This restaurant has been reported as permanently closed. Click here if it has reopened.
Monday:Closed
Tuesday:Closed
Wednesday:Closed
Thursday:Closed
Friday:Closed
Saturday:Closed
Sunday:Closed
Delivery
No
Payment
Accepts Credit Cards
Parking
Good for Kids
Attire
Alcohol
Reservations
Cuisines:
Brazilian
Price Point
$
$ - Cheap Eats (Under $10)
$$ - Moderate ($11-$25)
$$$ - Expensive ($25-$50)
$$$$ - Very Pricey (Over $50)
WiFi
No
Outdoor Seats
*This restaurant has closed. If this restaurant is open or has reopened, just let us know.
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05/25/2011 - M.Holiday
I have eaten at Souza's a number of times and it seems each experience has progressively gone DOWNHILL. We have had many family dinners there and have spent thousands of dollars in this restaurant. The last time we were there we had a reservation for 12 people and we waited 45 min for our table. We were seated at two different tables with no silverware or glasses. We sat for a couple of minutes and then started to go to salad bar and after returning still had no silverware or glasses. We asked and finally received forks and knives but still no napkins or glasses. After 15 minutes we were able to get a server to take a drink order and bring us knapkins. We were there aprox 30 min before any food was brought out and it was offered to only one of our tables. The food was eventually offered to everyone but service was very slow and limited. Food was TOUGH and DRY so not getting very much was not a big deal. We spent over two hours there and only was asked for one drink order. After asking for the check we noticed an 18% gratuity added to the bill. I waited for the host and asked about this charge. After much discussion with an extremely rude person it was finally disclosed that SOUZA'S does not give the tips to the waitstaff. They pay the staff an hourly wage and the owner keeps all tips for himself. I do not mind an owner paying his staff this way with proper notification to the customers, but I feel like I've been robbed of hundreds of dollars from past hefty tips left to I THOUGHT was the people that served us. I have never heard of this practice and would guarantee that if all the people eating there new the OWNER kept the gratuity they would leave less or none at all. The gratuity paid to the owner is return business not stealing by omission. If this is not illegal it should be. I sent an email to the owner regarding this manner and received no response. I have confirmed this policy with a former waitress. Needless to say I will never return to what was once a favorite dining spot for myself , my family and all my friends.
04/03/2011 - Cindy
We were given a gift certificate, and recently went to brunch on a Sunday. The tables were so close together, you could not have a private conversation. The food was terrible. The meat was dry, overcooked or reheated. The items from the salad bar were without taste and, again, overcooked. The salad itself was fine, but nothing more than you could get at a grocery store. Don't wast your money, and don't give anyone a gift certificate here. There are many more places downtown with fresh, local and appropriately cooked food.
02/01/2011 - UAL
I really enjoyed this experience. There are some unique traits about this place. Thank you for the wonderful service.
01/24/2011 - Paul
I've eaten here several times before and found it excellent. However a recent visit on a Sunday night left me feeling that the quality has dropped. It might have been that the place was only 1/4 full, but I felt the meat offered was over cooked and we waited a long time before being offered only about 6 varieties. The atmosphere also suffered from old and boring Brazilian music videos. It happened to be a very very cold night (-11°F) and we ended up wearing our coats to keep warm.
10/11/2010 - cm
I recently went to Souza's in Burlington, VT, with my fiance & found it to be nothing like the description on their website. They have crammed so many tables into a small space that I was almost hitting elbows with the person at a table next to me & waiters were bumping & squeezing through people to get around. The lights were fully lit & the music videos (on two screens) were playing too loudly to even talk across the table. We had to ask for the red/green Rodhizio card & then waiting another 15 minutes for it to come. We also waited 45 minutes before any beef showed up in the dining room. Only 6 types of meat were offered, while their website lists 13 that are "featured every day" (this was a Saturday night). Finally, the food was mediocre, at best - the picanha (premium cut of Brazilian beef) was dry & flavorless.
What a disappointment for $45/person! Not a place for a nice, romantic dinner.
10/15/2009 - Maria Horton
Food was great, kind of pricey. Don't bother leaving the customary tip, however. Found out later from a friend who went to work there that the owners keep the tips. The waitstaff are paid hourly only. Wish we didn't leave such a big tip since the wait staff never gets it! Tacky!!!!!!!!
05/26/2009 - C. Young
I went to Souza's last Saturday night for the first time with a large party of 15 people. It was the night before we attended the Middlebury College Commencement of 2009. What a culinary highlight the evening turned out to be. The service, the food, the lighting, and the atmosphere were excellent. The salad bar was fully stocked with fresh seafood, like shrimp and calamari, instead of the standard lettuce and prepared foods that one expects at other restaurants. At the table, we began with hot black beans, and hot rolls. The meats on skewers kept coming. There was perfectly roasted chicken, loin lamb chops-pink and juicy in the middle, sirloin steak, barbecued shrimp, chicken hearts, fillet mignon, pork loin, grilled vegetables, and many more, I lost count! We had individual dipping sauces, two sets per table, all pungent and flavorful. We had a fantastic Malbec wine to go with the meal. (The restaurant has a full cellar, as many as 350 different types of South American wine available). Chef Kelly Dietrich paid us the great honor of spending time with us at the table and was graciously interested in our every comment and reaction to the food and drink. (He owns and runs the Kids Culinary Camp of Vermont located at Highgate Center, VT as well as organizes culinary tours to Brazil) All the while, the gauchos smoothly circulated the never ending skewers. Many in our party commented that even when they were stuffed to the gills, they still took small pieces from the gauchos so as not to disappoint them! The desserts were wonderful. My personal favorite was the huge wheel of cheese at the dessert table, and the quince that balanced perfectly with it, causing a delightful explosion of complementary tastes in my mouth. There was also a coconut pudding (not too sweet) and a roasted banana spread.
Given the delicious food, attentive service and beautiful setting (the carved elaborate high ceiling reminded of some of those grand houses on the Lido in Venice), I can't wait to go there again, even though I live three states away. It is definitely worth a weekend trip to Vermont just to eat a meal at Souza's. All in all, it was a memorable evening of being with old friends, renewing family ties, and establishing new relationships, with Souza's as the perfect backdrop and venue.
11/20/2008 - MenuPix User
WHAT A PLEASURE TO HAVE SUCH GREAT FOOD HERE IN BURLINGTON. HOWEVER THEIR ADDRESS IS NOT AT THEONE LISTED... IT IS 131 MAIN STREET BURLINGTON
THE FOOD IS AUTHENTIC AND THE SERVICE IS FANTASTIC
YOU WILL ENJOY THE ATMOSPHERE AND STAFF. BEST RESTAURANT IN VERMONT I EAT OUT ALOT AND THIS IS THE ONE FOR ME
02/21/2008 - SAINT
Dine Date: Wednesday, Feb 20th, 2008.
Dine Time: 7:30-9:00PM
Number in Party: 2
Reservations: Highly Recommended
Bar: Yes/Full but Limited
I recently had the opportunity to dine a Sousza’s Authentic Rodizio Style Brazilian BBQ. This was the second time I have dined at Souza’s. The previous visit was in July 2008 for a lunch meeting. During my first visit I thoroughly enjoyed the atmosphere, salad bar and the limited skewer selection. The positive experience prompted the desire to try the full selection at dinner.
My Recent Experience:
I called around 2pm to confirm that Souza’s would be open. I received a warm and welcomed response that offered to take my reservation. I reserved a table for two for 7:30 PM. I would highly recommend making reservations.
Upon arrival a few minutes before 7:30 I could see they were extremely busy. There were two or three four-top tables available. They made room by separating a center isle six-top table into a 2 and 4-top. This method provided a table that was really part of another dining party. Considering the fact that they were so busy and things smelled so good, I was fine with this seating. After being seated we waited around 10 minutes for the server/hostess to return to provide instructions on the Brazilian dining method and take our drink order. All non-alcoholic drinks are inclusive in the $36.95 dinner price. I noticed there were no red/green, “stop or keep it coming”, signs for the tables. These signs are traditional at Brazilian BBQ and were present on my previous visit. We were told that we would start with a soup and that we could help our selves to the salad bar. I noticed rolls on all the tables and asked for a small basket. I was told that they were currently out of rolls but would bring some when they came out of the oven. Note: I was told this on my first visit; the rolls came at the end of that meal and were frozen in the middle. Rolls never came during this dinner visit.
Drinks:
We ordered non-alcoholic drinks and were served very promptly. They were free refills. They do have a limited full bar with top shelve liquors. The bartender that also assisted in the dining room was very polite and I noted that he made a specialty drinks for others that were dining. The liquors although at a table in the salad bar area are not self-serve.
Soup:
The soup must have been a Brazilian style soup. It was a warm soup and seemed to be a mushroom and/or bean based. It was served in a large shot class and was pasty. I did enjoy the flavor.
Salad Bar:
The salad bar contained a selection which included many canned items as well as original Brazilian items. Some of the “original” items were canned items that had been kicked up a notch. Mozzarella with spices, a pasty ham salad spread, a couple coleslaw type of dishes. They did have medium size shrimp and calamari salad. The cocktail sauce was very weak. They had four or five hot dishes, two of which were empty. One of which was broth like and very good and a creamed shrimp based dish as well as a noodle dish that contain 4 or 5 noodles.
Positives: Fresh lettuce that was crisp and clean and hot sauce selection, the authentic dishes that were there were very good.
Negatives: Too many canned items to the ratio of authentic items. No fruit here or on the desert bar except bananas.
If you can do without shrimp and calamari salad the Windjammer Salad Bar is a better value and selection minus the hot sauce selection.
BBQ Skewers and Main Course Experience:
We had to wait around 20 minutes while the Gaucho delivered numerous skewers of what looked like great tasting meats. The family next to us were leaving uneaten meat on their plates, which when being hungry, and not being addressed by the Gaucho made our bellies growl. While dining I noticed a gentleman dining alone. He was watching and waiting as well. When the gaucho finally made it to our table he had one piece of bacon wrapped filet left for two people. We decided to split the piece. It was tasty, but a bit salty as I would come to learn is the standard spice for most of the skewers with the exception of the cinnamon roasted pineapple. The filet tasted more like sirloin than a filet that should melt in your mouth. The gentleman dining alone seems upset that he missed out on the filet.
Next up from the gaucho was hot or sweet sausage, not bad for sausage, but if all I wanted was sausage I would have held out for the Champlain Valley Fair. Then we sampled some roasted chicken which was dry and over cooked. We also sampled some other type of chicken. The Gaucho then dropped off a few Chicken hearts. At this point I assumed the owner/cook was trying to use the entire chicken and feared skewers of feathers would arrive next. Please note that the nice looking meats had not yet made it our way, but were being delivered to other patrons. I fully understand that these types of restaurants start with the lower quality of meats first. I had only hoped we would see some juice flavorful meats at some point. Next up were ribs with little meat, roasted pineapple with cinnamon, and bacon wrapped sirloin you couldn’t chew. The “sirloin was fatty and veiny. Clearly this wasn’t even the grizzle that had been cut off the piece of sirloin. First, filet that tasted like sirloin and now sirloin that tasted like a salty tire. Then we tried the lamb, which was decent but was followed by turkey wrapped in undercooked maple bacon. Finally the gaucho came out with what looked like would be homerun, the house special roast beef. The gaucho made his way around the dining room and finally stopped at our table. The gentleman that had been dining alone had left after looking very upset never getting to taste the house special. Although it was clearly the best meat served, the gentleman missed very little. It tasted like pot roast beef. We never saw some of the meats that other tables sampled.
Positives: The gaucho acknowledged the poor selection and service due to the unexpected busy evening.
Negatives: All the meats had the same spice, didn’t get to sample all at skewers, never saw seafood skewers or roasted vegetables.
Desert Bar:
Bananas, peanut butter or an upside down cake were the options. They had some fruit, but then I realized it was plastic or wax. Deep fired bananas would have been a great option.
Final Comments:
I have a feeling that the Sousza’s could do better and may have a better selection on Friday’s and Saturday’s when they expect a larger volume. At $37 a head I doubt that I’ll give them another chance. At $37 they should plan on delivering a fine dining experience regardless of their volume. I’d like to note that service from the waitress/host, bartender and gaucho were good and our tip reflected the professionalism and courtesy that they showed. The food however never delivered and most meats were tough and used the same spice.
A Real Brazilian Restaurant:
If you are ever traveling in the Irvine, California area I would recommend Agora Churrascaria.
http://www.agorachurrascaria.com/
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