Copacabana, Brazilian in Itaewon

Copacabana is an all-you-can-eat Brazilian meat restaurant. This means that waiters bring around large skewers of meat (beef, lamb, pork, sausage, chicken, etc.) to your table and cut off pieces for you to eat, until you tell them to stop. As at most Brazilian places in Seoul, there is also a salad bar/buffet.

What sets Copacabana aside from Seoul's other Brazilian places is its salad bar/buffet. Indeed, you could probably leave satisfied if you just got the buffet. There are several hot dishes, including a stroganoff and a meat chili. In addition, there are the usual ingredients necessary to make up a half-decent salad.

(an example plate from the buffet)

When it comes to the meat, Copacabana follows all the standard Brazilian cooking procedures. In other words, the meat is amazing! As at most Brazilian places, the price comes out to about 27,000-30,000 per person with the VAT tax included (I forget the exact figure at the moment).

The only downsides that I noticed at my visit were (1) the caipirinha (Brazil's national cocktail) was extremely watered/iced down, only yielding a few lackluster sips for its hefty 9,000 won price tag, and (2) no air conditioning. The restaurant is already very small and cramped, but combine that with hot July temperatures and only a tiny fan to cool down the place, and it makes for a mildly uncomfortable dining experience.

But, would I visit Copacabana again? You bet! The food was wonderful, and their buffet dishes were superb.

Directions: Copacabana is on the dining street behind the Hamilton Hotel in Itaewon. Leave Itaewon Exit 1. Turn right and then turn left. It should be on the lefthand side of the street.