Tucanos reopens and opens up
Jul. 31—After a two month closure, Tucanos Brazilian Grill has reopened and opened up its space, eliminating columns and adding Rio de Janeiro inspired art across the ceiling and along the bar. The patio will be more comfortable for diners through all seasons, with overhead shelter, new air conditioning and new heaters. Tucanos invested $1.5 million into the remodel.
The Downtown Brazilian fusion restaurant has been offering grilled meats, sliced tableside off large skewers, for over 20 years.
"If you were to talk to a lot of people here in Albuquerque, they'd probably tell you they thought we started here in Albuquerque and that's because we jumped in and we were part of this Downtown redevelopment," said Steve Oldham, Tucanos co-founder and CEO. "We've been very active in the Downtown community. We participate in events around the city and then we try and support the food banks and other organizations here. And we're trying to do that in each of our markets. We don't see ourselves as a chain. We see ourselves as a group of local restaurants."
The restaurant imports grills made in Caxias do Sul, Brazil. Skewers of meat rotate in the grills and are cooked from the top down.
The first Tucanos opened in Utah. The Albuquerque location was Tucanos' second restaurant and opened in 2001, before the movie theater moved in next door. Tucanos also has locations in Idaho, Colorado and Missouri.
How do you end up with a Brazilian fusion restaurant in Utah?
"I lived in Brazil for a long time," Oldham said. "So, I have about three-and-a-half years total on two different occasions, and just fell in love with the fun, the festiveness of the culture, the people and the food and just felt like we were missing that. I thought it'd be a great opportunity to bring that experience here. We opened 20, 22 plus years ago here in Albuquerque to lines out the door and hours-long waits, and it's been a great market for us."
Much like the U.S., Brazil is a cultural melting pot and has food influences from Portugal, Germany, Italy and Japan, so Tucanos offerings include items like stroganoff and sushi, and traditional Brazilian cheese bread and gourmet-made salads. Then there's the grilled pineapple and traditional Brazilian desserts.
"One of my favorites is our mango butter cake," Oldham said. "It's a really rich butter cake and then it's drizzled with a cream sauce, with diced fresh mangoes on top of that. The cake's served warm with the fresh fruit and then a scoop of mango sorbet on top, and it's drizzled with raspberry puree. It's really killer."
Tucanos first renovated the Albuquerque location 12 years ago, but the newest remodel has been in the works for three years. The COVID-19 pandemic created supply chain issues and delays that made it difficult to renovate. It took a year to get the three new walk-in fridges delivered.
The remodel includes new plumbing, energy-efficient lighting, new kitchen equipment, retractable windows on the patio, new furniture and flooring, wall treatments and updated restrooms.
