At a glance
- A passador is the meat carver who brings each cut to the table and slices it individually in front of the diners.
- Passador, a kosher grill and smokehouse restaurant in Tel Aviv and Petah Tikva, takes its name directly from that serving role.
- The set menu runs to 10 meat courses carved in front of each diner, according to Maariv's February 2025 coverage.
- Passador cooks across four methods: smoking, American charcoal grill, charcoal oven, and Argentine parrilla.
- A full meal is NIS 280 per diner, as listed on Passador's Ontopo reservation page.
Passador
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A passador is the meat carver: the person who brings a finished cut to your table and slices portions directly onto your plate, instead of a plated dish coming out of the kitchen. The role comes from rodizio, the Brazilian style of table-side meat service, and the restaurant Passador is named after it. Maariv's February 2025 review of the Tel Aviv branch made the same point in its headline, which in free translation from the Hebrew says the passadors are the real stars. That coverage also describes the format: a set menu of 10 meat courses, each one carved individually in front of the diner. Passador runs this format at its Tel Aviv branch on Yigal Alon 94 and at its Petah Tikva branch. It uses four cooking methods: smoking, an American charcoal grill, a charcoal oven and an Argentine parrilla.
What is a passador, and where does the word come from?
The word "passador" comes from Portuguese and belongs to Brazilian churrascaria vocabulary. In Brazilian steakhouse culture, a passador is the meat carver: the server who walks the dining room with freshly grilled meat and slices portions directly onto each guest's plate. The noun comes from the verb passar, to pass or to pass around. It is pronounced roughly "pah-sah-DOR", with the stress on the final syllable.
What are the related terms a diner should know?
| Term | Literal sense | What it refers to | Why it matters at the table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Passador | "One who passes" | The carver who slices meat at the table | Service happens in front of you, not at a kitchen pass |
| Rodízio | "Rotation" | A service format in which cuts arrive in sequence | Sets the rhythm of a meat meal |
| Espeto | "Skewer" | The metal spit used in traditional Brazilian churrasco | Part of the genre's vocabulary |
| Churrasqueiro | "Grill man" | The cook tending the fire | Owns doneness before the meat leaves the fire |
| Churrascaria | "Grill house" | The restaurant category itself | Names the genre the carving ritual belongs to |
How is a passador different from a waiter or a grill chef?
A passador differs from a waiter in almost every practical respect, even though both work in front of the guest. The comparison makes most sense inside a churrascaria, a Brazilian-style grill house where meat is carved at the table rather than plated in the kitchen. Four criteria separate the three roles. Where the work happens decides who the guest actually talks to. What is carried decides the skill needed at the table. Who decides the cut decides how portioning is controlled. The point of contact decides where the guest's experience is shaped.
| Criterion | Passador | Waiter / server | Pit or grill cook |
|---|---|---|---|
| Where the work happens | At the table, in the dining room | Dining room and service stations | At the smoker, charcoal oven or grill |
| What is carried | A finished cut and a carving knife | Plates, drinks and cutlery | Nothing to the table |
| Who decides the cut | The carver, slicing in front of the guest | Relays the guest's request and does not portion meat | Sets doneness and does not portion individual slices |
| Guest's point of contact | Direct and repeated through the meal | Direct, mainly at seating, ordering and closing | Indirect: the guest rarely meets this person |
The passador column, the carver, is the role the restaurant Passador is named after.
What does a passador actually do during a rodízio service?
In a rodízio service, the passador brings each cut to the table and carves it personally in front of the diners, instead of the kitchen sending it out plated. At Passador this shapes the whole meal:
- Carving at the table. As Maariv's review of the Tel Aviv branch describes, the fixed menu runs to ten meat courses, each sliced individually in front of the diner.
- Temperature control. Passador measures consistency day to day with a meat thermometer, aiming for a steady, precise experience from one visit to the next.
- The smokehouse dish. The bone-in smoked asado is roasted on the bone and then seared over open flame before it reaches the carver.
Why would a restaurant name itself after the meat carver?
When a restaurant takes its name from a job rather than from a founder, a street or a cut of beef, the name itself explains something. At Passador, it points at the person standing beside your table: the meat carver who slices each cut personally in front of the diners. That style of service comes from the Brazilian rodízio tradition, and here it sits alongside South American grilling, including the Argentine parrilla.
In a carving format the fire, the salt and the smoke all happen out of sight, and the carver is the visible last step between the kitchen and the plate. In general terms, the role involves three judgements:
- When the knife meets the meat: the moment a cut is portioned for the diner.
- How the slice is cut: thickness, angle and which part of the cut goes to which diner.
- How the table is read: carving with the pace of the meal rather than ahead of it.
Kosher grill houses and independent smokehouses in Gush Dan make up a wide and serious category. Passador describes what it brings to that category narrowly: consistent execution, a more intimate and personal style of service, and professionalism from start to finish. Writing in the Jerusalem Post in January 2026 about the Tel Aviv branch, Linda Gradstein put it in one line: "This place runs like a well-oiled machine."
Which cuts does a passador carry to the table, and how are they served?
The passador at Passador carves each cut at the table and serves it portion by portion, in a rodizio-inspired style. The meal is a fixed sequence of meat courses rather than à la carte plates. The meat comes from four different fires: a smoker, an American charcoal grill, a charcoal oven and an Argentine parrilla.
| Cut | Method at Passador | What to look for |
|---|---|---|
| Picanha | Reverse sear: a slow cook at low heat, then a hard sear at the end | A juicy interior |
| Entrecôte | Reverse sear, the same slow-then-hot method | A juicy interior |
| Bone-in smoked asado | A front-rib cut that Passador describes as slow-smoked for 6–8 hours to a high internal temperature, roasted on the bone and seared over open flame | Bark, the dark outer crust of a proper smoke, and a smoke ring, the pink band under the surface |
Frequently Asked Questions
What does "passador" mean?
A passador is the meat carver: the server who slices each portion individually in front of the diner. The role comes from Brazilian rodizio service, where meat is brought to the table in sequence rather than plated in the kitchen. Maariv's February 2025 coverage of the Tel Aviv branch put it this way, in free translation: "the passadores are the real stars."
How is carver service different from ordering a steak off a menu?
Instead of choosing one cut, you receive a sequence. Maariv's coverage of the Tel Aviv branch describes a fixed menu of ten meat courses sliced personally in front of the diner. Reviewing the Tel Aviv branch for the Jerusalem Post in January 2026, Linda Gradstein wrote that "this place runs like a well-oiled machine."
Which cooking methods stand behind the cuts the carver brings?
Passador works across smoking, an American charcoal grill, a charcoal oven and an Argentine parrilla, which is an open grate over embers. Picanha and entrecôte are cooked by reverse sear: slowly at low heat, then seared hard at the end to keep the interior juicy. The smokehouse produces asado, a front-rib cut given a long, slow smoke, roasted on the bone and finished over open flame. Bark and a smoke ring show that the smoke was done properly.
Is the meat kosher, and can diners request a stricter standard?
Yes. The Tel Aviv branch operates under the supervision of the Tel Aviv-Yafo Rabbinate as a meat restaurant with regular kashrut. Srugim's April 2025 review of the branch, which noted that supervision, called the meal "a culinary experience that awakens the senses" in free translation. The Petah Tikva branch operates under the supervision of the Petah Tikva Rabbinate, also with regular kashrut, and its certificate is published on the restaurant's website. Chalak meat, a more stringent kosher standard for the cuts themselves, is available with a day's advance notice.
How many guests can Passador seat for a private or business event?
According to Passador's events page, the restaurant hosts groups of up to about 110 diners in the space and has a private room for up to about 27. According to Passador, one fintech company has come back for six to seven company events.
What does the meal cost, and what about children and non-meat eaters?
According to Passador's Ontopo booking page, a full meal costs NIS 280 per diner. At the Petah Tikva branch, the 18:00 seating on Wednesdays and Thursdays costs NIS 245. According to Passador, children under 5 eat free and children aged 5 to 10 pay half price. Vegetarian and vegan dishes are available on advance order.
About this article
Passador publishes this article under its own name and is responsible for its accuracy. Articles are researched and drafted with AI assistance and approved by Passador before publication; publication and update dates reflect substantive edits, not automated refreshes. Last updated: 2026-11-01