Royal Caribbean International Allure of the Seas

Venue Overview (5.50)

Located at what is the healthy-focused Solarium Bistro by day, this is a (not so healthy, meat-focused) Brazilian churrascaria grill that is open for dinner only. The tables that by day are casual are re-set with white tablecloths and silverware at night, and soft lighting turns the eatery into a more upscale restaurant. The cover charge for the Samba Grill is $25, excluding drinks, which makes this a more expensive outing than the much-better, Italian-serving Giovanni’s Table. In short, we found this outlet to be a disappointment, with uninspired meat selections, a so-so salad bar, indifferent service and overly loud background music that made it difficult to carry on a conversation. Several times during the course of the meal, a samba dancer performs, then tries to teach diners how to dance it, something that theoretically could be appealing but in this setting seemed contrived and intrusive.

Lunch / Dinner

Samba grill is a churrascaria, where waiters frequently bring a vast selection of slow-roasted meat on skewers, carved tableside. They also serve up baskets of pao de queijo, the yummy Brazilian cheese buns. Before the meat feast, you can fill your plate at the extensive buffet, with salads, antipasti, cold cuts, and fish.

Each table has a little light on it. Switching it to green means “I want more meat,” while a red light means “I am done for now.” The white lights indicates that “I want dessert.”

As soon as you are ready, you can switch the little light to green and the “gauchos” start bringing out the meat. There are 13 different meats to choose from, one of the best pieces is the picanha, a Brazilian signature cut of beef sirloin. Other choices include linguica, a Brazilian sausage, chicken, lamb, beef ribs, and a parmesan pork loin.

Side dishes include fries, grilled plantains, and vegetables, as well as salsa verde (green herb dipping sauce), salt, and tomato salsa.

Dessert

Desserts include puddim de leite, a Brazilian-style flan, arroz doce, a sweet rice pudding with fruits, and a corn pudding.

Wine List

Being a Brazilian restaurant, the Samba Grill offers caiprinhas, Brazil’s signature cocktail with lime and Cachaca, a sugar cane liquor, for about $8. All other drinks are offered at bar menu prices.