Churrasco in Saigon: the open-fire Brazilian grill

What is churrasco?

Churrasco is the Portuguese word for barbecue, and in Brazil it means more than a meal. It is a way of gathering: a fire, a table of friends and family, and meat served as it is ready. The gaúcho style comes from Rio Grande do Sul, where the people are called gaúchos.

Unlike barbecue where you cook at the table, or slow smoking in a pit, churrasco puts large cuts on long skewers over a hot fire. The meat is salted with coarse salt, cooked until the outside is browned, and then carved onto the plate in thin slices.

Want the full background? Read our guide to what Brazilian churrasco is.

The gaúcho method

The gaúcho method is simple, and each part matters.

• Skewers. Large cuts are cooked whole on long metal skewers, so the juices stay in the meat.
• Coarse salt. The meat is seasoned with coarse salt before it goes near the fire. That is almost all the seasoning it gets.
• Open fire. The skewers are held near the fire, not over a flat grill, so the outside browns while the inside stays tender.
• Carving at the table. A passador slices only what you will eat now, so each slice arrives hot.

Churrasco at Brasa

At Brasa the churrasco is served as rodízio. You sit down, and passadores bring the skewers to your table one after another: picanha, cupim, bananinha, alcatra, contra-filé, salsichão, panceta, chicken and grilled pineapple, among 15 items in all. You eat as much as you like.

If you have never tried it, our guide to how rodízio works explains the green and red card and how to pace the evening. You can also see every cut on our Brasa cuts page.

The cuts you will meet

Each cut takes the fire in its own way. Here is what to expect from a few of them:

• Picanha has a cap of fat that softens as it grills and bastes the beef underneath.
• Cupim has marbling through the meat, so it stays soft and rich.
• Bananinha cooks quickly into small, deeply flavoured strips.
• Alcatra is leaner and firmer, with a clean beef flavour.
• Panceta and the sausages add a savoury note between the beef cuts.

The flavour of churrasco

What defines churrasco is simplicity: good meat, coarse salt and fire. The flavour comes from the meat itself, from fat melting along the skewer and a browned crust from the open flame, not from sauces or heavy seasoning.

Each pass of the skewers is a new choice. Our passadores, the grill masters of the gaúcho tradition, bring skewers to your table and carve the portion you want, from picanha and cupim to sausage and grilled pineapple. You eat at your own pace and use the green and red card to ask for more or take a break.

Price and booking

Churrasco rodízio at Brasa costs 699,000₫ per adult, including every cut, the salad bar and the sides. Drinks are separate and a 5% service charge applies.

Book on our website at least one day ahead for 649,000₫ per adult, for bookings made until 31 October 2026. This cannot be combined with other promotions.

Children under 4 eat free and ages 4 to 12 pay 350,000₫. See the promotions page for current offers.

Where to eat churrasco in Saigon

Brasa is at 39 Đường số 52, KDC Văn Minh, An Khánh, Thủ Đức. We are across the river from District 1 and Bình Thạnh, about 10 minutes from Thảo Điền, with free parking next to the restaurant. Dinner is served daily from 17:00 to 22:00, with no lunch. Book on our website or on Zalo at 0767777012.

Read more about the restaurant or see our full Brazilian BBQ in Saigon page.