Galeto Brazilian Steakhouse, an award-winning restaurant in Oakland, Calif., is planning to go national. Its first stop? Chandler.
Galeto currently is renovating the 7,575-square-foot building southeast of the I-10 and Ray that has housed several short-lived concepts over the past decade.
The massive space started out as a Jilly’s American Grille before becoming Ernie’s Inn, then Nabers, and, most recently, Señor Pancho Villa, which closed last year after just two months in business.
The new owner is Brazilian-born Eli Nascimento, who failed to find a true “churrascaria†(fire-roasted meats) concept when he moved to the Bay Area so he decided to open his own, Galeto, in 2014.
The restaurant’s prix-fixe menu features what it calls a ‘‘meat parade’’ of up to 14 types of rotisserie beef, chicken, lamb, pork, and sausage served tableside. A ‘‘gourmet bar’’ buffet offers seafood, salads, imported cheeses, charcuterie meats, hot sides and more.
A full bar has beers, wine, and cocktails, including the Caipirinha, Brazil’s national cocktail made with cachaça, sugar, and lime.
Although a number of Brazilian steakhouses have opened in the East Valley over the years, currently there’s only one other: Rodizio Grill, which opened at Dana Park in Mesa in 2016.
Galeto Chandler is targeting a late November opening.
The steakhouse is expected to open a third location before the end of the year near Atlanta.
