Let them eat meat! Our family-friendly meal at Rodizio Grill in Voorhees, NJ

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Rodizio Grill provided my family with a meal in exchange for this post and my honest feedback and opinions. The opinions I share about Rodizio Grill are my own and Rodizio Grill did not tell me what to say or how to say it. rodizio grill south jersey family dinner voorhees new jersey

As part of our South Jersey Family Friendly Dining Series, we are so excited to be sharing including a review of Rodizio Grill in Voorhees. Located right by the Voorhees Town Center, Rodizio Grill often recommended as a place to go for date night, but I honestly haven’t seen many people recommend it as an option for family dinners. You guys…prepare to be amazed.

So, we had a reservation scheduled for 7pm on a Thursday evening. We drove down to Voorhees from Cherry Hill West and it took about 20 minutes to get there. Traffic was cooperating with us really well and it was a totally smooth ride. We arrived around 6:40 and easily found a parking space. The way the stores and restaurants are situated at Voorhees Town Center, there are parking spots lining the streets in front of the shops and then there are a few larger parking lots at either end of the shops. It’s super easy to get a close spot. Now, I need to mention, too – these stores and restaurants are located right where I learned how to drive. Yep! Remember when Voorhees Town Center was Echelon Mall? Well, I grew up within about a 15 minute walk from Echelon Mall. I had my first job at that mall, a few first dates at that mall, and even learned how to drive in their massive parking lots. It was pretty cool being back in my old stomping grounds and experiencing all the change – bittersweet to say the least!

Anyways, even though we arrived early, when we walked into the entrance to Rodizio Grill we were quickly greeted and shown to our seats. Because of where Rodizio Grill is located, there is not a bad seat in the house. They’re on the end of one of the “strips” in this shopping center, so they have 2 walls of windows. Whenever we go to a restaurant, I prefer to sit by the window because it makes me feel kind of like I’m dining outside without actually being outside and, just being honest, I like to people watch! Our waiter, Leo, came over pretty quickly and explained the whole set up to us because Rodizio Grill is NOT your typical restaurant. In addition to a lovely food station that has a variety of hot and cold Brazilian sides & gourmet salads, Brazilian Gauchos (read: men that walk around with knives and long sticks of grilled meats and pineapple) go from table to table offering a variety freshly grilled and sliced meats and pineapple. Each table gets a small piece of wood (we’ll call this a “table marker”) that has one side painted red and the other painted green. When you want the Gauchos to stop at your table with their offerings, you leave the marker with the green side up. When you need to take a break from filling up your plate and want the Gauchos to skip your table, you leave the marker with the red side up. When you are done with your meal, you put the marker on it’s side. Easy peasy, right?

Before heading to get our sides and salads, we all ordered drinks. They boys have been quite adventurous lately and have been straying from their typical “milk or lemonade” beverage while at a restaurant. Little Dude ordered cranberry juice (remember the first time he ordered cranberry juice at Our Delicious Brunch at Roots Cafe in Maple Shade, NJ? I’m STILL amazed that he loves cranberry juice!) and Big Dude ordered pineapple juice. I was totally impressed with their choices and, to be honest, a little worried, too because…what if they didn’t like their drinks?! While I love to see the boys trying new things, I also do not like to waste food or drinks. The Mister got water (aka “wooder”) and I chose to embrace the Brazilian theme of our dinner and got their popular Rodizio Strawberry Limeade with rum. rodizio grill south jersey family dinner voorhees new jersey

Big Dude and I went up to get the sides together – we were totally impressed with all that was being offered! A number of salads, fruits, and veggies, were being kept cool on two sides of station while hot foods were on the other two sides. Because I knew that I wanted to try each and every kind of meat that would be brought to the table, I just got a few sides: mashed potatoes, a small salad, and Brazilian Polenta. (Brazilian Polenta = fabulous!) Being the little foodie that he is, Big Dude tried out a few varieties of beans, the Brazilian Polenta, and fruit. Our beverages arrived soon after we returned to the table. Now, you may remember when I wrote about the awesome kids cups from Joe Italiano’s Maplewood– I’m so used to kids getting plastic cups from restaurants that I was totally surprised when Leo brought the boys their drinks in big glasses. I was a little worried because those glasses were filled to the brim and I could already picture a flood of cranberry or pineapple juice being spilled onto the floor because…kids. You know what, though? I’m going to let myself get ahead in this story and will tell you that the boys did PERFECTLY fine with their grown-up glasses. Not one drop spilled on the floor or the table. It may have just been a once-in-a-lifetime miracle, but I was totally impressed with how well they did using those glasses. Maybe I’ll even let them get glasses at other restaurants now! My Strawberry Limeade with rum was absolutely delicious and a real treat – I definitely recommend getting one when you stop by! They have many different flavors and you can choose to have it with or without alcohol as well. At this time, Leo also brought us a dish of Brazilian cheese bread and plantains  – both were amazing. I could’ve made an entire meal of both of them! The cheese bread was surprisingly light and the plantains were warm and sweet. rodizio grill south jersey family dinner voorhees new jersey

The Mister took Little Dude up to get some sides and they came back with lots of tasty choices! The Mister got some pineapple coleslaw (that I somehow missed, but got to try a bite of his) and it was DELICIOUS. I’m not normally a coleslaw person, but this was sweet and wasn’t too liquidy (you know how some coleslaw and salads can have too much mayo or miracle whip? This one had just the right amount). Little Dude is not one for food that can have any bit of nutritional value, so he came back with a fresh roll and butter. Shortly after, we turned our table marker with the green side up and the Gauchos started coming to the table. Each Gaucho walks around with one type of meat at a time. They have a knife that they use to slice off a fresh piece for each person and are constantly walking back and forth to the open kitchen to replace and refresh their offerings. At each setting, along with the typical knife/fork/spoon, there is a small set of tongs. When the Gaucho comes to the table, it’s your job to use those tongs to get the meat off the stick. The boys needed some help with this part, but it really was no big deal and the Gauchos were more than happy to help the boys out as well. As the Gauchos are walking around, it’s really a sight to see! At any given time, there are probably 4-5 Gauchos walking around, each with their own offerings. The boys loved watching them go from table to table, so consider Rodizio Grill to be an option for dinner AND a show!

I did my best to try EVERY different type of meat that was offered, but I must admit that I did not try their spicy chicken. I know, I know, I always encourage my kids to try a bite of everything just once, but I just wasn’t feeling the spicy chicken. The Mister, though, tried the spicy chicken and really enjoyed it! These are all the different options that may come to your table. Of course, Rodizio may offer different grilled meats from day to day, but, on this particular night, 11 of the 15 meats were available in addition to their *amazing* ABACAXÍ (glazed and grilled pineapple). Of the meats, the beef options were my favorite. I was able to request a certain “wellness” of each meat, too, and I totally appreciated that. I prefer medium and The Mister likes his beef well done (don’t get me started on that…I don’t understand it either!). The MAMINHA (tri-tip sirloin) and PICANHA (top sirloin) were my favorites while The Mister really enjoyed the CORDEIRO (leg of lamb) and Big Dude loved their FRANGO COM BACON (bacon wrapped chicken). Now, at this point, I need to mention that Little Dude, as much as he loves chicken at home, seemed to be extra picky during this meal and was not interested in ANY of the grilled options. During one of her visits to our table, the manager, Tiffany, let us know that the kitchen is able to make chicken fingers and french fries for the kids! As much as I wanted him to enjoy this Brazilian meal, I was so so grateful to know that the option of chicken fingers was available for my picky eater. If you have a picky eater, too, you just need to request chicken fingers and french fries be made for your child – the earlier in the meal, the better, because they are prepared fresh for every order. Little Dude gobbled up the chicken and french fries when they arrived and especially loved that his ketchup was served in a large dish with enough ketchup that he could completely dunk his bites of chicken. Doesn’t take much to make them happy, right?! rodizio grill south jersey family dinner voorhees new jersey

Shortly after, we put our table marker on it’s side to let our waiter know that we were ready to finish up the meal. Now, when you go, I totally recommend you all wear some stretchy pants. I am so serious. Everything is so delicious that you’re probably going to want to eat more than you typically do…and you probably WILL! The Mister and I were both so stuffed! The boys, being the bottomless pits that they are, cheered with delight when our waiter asked if we would like any dessert. You guys, WHERE WAS I GOING TO FIT DESSERT?! So that we could get the full Rodizio Grill experience, we decided to order one dessert and split it between the four of us. This way, we’d get a taste of something sweet, but we’d still be able to walk ourselves out the door when we were done. Their desserts looked AMAZING! Leo brought samples of them over on a tray so we could decide what we’d like. The PUDIM DE LEITE (caramel flan) was calling my name, so that’s what we ordered. It arrived very quickly and we all dove into the amazingly creamy dessert. On top of the flan was a crispy wafer that was sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar – it kind of reminded me of the flavor of a churro, but was definitely more crunchy. Either way, that was delicious as well.

So, if you’re looking for a unique, family-friendly dining experience, I totally recommend Rodizio Grill! They were so accommodating to our family and I know they’ll make sure you guys all have a great experience! They do have highchairs and booster seats upon request, so even the extra-littles can come. If you keep an eye on their Facebook Page, you’ll see that they have special events and offers from time to time.

Thank you so much for having us, Rodizio Grill! We can’t wait to dine with you again soon!

Here’s contact and social media information for Rodizio Grill:

Rodizio Grill Voorhees Website
Rodizio Grill Voorhees Facebook Page
Rodizio Grill Voorhees Instagram Feed

We are always adding restaurants to our calendar so we can include them in the South Jersey Family Friendly Dining Reviews. Know of a delicious restaurant we need to try? Let us know!