A Florida-based upscale steakhouse chose metro Atlanta for its first out-of-state restaurant, citing the region's large Brazilian population, including established communities in Alpharetta, Sandy Springs and Marietta, as a key draw.

Adega Gaucha, a churrascaria with three locations in Orlando, Kissimmee and Deerfield Beach, plans to open an 8,000-square-foot restaurant at 1224 Hammond Drive in Dunwoody's Twelve24 mixed-use development, co-founder and COO Fabiano Borsato told What Now Atlanta in an interview published Sunday, July 13. The brand is targeting a January 2027 opening, refining an earlier estimate of late 2026 that CEO Ricardo Oliveira gave Appen Media.

"[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."

The restaurant will take over the former Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant space on the ground floor of Twelve24, a 16-story, 345,000-square-foot tower connected to the Dunwoody MARTA station by a sky bridge. The space will seat more than 250 guests across a dining room, bar and patio.

Borsato said thousands of guests at the brand's Florida locations either live in Georgia or pass through regularly, and that repeated requests from those customers drove the expansion decision. He described the company's growth as "slow, methodic." The brand opened in Orlando in 2021 and is only now expanding beyond Florida, five years later.

Oliveira told Appen Media in a report published July 9, that Dunwoody is "exactly the kind of community where we believe Adega Gaucha can thrive."

The Dunwoody menu will feature Southern Brazilian churrasco with fire-grilled cuts, a Gourmet Table offering salads, charcuterie and hot dishes, plus an extensive wine list and cocktails. Guests can choose tableside rodizio service or order à la carte.

Aria Group, a hospitality design firm based in Oak Park, Illinois, whose portfolio includes Cooper's Hawk, STK and Del Frisco's, is handling design and architecture for the new location.

No building permits or Dunwoody city approvals for the space have appeared in public records as of mid-July.