Adega Gaucha Brazilian Steakhouse is planning its first location outside of Florida. It will take over the former Iron Hill Brewing space in Dunwoody’s Twelve24 development at 1224 Hammond Dr., co-founder and COO Fabiano Borsato told What Now Atlanta. He said they are targeting a January 2027 opening.
“Georgia felt like the obvious next move once we decided to leave Florida,” Borsato told What Now Atlanta in an email. “Atlanta has a real dining culture, a solid business crowd and people who care about hospitality. Every year thousands of guests from our Florida restaurants either live in Georgia or pass through regularly. Plenty of them kept asking when we were going to open closer to home. That kind of demand is hard to ignore. The two states are close enough that it didn’t feel like a stretch.”
The brand launched in Orlando in 2021 and has since expanded to additional restaurants in Deerfield Beach and Kissimmee. The Dunwoody location will be the fourth for the brand.
“Twelve24 gave us a visible spot that works for the kind of restaurant we run,” Borsato said. “This will be our first location in Georgia and the first outside Florida. That means something to us.”
The team was attracted to the Dunwoody community for its Georgia debut because of its central location and proximity to office buildings, hotels, residents and visitors.
“[The Dunwoody location] puts us near one of the biggest Brazilian communities in the country,” Borsato said. “The Atlanta consular region has about 120,000 Brazilians, with established neighborhoods in Marietta, Sandy Springs and Alpharetta. That gives us a chance to feed people who already get the food and the hospitality, while introducing it to the rest of Atlanta.”
The restaurant will be about 8,000 square feet and will seat more than 250 customers across the dining room and bar. There will also be a patio with additional seating.
Adega Gaucha has tapped Aria Group on design and architecture. Aria Group has major brands such as Cooper’s Hawk, STK, Del Frisco’s and P.F. Chang’s in its portfolio. When Adega Gaucha opens in Dunwoody, customers can expect an upscale, warm and modern steakhouse aesthetic with a full bar and a refined atmosphere.
The menu will feature Adega Gaucha’s signature Southern Brazilian churrasco, fire-grilled cuts, the Gourmet Table (salads, charcuterie, hot dishes, fruits and vegetables), and an extensive wine list and cocktails. Guests will be able to experience the brand’s tableside rodizio service or order menu items à la carte.
As Borsato and the team continue to expand Adega Gaucha, they are being strategic about which markets to target. They are focusing on slow, methodic growth rather than expanding rapidly.
“Dunwoody is the first public step outside Florida and one of the more important moments for the company so far,” Borsato said. “We’re looking at other states, but we’re picky. The point isn’t to open as many locations as possible. It’s to choose places where the brand can actually take root and become a regular part of people’s lives. Right now the focus is getting Dunwoody right and bringing Southern Brazilian hospitality to Atlanta.”
