Churrasco Villa is back after a two-and-a-half-year closure, and old-timers couldn’t be more thrilled to get their Portuguese chicken fix from this family joint once again. 

The restaurant, started by George Duarte and his wife, Sandy Duarte, nearly 25 years ago, specializes in Portuguese-style churrasco.

Churrasco is a barbecue cooking method done on natural wood charcoal, where the meat is typically basted in a special sauce. 

I, along with some other hungry diners, waited for the restaurant doors to open for lunch. As soon as you walk in, you’re greeted with the smoky, delicious smell of the churrasco. At the grill station is George himself, rotating the chicken on a spit and cooking racks of ribs.

Managing the restaurant is his daughter, Michelle Duarte.

"We're lucky that we have the support of all of our family working together. We wouldn't be here without the staff returning and you know, my husband was behind the scenes just trying to put this place back together and it just takes a village to run this place," Michelle shared with blogTO about the re-opening.

There's plenty of seating, a ceramic chicken or two or ten, and installations of Portugal's must-see destinations throughout. 

Photos of the Belém Tower in Lisbon, the Umbrella Sky Project in Águeda, and Porto Old Town will have you wishing you were on a direct flight to the picturesque country. 

You can still experience the taste of Portugal with George's secret house-made Piri Piri sauce and many of the classic dishes featured on the menu.

George sells his Piri Piri sauce by the bottle ($10), and it goes well on just about anything. The Piri Piri chilies have a fiery kick and are significantly spicier than jalapeños.

Luckily, diners have two sauce options available at the table with their meal - mild and hot. It's worth trying both with the nutty and dense cornbread.

If you find you can handle the heat, ask for the extra hot sauce also available. I thoroughly enjoyed the tanginess of the sauce, drizzling it generously on the appetizers and mains.

The Chouriço Grelhados ($14) comes with toasted cornbread and grilled chorizo sausage, cut up and ready for sharing. The smoky taste of the chorizo is enhanced by the charcoal and gives the sausage an extra crispy exterior.

The Lulas ($21) are marinated and grilled calamari topped with a homemade relish of roasted peppers, sun-dried tomatoes, onions, pine nuts, and balsamic. 

Every plate also includes black olives.

The main reason to visit Churrasco Villa is for the chicken, which Michelle highly recommends to any first-time customer. The half chicken ($24) comes with your standard breast, wing, leg, and thigh, offering you a good mix of dark and light meat. 

The chicken is spatchcocked and marinated before being cooked churrasco style, and the charcoal really does infuse so much flavour. It's tender and juicy with an irresistibly crispy skin.

Another entree not to be missed is the fall-off-the-bone Baby Back Ribs (full rack $38). Done with an in-house BBQ sauce, the ribs are sticky, sweet, and tangy. 

Both mains come with your choice of two sides, which include fries, rice pilaf, roasted potatoes, and vegetables, or you can swap for the house salad. The well-seasoned roasted potatoes were my favourite. 

To drink, try the Sumol ($5) - a classic Portuguese drink made with carbonated water and fruit flavours. The passion fruit flavour is sweet and refreshing. 

Churrasco Villa will have more menu options once fully open, including homemade soups and a coveted chicken wrap. 

Churrasco Villa is located at 254 Eglinton Ave East.