JoCo Brazilian steakhouse closes after 5 years. ‘Too painful to talk about right now.’

Overland Park’s Brazilian churrascaria, Porto do Sul, has closed after five years.

Executive chef Leonice Ludwig and her husband, Edson, opened the restaurant in a freestanding building at 11900 Metcalf Ave. in 2015.

In a statement, a spokeswoman for the restaurant said: ”Porto do Sul will not reopen under Leonice and Edson’s direction. Someone else might take it over, but it is closed. With Porto’s buffet and tableside concept, they just didn’t believe the volume of customers would be there in the coming months to sustain the business. It was a heart-wrenching decision and it’s too painful to talk about right now.”

The Ludwigs extensively renovated the 8,300-square-foot former Elephant Bar building for their 180-seat restaurant with a wood-burning fireplace and bar.

Edson had previously been with the Country Club Plaza’s Fogo de Chao Brazilian Steakhouse.

It was originally called Espirito do Sul, but they changed the name in mid-2016.

Passadores, or “meat waiters,” would come to customers’ tables with chunks of beef, pork, filet mignon, lamb and chicken.

Its “Harvest Table” was a buffet included in the price of lunch or dinner and offered seasonal salads, cheeses and vegetables, along with a hot station with pastas, black bean stew and more.

They offered curbside service from April 25 to May 31, when they officially closed.

This story was originally published June 15, 2020 at 2:26 PM.