Churrasco’s was founded in 1988 by Michael Cordúa. Thirty-six years later, the original location is closing for good.
HOUSTON — Churrasco’s chef Hector Torres will fire up the grill one last time on Father’s Day. The iconic South American steakhouse recently announced it’s closing its River Oaks location.
“A chapter closes, another one is about to begin. We bid farewell to our beloved River Oaks location on June 16,” the Facebook post read.
Michael Cordúa opened the flagship Churrasco’s at Westheimer and South Shepherd on Aug. 8, 1988.
The self-taught chef left his family in his native Nicaragua and came to Houston when he was 16, according to a 2016 profile in Spirit. Cordúa got a finance degree at Texas A&M and originally planned to be a banker. A job as a dishwasher gave him a taste of the restaurant business and he took a different path.
Cordúa, influenced by his uncle in Managua, told Food & Wine that he wanted to bring the flavors of Latin America to Houston beyond the traditional Tex-Mex. Food & Wine named him Best New Chef in 1994.
Churrasco’s signature steak with chimichurri sauce, empanadas and tres leches to die for were a hit with Houston diners. Cordúa and his son David expanded to Memorial, Sugar Land and The Woodlands.
They also owned Américas, Amazón Grill and Artista.
The father and son left Churassco’s in 2018 to start a hospitality business, the Houston Chronicle reported.
Churrasco’s current owners didn’t share the reason for shuttering the River Oaks restaurant, but a sluggish economy combined with higher leases has contributed to the demise of many others in 2025.