Tucanos in Colorado Springs Review - Meh

Ok, Tucanos is a buffet style restaurant that fell flat for me. But then, doesn't almost every buffet place? Mirch Masala excluded.

Tucanos is right in the midst of the Powers neighborhood of Colorado Springs, also known as the Powers Corridor shopping center. If you live on that side of town. The Powers shopping center run up and down Powers Blvd in between Dublin and Constitution, with more restaurants and shopping than you can shake a stick at.

Tucanos is a Brazilian style restaurant, and it's also an all you can eat buffet. As soon as you walk in, you get a high-ceilinged restaurant with lots of decor to keep you looking. There is a sense of grandiosity here; they have a great visual appeal, for their building as well as their meat skewers that they serve you table to table.

You are seated and order drinks, and then when you're ready, you turn over a wooden dowel that's painted red on one end and green on the other. When you flip it over to green, it lets the servers know to start bringing you the meats.

There is also an all you can eat salad bar. I'm not one for salad, and the rolls are not impressive, so I get the cocktail shrimp and fried bananas.

The cinnamon fried bananas are amazing I'll have you know. Sweet, crunchy on the outside and soft and gooey in the middle.

Once we flipped the dowel, the banquet arrived. The first thing that was brought to us was grilled pineapple, which is delicious and sweet.

The top sirloin was next, which was cooked medium (which I like), and tender and tasteful. The other item I enjoyed was some other beef, maybe the top-cut sirloin.

Everything else was pretty bland, sad as it was to say. I've been to Tucanos a handful of times, and each time I've eaten here, I've enjoyed their food less and less.

I want to like Tucanos Brazilian Grill. It's got a unique atmosphere, and the style of the architecture gives it a high-class look. It's a fun place to be in.

Unfortunately, the food isn't anything to rant and rave about. The baked salmon that they brought out was dry and bland, and other meats were equally bland and nonimpressive. Beef really is the name of the game here, and when you're paying $26 a person for dinner, you kind of want a reason to justify spending ten bucks more on a buffet per person.

Other meat options that came out were the Brazilian sausage, pork loin, BBQ chicken thigh, New York strip, and turkey wrapped in bacon. All of these were so-so in taste for Tessa and I. We didn't need a WOW taste, but we were expecting at least enticing that was enjoyable to swallow. I didn't get that from enough of the food here.

Grilled pineapple and top sirloin, which were both bomb!

That's not to say that there weren't winners, they were just few. Grilled pineapple? Scrumptious. Fried bananas? Surprisingly exceeded my expectations for a  little dessert (I didn't know I liked bananas so much). The top sirloin was marinated well, and was a delight.

I just wish more of these meats were palatable. There's no flavor with a lot of them, and that was disappointing.

Generally, I've remembered service there being just fine. This time (Friday night), it took more doing to get our waiter and the meat servers to our table, but I'm not counting that against the restaurant.

Maybe I shouldn't have been expecting so much from a buffet style restaurant? It's a Brazilian steakhouse that does buffet that is really popular. I know my opinion of it is in the minority, but I'm good enough at cooking my own meats with plenty of flavor, and I want more taste. I want more quality, and this was cheaper food.

If the meat can't stand alone on it's own, then it's not worth $26 a person. However, I did not mix my meats with anything from the salad bar, so maybe that was what I was missing?

Tucanos Desserts

I'm not sure what all these are, since the dessert pictures on the menu are not exactly the same. top right is brulee cheesecake, and a torre chocolate cake on the very right.

So the waitstaff will come by your table and present a large saucer plate with dessert options. While they look great, they're all pre-made in frozen boxes, so the quality is not great. Plus, they're not part of the buffet, you would have to order them additionally.

If you do try a dessert, the creme brulee is good, though being really close to a sauce, it should freeze a lot better than other desserts. The Brazilian flan is ok, though flan's got a jello consistency that I'm not into.

You can also do fruity alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks.

Conclusion

This is the food we didn't eat at Tucanos Brazilian Steakhouse. It was too bland to continue eating it unfortunately.

I think the problem is just me. I expect a grandiosity from Tucanos Brazilian grill, and that's partly because of the size of the building. Also, for $26 a person at dinner and $18 a person at lunch, where lunch will likely have even less of what I want to eat there, I don't see the appeal. For that price I want to be wowed, and, for that same price, there are other restaurants in Colorado Springs that offer better food.

Don't let that deter you if others with you want to go. Tucanos Restaurant is really, really popular in Colorado Springs, and it's not a bad spot to try on a visit or if you've never been. Your tastes may differ wildly from mine.

If you end up reading more of my restaurant reviews and find that our tastes are similar, then I hope that I can find you, the reader, a hidden gem of a restaurant that deepens your love for this amazing city!

Does Tucanos accept American Express?

Yes they do.

How much does it cost for kids?

Kids 7-12 are $9.95, however M-F from 11AM to 3PM they charge $6.95 per child. Kids under 7 eat free with a paid adult.

Are they closed on Sundays?

Yes.

Is there a birthday coupon?

Yes! On their app, or online, you can sign up with you email and tell them when your birthday is (or whenever you "want" it to be), and get a free meal for yourself for your birthday month.

Do they have beer on tap?

I'm not sure about this one. I didn't see any. They do have specialty drinks, which you can add shots of rum or vodka to.

Is there a military discount?

Yes.

Can you get your food to-go?

Yes, but they will limit you on how much you can take.

Is Tucanos open on Christmas or Thanksgiving?

They are open on Thanksgiving, but not Christmas.

Are there gluten free options?

Yes, a lot of the salad bar will be gluten free. Some of the meats may be also, but check with your waiter to find out the marinade ingredients. You can also order all you can eat grilled vegetables and pineapple for $2 a person.

Can I call ahead/make a reservation?

You can call ahead, but they won't put you on a waiting list. They also won't give you wait times, so you kind of just have to go and find out. You can make reservations though.

Can I order just the salad bar?

Yes, the salad bar is $13.95 a person for lunch, $17.95 for dinner.