre of the dining area to facilitate large groups. There were also special drinks offered for the occasion; the spiced pineapple (pineapple juice with cinnamon and cloves) really hit the spot!
Salad bar items: beef carpaccio (seasoned perfectly and very tender), assorted lettuces, six different dressings and vinaigrettes, marinated mushrooms, grilled pineapple (sweet and and capicollo, sugar snap peas, roasted beets, hearts of palm salad, pickles, salt cod tortillas, Brazilian stuffed crepes (the beef filling was okay; I found the crêpe a bit too thick), focaccia, sockeye salmon scrambled eggs.
On to the rodizio:
Beef top sirloin (Alcatra): deliciously tender and done just the way I like it (medium rare). It was clearly one of my favourites (and my son’s).
Parmesan pork loin (Lombo de Porco Marinado): seasoned perfectly though a bit tough on some spots.
Pork belly (Leitao a Pururuca): this was absolutely to die for! The meat was juicy and tender with the crisp crackling on top. Nom, nom… Another favourite.
Pampa sausage (Linguica de Porco): juicy and flavourful.
Bacon wrapped chicken thighs (Sobrecoxa de Frango com Bacom): chicken thighs were tender and juicy (kudos to the bacon wrapping). It was a bit on the salty side.
I finished off my awesome Mother’s Day lunch with a fresh papaya and French vanilla ice cream topped at table side with Crème de Cassis liqueur.
We will definitely come back for more!