Picanha Restaurant

I had the pleasure of going to Picanha in Palm Desert. I went with a party of 8 including children. I was immensely pleased with the quality of service, food and prices. I would describe the dining experience as pleasurable as well as superto anyone seeking. I highly reccomend this establishment to anyone seeking good service, food, ambience and an overall delightful evening. Pros: excellent food, service, value, and ambience Cons: I can't possibly think of any except you better bring a BIG appetite. more

I was referred to the Brazilian Restaurant - Picanha by a cousin of mine. I had my 40th dinner party at Picanha and would have to say that the service was impeccable and the food was OUTSTANDING ! I could not believe the array of meats they were serving at our table. The smoked scent of the meats cooking on their grill left a unique flavor in the air. Aaaah.......I attempted to try all of the meats they were serving, Brazilian sausage, Tri Tip, Picanha Steak, Herb Parmesan Chicken, Leg of Lamb, Garlic chicken then, I lost count....I can't remember all of the meats. The meat selection was still hot while the waiters were making their rounds. Not only was this happy birthday celebration, we were all experiencing a new "DELICIOUS" adventure. The waiters were very attentive, food was VERY, VERY GOOD, service was excellent and the price was unbeatable for all that we ate, and some.....................WE LOVE IT !!!!!!! Pros: Great Selection of Food more

Picanha Churrascaria was such a great experience that we will surely return soon. This was our first time dining at this Brazilian restaurant in Palm Desert. We were greeted promptly (party of 8) and waited on immediately. The hot sizzling meats kept on coming to our table until we turned the (red wooden block) on top (which tells the waiters to hold-off in serving the meats). Another thing, I've always wanted to try the "Brazilian drink - Caipirinhas", very good ! My party had tried other Brazilian restaurants in the past, but overall, we agreed that we would be venturing to this restaurant again. Picanha Churrascaira - Palm Desert, you'll be seeing us again !!!!!!!!!! Pros: Plenty of meats, plenty of choices at the hot food buffet Cons: Closed on Monday...oh well...... more

Thanksgiving dinner for four! We made sure to call for reservations, we were advised that the early bird special was still running for Thanksgiving, and we would also have the choice of the Thanksgiving buffet should we like... We arrived at 5pm to find the only choice was the thanksgiving special, of which there was no $5 reduction in price, but an additional $15/plate, and further the restaurant would only be open another hour. We stayed for dinner, knowing finding another restaurant on Thanksgiving would be fruitless. The staff did not circulate much more food in the remaining hour they were open, neither did the staff replenish the buffet as we had been advised they would do? The Manager was terrible and did nothing to improve our situation; instead he spent his evening smoking cigarettes outside the front entrance socializing with friends. I notice that most of the quality reviews listed here are from people that haven't eaten at a churrascaria... I search out churrascarias with a passion for quality. This place was the worst service of any churrascaria I've been to, the cost was average (if I hadn't been gouged by the Thanksgiving special), the food was below average, and the service was abysmal. One server splattered au jus, which he cleaned up using my napkin, which he returned to my lap after cleaning up his mess, I'm thinking "is this guy for real, or have I just fallen into the worst churrascaria in the world?" Don't waste your time eating at this churrascaria - You're better off trying any other location. I prefer San Diego's 'Rei DO Gado Restaurant'. A new one just opened in San Francisco that shows some promise too, ?Espetus?. Pros: Meat Cons: Service, selection, quality more

i went to picanha with my boyfriend on the 11th of march which was yesturday and i just want to say that this was by far the best resturant i have been to. Because they had a little bit of everything, they have about 10 to 12 cutts of different meats that come around and they were all great my complaments to the chief. My boyfriend doesn't eat much meat so he loved the soup and salad bar. im not going to forget about the service it was outstanding everyone there was so friendly. The manager i believe his name is Cameron was very polite. He asked my boyfriend and i how the meal and the service was and we said its fantastic and we continued to chat for a couple of minutes about the resturant and how we love the food. I highly recommend this resturant to everyone to try atleast once because its a fun experience. We will be attending picanha again. Pros: EVERYTHING WAS GREAT... more

We went to Picanha for dinner on Friday night. It was above all expectations. We started with their specialty brazilian drink. it was great. Their winelist is truly fenomenal, it will suit everybody with bottles starting at $30 an up to $200. The food is the best I've had in a long time. The cheese-bread is very tempting, but don't waste the room on it, you'll regret it later. The saladbar features a great selection and the beansoup is to die for, but once again: DONT WASTE THE ROOM. The real attraction is the meat. They have something for everybody: chicken, pork, lamb, and lots of beef. My favourite is the brazilian steak, their house special. After we tried everything, I thought I couldn't put another bite in my mouth... Then the waitress came, and talked me into having a brazilian flan. It was a great finish for a great dinner. Picanha serves excellent food with very professional service. The live music was a nice touch and made our dining experience even better! I highly recommend it to everybody! Pros: drinks, food, service Cons: N/A more

We have been traveling to Palm Desert for the past few winters, and, thanks to a tip from a friend, our first visit was enhanced by dinner at Picanha. We have been back every year since then for dinner and highly recommend it. Picanha offers a wonderful variety of everything - salads, soup, numerous types of meat, and they also have a great dessert selection. Have never had a bad meal there! Nice atmosphere, but no dress code - you can feel comfortable in anything from jeans to dressier attire. The food is awesome and the service attentive. Well worth the price! more

Recently, I came into Picanha in Palm Desert and had a wonderful time. The customer service was excellent and the food was excellent, especially the meat selection. My party of five and I were seated in a timely manner and the manager was exceptionally accomodating, he even got us a table promtly when we didn't have reservations. For anyone out there that enjoys eating meat like we do, this is the place for you... Pros: excellent choices of meat Cons: a little too much if not hungry more

i went there with my wife and 2 kids for our aniversary. the food was excellent. we were greeted right away at the door and everyone was very friendly. after dinner the manager ( cameron ) came to us and we had a wonderfull conversation about families. i highly recommend this restaurant to anyone willing to have a great dining experience. more

We ate at this restaurant for the first time after hearing so much about Picanha and Brazilian food. The food was high quality, plentiful and elegantly presented. The meats were DELICIOUS and the "gaucho" was so polite. Our server was also first rate. The atmosphere was warm and welcoming. Compared to many restaurants you really do get alot for your money. I ordered flan for desert and the portion was large enough for two people. Overall it was a very satisfying dining experience and I would definitely recommend this place to friends, family or anyone looking for a good place to eat in Palm Desert. The patio looked great and I'll try that out when the weather warms up a bit!! Pros: Good food, good value Cons: Parking more

My boyfriend took me to this place after hearing so much about Picanha and Brazilian food. The food was high quality, plentiful and elegantly presented. The meats were DELICIOUS and the "gaucho" was sooo polite. Our server was also first rate. I don't drink but my boyfriend had several and raved about the caparinha???(a Brazilian specialty). I ordered flan for desert and the portion was large enough for two. The atmosphere was warm and inviting and not overly noisy. It was a very satisfying dining experience and compared to many restaurants you really do get alot for your money. I would recomment this place to friends, family or anyone looking for a good place to dine in Palm Desert. The patio looked great and I would love to dine outside when the nights warm up a bit.!!! Pros: Good food, good value Cons: Parking more

I really enjoyed my experiance at picanha. I have never dined at a place of that nature. It was great. I love meat and thats what i got. Alot of it too! Their gauchos just kept it coming. but the meat isnt everything. To go along with it, they have an awsome salad bar with a great selection. I would definately recommend this restaurant to anyone and everyone that loves meat!!! The service was outstanding. and the mananger on duty was checking on all the guests, and making sure they were taken care of. He answered some questions for us and was very helpfull. Pros: food,style,location Cons: small restroom more

All I can say is "Oh my God". This was the best time I've ever had at a resturaunt. The food was outstanding and the service was impeccable. I've never eaten at a Brazilian resturaunt before and I can't believe its taken me this long to try it. I really enjoyed all the selections that were offered. From all the treats at the salad bar to all the meats brought to the table, I was truly in "HEAVEN".... It was like I had my own butler waiting on me hand and foot to make sure that I was never empty handed. As soon as I got done with my last bite on my plate, it was full again. Everybody was extremely friendly and made me feel right at home. The manager was always checking on our party to make sure that we had everything we could possibly want. They even had live Brazilian dancers that were putting on Samba shows for us while we ate. No wonder why people always say Brazil is such a fun place, all they do there is eat good food and dance. Everybody in our party couldn't stop ranting and raving about the place. We will definately be returning to Picanha as soon as all of our food settles.... If I could, I would tell everyone that this is a must try resturaunt. Just make sure that you are hungry and want to be in good company and enjoy yourself. more

This has been the WORST dining experience ever. The salad bar was mediocre, the sides were cold and hard to get and the meat is almost always raw, when it is not just cold. We asked for WELL DONE meat and it took ONE HOUR and FORTY-FIVE minutes and THREE TIMES to get. But the absolute worst was the SERVICE, especially from the manager. I did not leave a tip because the service was TERRIBLE and he chased us to the parking lot to tell us that it is their POLICY to add 18% for gratuity, and threatened that he would charge it to our credit card, WHICH HE DID, completely breaking their merchant agreement with American Express. If you want to spend $50 in very good soup (the ONLY good thing about this place) then go for it. Nothing else is worth even $2. Pros: Soup Cons: Everything else more

This was the worst dinner experience I have ever had. The service was below average. They never came by to check on whether we needed anything. Then when we got our soda, it was spilled on us. We waited 30 minutes to get the check after asking 5 times. The meat was dry and disgusting. I have had brazilian good on numerous occassions and this was the worst i have ever had. If you like overcooked, dry meat then you should come here. After a while, you start jamming the food down because you feel as though you have to eat it because you are paying over $50 bucks for the food. I can't tell you how bad it was. The salad bar was sold to us as the best salad bar in the area. Well, if you like canned bean salad, can't pasta salad and canned corn, then you should come here. The salad bar is terrible. It is tiny. Sizzler is better. And for $25, you can get a MUCH better salad bar somewhere else. Fogo de chao is so much better. Picanha is equivalent to the McDonald's of brazilian food. We ordered wine and were given wine from a different year. Doesn't seem like a big deal except they charge you the higher price for the lesser quality bottle of wine. We complained and they just gave us excuses about how what we got was good wine. Oh, by the way, get the cheesecake. It takes exactly like philadelphia cream cheese. And since they had bagels (of all things) sitting on the tables, you can spread the cheesecake on the bagels. The desserts are terrible. Really, who doesn't put sugar in their cheesecake. Their flan tastes, well, was chewy. I have nothing against the restaurant, its just that I would hate for people to waste their money on this restaurant. Take you money to LG's or Pacifica or somewhere else. Really, you're more likely than not to be disappointed by the experience. If you go and do like the restaurant then my hats off to you. If you don't, then share your experiences here so others don't suffer. Pros: parking Cons: food, service, ambience more

Picanha is a wonderfully unique restaurant with something for everyone. The salad bar is the greatest. I love the Brazilian Chicken Walnut salad. The gauchos serve the meats with finesse and the service was perfect. I would recommend this restaurant to anyone looking for a great meal in the desert at the most affordable price not to mention how fun it will be to bvring your friends to a "NEW" type of dining experience. I have never had dinner anywhere else where I enjoyed Top Sirloin steak, Leg of Lamb, Pork Ribs and Filet Mignon for one price. WOW!! Make a reservation, its usually pretty busy. Pros: Quality of Food, Value, Happy Hour more

I'll keep it short and right to the point: 1) Service -- Average 2) Salad Bar -- all american style ... no potato salad ... really ... churrasco without potato salad is the same as peanut butter and jelly sandwich without peanut butter. What were you thinking ? 3) Side dishes --- not included on your $23.50 charge ... and ... no "polenta" ... again ... churrasco without polenta frita ?? 4) Meat --- Where was it ?? After 20 minutes waiting with an empty plate (since there was no potato salad available), all I saw was a piece of sausage ... $23.50 for a piece of sausage ?? Not even brazilian sausage. Where was all the filet mignon ? Picanha ? Pork ? When I saw only one guy walking around with the meat I should have known that it would be a disaster, but instead, I decided to give it a shot. Needless to say that I left this place disappointed and hungry. more

Just visited this place the other night and ........WOW!!! The food was incredible and it JUST KEEPS COMING!!!! The atmosphere was really nice, the staff was very attentive, but the star of the night was the food. Absolutely amazing. Great for meat eaters and vegetarians both. (They have a really good salad bar.) I definitely will come back again and again and again...... Pros: excellent service, incredible food, nice atmosphere more

We highly recommend it for everybody especially meat lovers. The meat is all you can eat and their speciality "picanha" is the best meat we have ever tasted and it is to die for. The custmer services is excellent and very friendly. The atmosphere is very relaxing and our kids enjoy the patio very much. We keep on going back every time we visit the desert. Pros: excellent service more

Best value and best location in the Desert. Food is out of this world. Eat till you say no more. Service with a smile. My favorite resturant in the WORLD Pros: Best meat, great side dishes, best salad bar Cons: none more