We attended the grand opening of Rio Brazilian Steakhouse in Durham recently and had a fantastic experience. The opening night was a great success and impressed us so much that we have returned to the venue since – if you are a meat eater this is one to book a visit in for.
Part of the ever-expanding Tomahawk group, Rio in Durham takes the firm’s portfolio to 14, and they appear to have no intention of slowing down with other venues already in the pipeline for Chester, Harrogate, Morpeth, Nottingham, and Sunderland before the end of the year. Rio, Durham will be the fourth in the Rio Brazilian Steakhouse type and we can absolutely see why these restaurants are so popular.
Howard Eggleston opened the first Tomahawk Steakhouse in North Yorkshire in 2017 which quickly drew in crowds with its Tomahawk steaks, Himalayan salt dry-aged beef and Yorkshire Wagyu. Five years on, the Tomahawk team appear to be doing better with each venue they create.
On the opening night we headed to Walkergate, Durham and were greeting with a large selection of friendly staff that all greeted us in a polite and courteous manner. We were offered a glass of fizz and a welcome drink upon arrival and listened to a short speech regarding how the restaurants work and how best to enjoy our time with Rio and their staff.
We were seated at a comfortable booth and were informed about the salad bar, as well as how the reversable meat serving cards worked. The salad bar offered a massive array of different meats, cheeses, leafy salad options, sushi, antipasti, as well as many grain and pasta options. Once we had filled our plates with colourful salad options, we sat back at our table and were served a selection of meats including prime steaks, lamb, chicken, and pork.
The meats were carried around by members of staff on large metal spikes and were continuously carved at our table until we said so. Having the double-sided meat serving card on the green said encouraged the staff to keep bringing meat to the table; however, upon turning it over the staff were then informed that we would like a break, allowing our party to enjoy the meal at a comfortable pace. The food was amazing and there was large array of options to choose from which were well received by all.
After enjoying a large selection of savoury options, we shared a desert platter that included Brazilian churros, panna cotta, honeycomb chocolate cheesecake, a selection of ice creams. This went down a treat and was the perfect way to conclude our meal.
Our only qualm with Rio would be the pricing. Upon visiting for the opening night, we were lucky enough to experience our dining free of charge. However, upon returning for a later meal we discovered that the starting price for an evening meal was £35 each. We appreciate that it is very much an all you can eat experience, and you are able to receive a lot for the price, but be cautious that this will not be a cheap and cheerful meal out. If attending for a special occasion or just accepting that your starting price for a meal for two will be £70+ then we would recommend.
Overall, we have had very favourable experience when attending Rio Brazilian Steakhouse in Durham. We are sure it will be a great success and will certainly be returning soon.
