Churrascaria Near Me at Dolphin Mall: Texas de Brazil Lunch Guide

Texas de Brazil at Dolphin Mall charges $42.99 for the full weekday lunch rodízio, Monday through Friday from 11:30 am to 3 pm, which is $21 less than the $63.99 dinner for the same unlimited meats and salad area. The restaurant is at 11401 NW 12th Street, suite 514, inside the outlet mall where the Turnpike meets the Dolphin Expressway, and if your churrascaria near me search started in Doral, Sweetwater or Fontainebleau, it is the closest full rodízio.

Dolphin Mall opened on March 1, 2001, and Simon has owned and run it since 2020. It carries a Miami mailing address, yet the whole property sits inside the city of Sweetwater in Miami-Dade County. For a rodízio that is a practical advantage: self-parking is free, the restaurant is reachable from both SR 836 and the Turnpike, and you can walk off lunch afterward past 1.4 million square feet of outlet stores.

The restaurant pitches this branch as lively and family-friendly, and the layout backs that up. There is a patio, and the private dining space holds up to 120 guests, so large birthday and office groups are part of the normal mix. If you want a quiet table for two, the Miami Beach branch on Alton Road, outside any mall, is the better choice.

The name puzzles people until they hear the story. According to the chain, the idea came from Porto Alegre in southern Brazil, where one partner grew up with churrasco, and the destination he chose for it was cattle country. The first Texas de Brazil opened in Addison, a Dallas suburb, on October 13, 1998. Founder Salim Asrawi was a Lebanese immigrant, and the company, still headquartered in Dallas, calls itself family-owned.

That origin explains the menu's mix of Brazilian cuts and American steakhouse touches. Next to picanha, flank steak and leg of lamb, you will see barbecued pork ribs, parmesan chicken drumettes and filet mignon wrapped in bacon, all grilled over natural wood charcoal and carried to the table on skewers. It is a rodízio built for a Texas audience and then exported to South Florida.

Lunch is the same experience as dinner: the two-sided card, unlimited tableside meats, the salad area, and three complimentary sides of cheese bread, garlic mashed potatoes and fried bananas. That makes the $42.99 weekday price the best value in the Texas de Brazil system in Miami; the Dadeland branch charges less at lunch but only runs it Wednesday through Friday. Weekend lunch here, Saturday and Sunday from noon to 4 pm, costs the full $63.99 and serves the dinner menu.

Spend the first fifteen minutes on beef. Flip to green for picanha and garlic picanha before anything else, take one bacon-wrapped filet, then the lamb chops, and only then decide whether you still want pork. Turn the card to red whenever a plate stacks up, and back to green only for the cuts you liked best.

Family pricing is generous. With a full-price adult meal, children 2 and under eat free, ages 3 to 5 pay $5, and ages 6 to 12 pay half. A vegetarian in the group pays $23.99 for the salad area only at weekday lunch or $33.99 at dinner, and the spread includes smoked salmon, hearts of palm, shrimp salad, manchego, goat cheese terrine and farofa, plus hot items like feijoada black beans and lobster bisque.

None of those prices include desserts, drinks, tax or gratuity, and the chain's FAQ suggests a tip of 18 to 20 percent. The dessert cart is where the bill grows: Brazilian papaya cream, carrot cake, key lime pie and chocolate mousse cake are all extra and not priced online. Order one Brazilian papaya cream for the table rather than a dessert each; after a rodízio, two spoonfuls is plenty.

Shoppers who finish late can use the bar. Monday through Friday from 4:30 pm to 6 pm, domestic beers are $4, a caipirinha or the house cocktail is $6, a glass of the private-label wine is $7, and a house martini is $8. The caipirinha, made with cachaça and muddled lime, is the drink the chain calls its signature, and at $6 it is the cheapest way to sample the place.

Dinner opens at 5 pm on weekdays and at 4 pm on Saturday and Sunday. The kitchen runs until 9:30 pm Monday through Thursday, 10:30 pm on Friday and Saturday, and 10 pm on Sunday. A 5 pm weekday table gets you dinner pricing with lunch-level crowds, while Saturday from 7 pm onward is the slot to reserve ahead.

Use the free self-parking at Dolphin Mall unless it is raining hard; mall valet costs $8. The restaurant takes reservations by phone, and while the chain says they are not required, it strongly recommends them. Groups larger than 15 must call the restaurant directly, and the 120-seat private room needs to be arranged in advance. Dress code is not enforced, though the chain suggests smart casual.

If the host quotes more than 30 minutes on a Saturday night, the next nearest rodízio in this part of Miami-Dade is Texas de Brazil's own Dadeland branch at Dadeland Mall in Kendall, reached by heading south on the Palmetto Expressway. Calling that branch from the parking garage saves a wasted drive if it is full too.

The mall itself is the after-lunch walk. Dolphin Mall is laid out as a long loop of outlet stores, and the Ramblas wing holds the entertainment anchors, with a movie theater and Dave & Buster's on its second level. A full lap of the loop is the easiest way to make room for dessert, or to pick up the shopping you came for in the first place.

If you came for a movie, book the rodízio for after the film rather than before. A long rodízio followed by a dark theater is a reliable recipe for a nap.

Address: 11401 NW 12th Street, suite 514, Miami, FL 33172, inside Dolphin Mall in Sweetwater. Weekday lunch $42.99 from 11:30 am to 3 pm; salad area only $23.99 at lunch and $33.99 at dinner; dinner and weekend lunch $63.99. Happy hour weekdays 4:30 pm to 6 pm. Free self-parking or $8 mall valet. Kids 2 and under free, 3 to 5 for $5, 6 to 12 half price.