My friend Bryan’s uncle owns a circus in Brazil. Bryan spent several years traveling with the circus throughout South America. I owed him dinner, so I thought we could try the new Brazilian place. Rei Do Gado is in the Gaslamp Quarter of San Diego, right across the street from Horton Plaza. I had been riding by on my bike and smelling wonderful roasting meat smells coming from it. Why they were even grilling in front of the restaurant, right on Fourth Street. I was eager to try it.

When Bryan and I got there, the first thing I noticed was the grill in the front was fake. It had fake glowing coals, with fake meat roasting on them. This was ok though, as we had fun putting our hands on the fake coals and pretending to burn them. Bryan was happy that the hostess thought he was Brazilian, and spoke to him in Portuguese. He could answer her back with a few sentences, proving that he does know more than swear words in the language.

The restaurant is all you can eat. The food comes in two phases. First, you go to a buffet with Brazilian dishes and a salad bar. It’s an impressive spread of about 20 side dishes and soups, plus a high quality salad bar. They had quail eggs, goat cheese, and home made croutons. The greens were fresh, and you could choose from spinach and two lettuce mixes. Of the side dishes, they had a fantastic eggplant casserole and a cold green bean salad that I went back for seconds on. The foods served in the buffet change from day to day. But they always have Feijoada, a traditional Brazilian bean soup. Their version of it is excellent. Try some in a bowl over rice.

The main point of the meal is the roast meat. In Brazil, men tending the herds of cattle would roast meat on their swords over open air fires. Nowadays the swords are mostly decorative, and the waiters will bring them to your table filled with tender tidbits of meat. The night that we were there, we had tenderloin, beef and pork ribs, chicken, skirt steak, fillet mignon, and possibly several cuts that I forgot about. The meat was exquisitely cooked, and the servers were knowledgeable about what they are bringing to your table. The atmosphere was unhurried, we felt free to sit and talk and eat meat as long as we wanted.

Each table has a small knob on it. When you can’t eat anymore, the knob is turned to red, and they bring your check.

As Bryan and I were leisurely eating our meat, we decided that this would be a great restaurant to bring a vegetarian to if you hated them! The smell of meat is thick in the air, and it is the main attraction. The side dish buffet is available for $8.95. A full lunch runs $12.95, and dinner is $19.95. Considering that it’s all you can eat, I think these prices are excellent. Unlike some buffets, the food is wonderful, and there are no corners cut in taste or presentation.

Rei Do Gado is located at 939 4th Avenue at Broadway in Downtown San Diego. You can reach them at 619-702-8464.


Recommended: Yes

Kid Friendliness: No
Vegetarian Friendly: No
Notes, Tips or Menu Recommendations Come for lunch if you would like to save money. The food is the same but the prices are much less expensive. After dinner, take a walk around the Gaslamp Quarter of San Diego, or Horton Plaza across the street.
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