After nearly 8 years, we returned to Chima, a Brazilian steakhouse in Tysons. Previous coverage can be found here. We do dine at these rodizio (all you can eat rotating selections of meat) restaurants often, and the name of the game is finding the true standout dishes, and we found quite a few.

It’s important to mention that unlike their main Brazilian competitor (in Tysons), Chima has free valet parking. Also, on a Sunday in the early evening, we even found street parking.

Our Favorites:

Grill-wise, our favorites were the Filet Mignon (we tried the one without butter), Leg of Lamb, Cajun Ribeye, Salmon, Baby Top Sirloin with Garlic (picanha). We were impressed at how tasty the Filet Mignon was (even without butter) since it is often a tender but not very flavorful option. The Leg of Lamb was so well executed and flavorful, that my dining partner (who doesn’t usually eat lamb) very much enjoyed it. I tried the Salmon with passion fruit sauce instead of the cilantro pesto, although I hear the latter is good as well.

The desserts were both quite good. It was nice that they had one vegan dessert, the raspberry sorbet. The Coconut Lava Cake was a great option as well, although I substituted cinnamon ice cream for vanilla.

The Strawberry Caipirinha and Passion fruit Caipirinha were both delicious, so we know their cocktails are well-worth ordering.

The salad bar included a good variety of fresh options and a flavorful vinaigrette. A few images of the salad bar were included above, but only cover a portion of your options.

Room for Improvement:

The tougher than usual Flank Steak, overcooked and bland sausage, and flavorless Black Beans with Pork (bland sausages and very tough chunks of pork) could be much improved. Please don’t confuse Chima’s Black Beans with Pork with Feijoada (the very flavorful national dish of Brazil), since they are not the same. I was ok with the beef ribs, but I eat them with chimmichurri, and wasn’t a huge fan of their very thin version of that sauce. I’m used to lighter cheese puffs. And, they do not have pork ribs.

Strategy:

At this type of AYCE restaurant, go with stronger options. At Chima, try Filet Mignon (with or without butter), Leg of Lamb, Cajun Ribeye, Salmon (with passion fruit or pesto sauce), Baby Top Sirloin with Garlic (picanha), Caiparinhas, desserts, and your favorite salads. Feel free to experiment with other options as well.

We didn’t try everything, so feel free to comment or email us if we missed some of your favorite Chima dishes.

-JAY