Our Story

Brazil's representative traditional dish, Churrasco. It's a Brazilian cuisine where chunks of meat are skewered onto iron rods, seasoned with rock salt, and slowly roasted. One of its distinctive features is that you can taste the natural flavor of the meat, making it beloved by people worldwide. The birthplace of Churrasco is the southernmost state of Brazil, Rio Grande do Sul.

Ademar Sugisarji do Carmo, the founder of Barbacoa, grew up immersed with Churrasco from his childhood in this region. Following his university graduation, Ademar established three Churrascaria specialty restaurants named "Churrascaria" in the outskirts of São Paulo. It was during this period that he made the decision to expand his business into the Itaim Bibi district, located next to São Paulo's upscale residential area (Jardins).

At that time, Churrascaria was widespread across Brazil. Many of these eateries were situated along highways or in suburban areas, characterized by modest interiors and a pervasive aroma of smoke. The prevalent dining style was the buffet-style "Rodízio," where waiters circulated among tables. However, this service, known as "running skewers," often fell short in terms of attentiveness and refinement.

Ademar believed that venturing into a high-end area required a change in strategy. He conceived a unique concept that offered higher-quality cuisine and meticulous service. Furthermore, he introduced equipment to ensure that smoke and odors wouldn't permeate the restaurant, along with upgrading the interior design and furniture to a higher standard.

The name of the restaurant is "Barbacoa." It originates from the Spanish language, meaning the method of cooking meat and is also the origin of the word "barbecue." Ademar was drawn to its resonance and meaning, he chose it as the name for the restaurant. This is how the upscale Churrascaria "Barbacoa" came into existence.

Setting itself apart from traditional Churrascarias, Barbacoa has gained popularity, evolving into a symbol of Brazilian Churrascaria. Three years after its opening, the chairman of Wonder Table Co., Ltd., now overseeing Barbacoa in Japan, made the journey to visit this esteemed establishment.

Our chairman, who wanted to open Barbacoa in Japan, quickly made an offer. However, Ademar couldn't fathom the notion of opening a restaurant in Japan, which was on the exact opposite side of the globe. Despite initially declining the offer, the chairman's passion eventually convinced Ademar, leading to a successful agreement to open Barbacoa in Japan.

To ensure authenticity, we sent staff from Japan to Brazil to replicate the local interior design and bring the genuine Churrasco and salad bar experience to Japan. Likewise, we dispatched three Passadores specialists from Brazil to Japan to handle meat grilling and serving. Through this collaboration, our first restaurant opened in Aoyama in June 1994, followed by a second location in Shibuya in October of the same year.

Contrary to expectations, the restaurant struggled to attract customers after opening. The Churrasco trend in Japan had already faded, and particularly in Shibuya, where young people gather, Barbacoa's upscale concept didn't resonate well. As a result, the Shibuya branch (former) closed its doors after just two years.

During tough times, we revisited our roots of delivering top-notch Churrasco and salad bar options, along with attentive service, and dedicated ourselves to enhancing our traditional concept. As a result, our efforts bore fruit, with increased recognition and a growing number of repeat customers, leading to the transformation into a lively Churrascaria.

At present, we operate nine outlets across Japan, where the" term "churrasco" is synonymous with "BARBACOA" is gaining momentum, particularly in Tokyo and Osaka. Barbacoa's mission is to convey the essence of Brazil to Japan, not only through the culinary tradition of Churrasco but also through our presence and influence.