What Happened to Gauchos Village After Food Paradise? (Glendale, CA)

What happened after Food Paradise?

The episode featured Gauchos Village, a Brazilian churrascaria in Glendale offering an all-you-can-eat buffet of salads, pastas, and feijoada-style black beans followed by tableside-carved, spit-roasted meats such as filet mignon, tri-tip, and Brazilian sausage. The restaurant, established in 2001, operated at 135 N Artsakh Ave in Glendale and also ran an adjoining bar space, Gaucho's Lounge, with live samba shows on weekend nights, according to Gayot. According to Yelp, whose listing was updated in June 2026, the Artsakh Avenue location is marked closed. However, Gayot's listing for the restaurant notes that it has changed locations, and OpenTable's current listing continues to reference Gauchos Village as a Glendale restaurant, so it is unclear whether the business closed entirely or relocated.

In the Mystery Diners (Food Network) episode "While the Cat's Away..." (season 4, episode 5; aired August 14, 2013), owner Kevin -- recovering in Brazil from a paragliding accident -- noticed revenue and inventory discrepancies at his Brazilian churrascaria, Gauchos Village, in Glendale, California, and called in the crew to investigate remotely. Undercover investigators Grant and Amber found the restaurant's manager, not its chef, was responsible: he had badmouthed Kevin to the staff during his absence, let some staff take home leftover meat against normal house practice, sold meat to employees, and used restaurant meat and alcohol to host a barbecue at his own home. Wikipedia's article on Mystery Diners, citing its sources, notes that the program carries a disclaimer stating its events may be staged or re-enacted for dramatic effect, and describes a television critic's view that some of its scenarios read as implausible. A Yelp listing for Gauchos Village at 135 N Artsakh Ave, updated in June 2026, marks the restaurant as permanently closed. An OpenTable page for the business was also found but showed no current-dated menu, hours, or review content, so it is not treated as evidence of ongoing operation. This record was initially flagged as a possible non-restaurant venue, but the episode and business listings confirm it operated as a standalone restaurant.