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Mon-Thu. 5:30 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.
Fri. 5:30 p.m. - 10:30 p.m.
Sat. 4:30 p.m. - 10:30 p.m.
Sun. 3:30 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
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After a couple hours of feasting at Chima, it goes without saying that this place is really amazing. I was with a party of eight to celebrate a birthday. Reservations at least 5 days in advance (especially when coming on the weekend) are highly recommended. By the time we left around 9pm on a Saturday night, there ware a cluster of people trying to get in.
The price for each person includes the salad bar consisting of the not-so-typical ways you'd prepare dishes from any restaurant. This is no ordinary restaurant. The selection of cheeses, salads, brazilian rice, blue cheese molds, dips, soft bread and butter, smoked salmon, freshly prepared vegetables and soup... were all enough to entice our senses, or better so, wet our palette for what was to come.
The meat. All 18 cuts of leg of lamb and lamb chops, filet mignon, chicken, beef ribs, swordfish and salmon to just name a few, were eagerly brought to the table by respectful servers who cut the meat tableside. They were prompted by placing a circular chip on the table which says "feed me" (not exactly, but close enough), a procedure explained by the host to first time guests. Members of my party had joyously gotten up and sat down a number of times to sample more of the salad bar, until eventually they were all weighed down by the moderately sized, but frequent helpings of the delicious, juicy meats. And if that weren't enough, separate servers came to replenish dishes of perfectly fried sultanas (small bananas), brazilian bread, gourmet mashed potatos and fries and turkey meat balls. Yes, do come when you're hungry! A word of caution though- don't eat too fast while you're here. Sit and be entertained by the colors and options of an old-world concept while enjoying those around you. A perfect endeavor to soothe the soul.
The atmosphere was warm, the service attentive and the tables were adequately disbursed through the open restaurant. The ambience is compatible for a date, celebration with a group or friendly gathering of any occasion. Chima is inspired by a tradition practiced in South America with an interesting American twist- this place truly defines delicious food to be distributed abundantly, while developing the same abundant quality of good company that's shared with family and friends.
Sorry, but the whole "meat on a stick" thing is lost on me. Were it not for the nice salad bar (and actually, it's much more than than) and the sides they give you at your table, I would likely rate this one star.
I hate the whole concept of having a hunk of meat sliced down in my face, The Brazil style of cooking is also way to salty for me and takes away from the taste of the meat itself. I felt overwhelmed each time I would turn over my coin (indicating I wanted to be served) and was immediately swamped by the Gaucho's who do the slicing.
Give me my food and get away from me - I don't want someone (or something) literally in my face the entire meal. Dinner here is not for those who are looking for a nice quiet evening! I've been there twice, the first time with about 10 people and you could not carry on a conversation because of the noise level and the size of the table. The second time, it was just myself and a friend and we kept having to repeat ourselves between the noise and the constant Gaucho interruption.
I guess guys with big hearty red meat appetities would appreciate this more than I do. The bar is OK, and they do make a mean Mojitio, but the happy hour scene here is really pathetic.
I've only been here once for happy hour so maybe I'm not qualified to write a review of this place, but I'm going to do it anyway! My friend invited me because she had a coupon for a free appetizer.
We each had a Caipirinha, which the bartender informed us is Brazil's national drink. I can see why, because it's delicious and very, very alcoholic. Like, we decided to not have another drink because that one Caipirinha did each of us good. For food, we split the salmon salad - which was a large enough portion for both of us to feel like we had a full meal. They also brought us some pastry-type things to snack on before the food arrived, including some cheese-puff type pastries that were AMAZING. I would probably go back to Chima just for those.
The service was pretty attentive at first but tapered off towards the end - only by a little, though. I really liked the decor of the place, too - the bar area was nice but chill enough so that my friend and I didn't feel out of place in jeans. I'm not sure I'd ever go back there for a full meal unless someone else was paying because I'm a poor non-profit employee, but I definitely want to go back for more after-work drinks!
Went in almost cocky and snarky. Thought, right.. lets try this Fogo De Chao wannabe!
Gauchos carving hot, delicious meat at your table is my idea of heaven. Fogo showed me the light, and rewrote my idea of dining pleasure. Went to Chima, they have certainly met the challenge.
Quality of meat is superb, service is second to none. Sure, you gotta flip the card.. telling the gauchos "Feed Me".. they are there before you can swallow your last bite. Please, what else could a person want?
I'm still digesting all the gluttony I ate, it was worth having to hit the gym the next 45 days to burn it off.
I would cut back on the birthday singing.. let ppl goto TGI fridays or Chi chis for that garbage. Also, bypass the salad bar..sure it is terrific, but you'll save room for ..the main event.
We could not get a reservation at Fogo and I had a coupon for Chima, so off to Chima with a group of 6. Unfortunately many of the others in our group were from Vancouver, B.C. and we had gone to the Brazilian steakhouses there. The service was excellent and the servers were continuously serving without a lot of gaps. I would give the service 4 stars. By Vancouver standards (which is all I have to judge this type of restaurant by) the buffet was average to below average. The meats were inconsistent, some were under cooked to the point of being red and not quite warm. The variety of meats was very limited mainly to pork, beef and chicken.
This is a decent place to have dinner, with a hotel type of buffet feel and warm atmosphere/staff... If you're hungry you can eat until you're fat and happy...
The buffet is more like a big salad bar with lots of things you would expect and few you would not, I found it to be a little bit predictive and not particularly interesting/exciting and lacking any type of elevated culinary flair, the one thing that is nice is that they give you table service for your meats and fish which unfortunately I found just so so, for me nothing I couldn't easily outdo firing up my gas grill on a weeknight, the sward fish was dreadful I took one bite and spit it out, all in all I was happy that I didn't half to pay for my meal as I would have been very disappointed had I did....
Staff was very nice and friendly, dining room very pretty but they need to kick it up a couple of notches on the food side and they could be good place to eat...
Chima is a great place to go when you're craving meat. The service was wonderful and the food was delicious. I've been there twice during restaurant week and feel like it's totally worth it for just $35. I don't know how much it usually costs (maybe around $50?).
Pros:
1. Service - wonderful! Everyone from the hostess to the bus boys were very courteous, polite and professional. The service was attentive but not "in your face"
2. Salad Bar - DELICIOUS! I could eat the salad bar alone for dinner. Not your typical salad bar selection. The selection includes Waldorf Salad, Caesar salad, wedge salads, caprese salad, a variety of fresh cheeses (blocks of parm, fresh mozz, etc.), a variety of cured meats, steam/grilled veggies (asparagus and broccoli) and even a selction of rices (paella, rice and gravy/beans).
3. MEAT - it doesn't get much better than this! There is so much to choose from and all of it is so fresh and juicy and so yummy! Best of all, you can eat it fresh off the pit skewer and the gaucho servers are so nice and attentive...if they see you declining anything, they'll ask you what you are looking for and how you like it cooked and they'll get it straight from the kitchen for you...so awsome!!!
Cons:
1. Dipping Sauce - not that you really need it since the meat is so perfect, but I don't like any of their dipping sauces for the meats. They have a large selection of sauces and I've tried them all...from chimichurras to fresh salsa...just not my favorite
2. Parking - it's a pain
Overall, I love this place and if I'm every in the mood for some meat, meat and more meat, I will definitely come here.
My good friend was kind enough to pass on to me a 2 for 1 deal at this all you can eat meat fest. mmmm
First of all, I have to mention that it was VERY annoying to have to wait 20 minutes (yes, 20!!!!!) even after having made a reservation weeks in advance. Seriously, people without reservations were seated much more quickly than we were . We were about 5 seconds away from making a scene when we were finally seated.
Fortunately, our very nice waiter, Brian made up for our poor lobby experience. The service was very attentive and accommodating. We got 5 plates of the fried bananas, which are in several people's opinion, the best part of the meal. YUMMY!!!!! The rest of the food was very decent as well. We tried (by our accounting) all 15 types of meats on the menu. My personal favorites were the lamb chops and leg of lamb (no trend here hahaha ). Some other favorites were the frank steak, chicken wrapped in bacon and ribs.
The "salad" bar was very good as well. We enjoyed that everything was labeled so that we knew what we were eating. This is all compared to Picanha, the other Brazilian steakhouse that we've been to. Picanha has the reputation of being more authentic and a better bang for the buck. Nothing I have seen discredits this. Although there is a lot to be said for the cleanliness and the clarity of the menu and the labeling of the salad bar at Chima's. I have to say Chima is a good experience if you can get it at a discount, but I personally am partial to Picanha's brisket and mmmm skirt steak mmmmm. *wipe drool* . Hahaha
Fantastic. Waiter service (which pretty much is just to get your drinks, desserts and change your plate in between binges) is very fast. The salad bar is PHENOMENAL, though very dangerous: it is easy to imagine that no food could ever top this salad, cheese and carpaccio, but try to hold back on this course to prevent your stomach from bursting upon presentation of the meat. In fact, it's a good idea to not eat for the entire day before coming to Chima for a late dinner (I'm not exaggerating). The main course is to die for. They have around 18 different types and cuts of meat. The only drawback here is that the filet mignon is usually wrapped in bacon: gross. What is it with bacon these days? Do we really need to put it on everything?
Atmosphere: Standard white-table cloth restaurant but the waiters have exciting gauchos tucked into brown boots. You serve yourself at the salad bar, then wait at the table with your bring-me-meat cards and have the meat carved to your plate. Mix of first dates, business meals and a lot of birthdays.
Food: Salad bar is pretty excellent all around. Huge selection of cheeses, types of lettuce and dressings. Sauces for the meats gets a little confusing and is more spread out than I would like.
The meat is excellent, except for the lamb which was so overcooked it wasn't edible. I particularly enjoyed both chicken dishes and the top-cut sirloin. It can be frustrating trying to get a taste of all the different meats, and I wish they had a selection of somewhat more exotic cuts. I felt pretty wasteful with how many appetizers they bring to the table, rolls, creamed potatoes (potato glue as we dubbed them), plantains, fried bananas and more.
Service: Our party of four with reservations was seated immediately on arrival. Our waiter started out great, and the meat servers ran around on a regular basis. Waiter disappeared near the end, but otherwise was pretty great.
the space is huge and beautiful. love the fire behind the bar. it was cold and crappy out. when we got inside it was so toasty warm and cozy. went for some meet n greet with our running group. they had aps for us set up in our own area. my friend and i were early. we went to the bar first. we were greeted with amazing service. jason behind the bar was soooo friendly and helpful. they gave us some foods to nibble on while we waited. they have $3 wines for happy hour. not the greatest grape. but what can i expect for $3. ended up getting a tasty bottle a little later.
i cant speak about their reg menu. only the space and the service. i will def be back and send friends thru.
Chima was the start of a bachelor party I was part of on Friday night. Since I was familiar with Brazilian barbecue, this immediately threw up some red flags in my mind. Is a full stomach of meat the best way to start a night of drinking? I decided to not argue, and just let the evening play out. On that note, I apologize for anybody walking by 16th and Sansom on Saturday night, the groom's vomit provided us all a great laugh that I'm sure will be recounted numerous times at the wedding, but I doubt it added to the ambiance of Center City.
Since I woke up this morning with the contents of my stomach intact, I figured I'd weigh in on this place. I felt the quality of the meat is better at Fogo, and the atmosphere is a little more fun. If you're looking for a first time Brazilian BBQ experience, I think Fogo de Chao is the way to go. I did enjoy Chima's addition of swordfish and lamb to the gameplan, in fact, I thought these were their strongest offerings. Their salad bar was decent, but certainly not as intimidating as Fogo's. The service was good, but I didn't get the sense of excitement of a flurry of gauchos swarming our table... perhaps because it wasn't very crowded in there: 7pm on Saturday night and it was half empty, not a great sign. The tables are definitely more spaced out than at Fogo though, so I felt less likely to be impaled by an errant gaucho knife.
If you love this food (like our meat-addled groom) than you should check it out. By the way, after 'the incident', he recovered impressively and continued on the night strong for many more hours. So it's good to know that Chima may make you stumble, but it won't incapacitate you.
I read the reviews before I went. I've been to quite a few Brazilian steakhouses and I thought there was quite a variety of meat on a Tuesday night. They don't list this online but they do have filet mignon wrapped in bacon. The salad bar was fresh and the place was actually quite crowded. I like how they bring this small sidedishes like fried polenta and these croquettes which were yummy. The service was actually quite decent unlike the other remarks I've seen. What is great is if you go to the website you get a $25 off coupon and you don't miss out on much if you use it. It's 39.50 per person and we ended up paying $55 for lots of meat and salad bar for 2 people! I would give it a try. I haven't been to Fogo de Chao but if you're a meat lover and want a nice deal, get the coupon and head over there. They also send these great emails for discounts.
This is the best restaurant around, hands down. From the massive salad bar to the extensive variety of meats, the food is absolutely phenomenal. Also, the service is great. As soon as your glass is half empty or one of your side dishes is running low, somebody comes out of nowhere with a refill or a new plate of food. I've been here multiple times and always the experience is exceptional. Love it!!!
I'm so sorry Fogo... I cheated on you and it was wrong.
I went to Chima last night to feed my craving for red meats presented & carved for me table side. I was pulled in by its hip warm decor and more lounge atmosphere. All I could think about was you though. Like how your salad bar is superior in most ways, & how your meats are seasoned better. But I have to admit there are a lot things they are doing right or better. Their wait staff is every bit as attentive as yours, their lamb offerings are better in flavor. Chima can't replace you Fogo, but imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.
Went tonight for Center City sips. I've never been for dinner so this review only applies to my experience at happy hour.
Based on past CC sips experiences, I wasn't expecting much. Usually the bars are so crowded that you can't order a drink, let alone order food. Luckily for us at least, Chima was pretty quiet and we were able to get a large table for the 8 of us. Our waiters were super attentive and immediately got us drinks. I had a very nice, correctly chilled white wine. One of my friends got a brazilian margarita with rum instead of tequila that she loved. We had several rounds of drinks and throughout they kept bringing us this amazing cheesey rolls--they were just cheese with a little bit of dough and hot they were just FABULOUS. They also gave us beef croquettes, which were good (even to the picky eaters) but got neglected next to the cheese bread. Eventually we ordered the chicken and chorizo appetizers and a mozzarella and tomato appetizer. All very good and tasty, as well as not too heavy.
Service was extremely attentive and friendly. They even came by with coupons since CC sips is ending tonight to encourage us to come back.
Maybe not a place I would go out of my way for but a nice bar scene near my office--we'll be back!
Okay, I've never been to Fogo de Chao, so that means nothing to me.
I thought Chima was super fun and delicious. Let me warn you though: Having your card turned to orange (meaning you want more meat) is friggin' dangerous. Those guys in their little suits come around with huge hunks of meat on swords and they come flying. They're like vulchers in reverse. It's pretty awesome. I feel like they should have wheelchairs by the door to cart you out on after you've stuffed yourself full.
The bacon wrapped chicken and the lamb are my favorites along with the creamy veggie soup and the turkey spread.
A good time and great food. I dig it.
Walking through the revolving door, we were greeted by our hostess. Without a reservation on a Tuesday night, my friend and I were seated immediately. Phew!
The ambiance of this place is very lounge, bossa nova style. That alone makes the entire experience much different than the stately ceilings of Fogo de Cho with the gauchos in full attire. Here, the gauchos (male waitstaff) were dressed in classic black and white and were a mix of Americans, Portuguese and Brazilians. I was surprised but it didn't matter where it counted, the meat. Turning the dot from black to orange and like any churrascaria (Brazilian steak house), we were bombarded with meats of every variety. If you didn't like how well or not well done the meat was, you could request otherwise. A plus. Fillet Mignon, linguiça (Brazilian sausage), chicken hearts, top sirloin, etc. come to you on a skewer and they slice it off with a machete style knife and you delicately remove the meat with your prongs.
Now, not only do you get a lot of meat, but they provide po de queijo (cheese bread puffs), salgados, a turkey spread, fried bananas, mashed potatoes and a full salad bar. We just had water but noticed many other couples having drinks.
When I was there, child-star Danny Bonaduce and local Brazilian musician, Xande Cruz where both there. Okay, so I was there with Xande but still, keep your eyes peeled. This chain is moderately priced and if you go hungry, it is definitely worth the experience. Sometimes they even have live entertainment, like Anne Simoni who performed last week.
You may be asking why wasn't it a four-star experience?... Well, I went here clutching my $25 off coupon and originally the plan had been to go here for lunch with my friend and spread the dollars a little more. However, apparently they don't serve lunch. tsk tsk tsk, their competitor Fogo de Cho does offer said lunch special, just saying.
Had an excellent time here - was with a large group (10+) and had awesome drink service/suggestions, never once felt rushed, and realized on our way out we'd been there for 3 hours.
Would absolutely recommend this to anyone looking for a fun dinner with a large group. Or if you like LOTS of meat. Best were the top sirloin and the bacon-wrapped fillet. MMmmmm....
Having now eaten at Fogo, Picanha, Na Brasa, and finally Chima, the four churrascarias that I know of in the Philadelphia area (as well as churrascarias in NY, CT, MD, and VA, and numerous cities in Brasil including Porcao, the peak dining experience of this restaurant genre) I feel confident in judging Chima to be a very good dining experience. Whereas Fogo has something of a more "institutional" vibe to it, I found the atmosphere in Chima to be much more relaxed and pleasant for being together with friends. We actually closed out the place, being the very last to leave that night, so I think that says something about the ambience.
First of all, the caipirinhas here are fine, though one of the things that bothers me is that you have no other option but having Leblon cachaca in it. Fogo does this as well. This is another tangent altogether, but caipirinhas are supposed to be made with the cheap stuff (51, Pitu, etc.), and the aged versions are to be served neat. The salad bar is more than adequate, and while not as varied as Fogo's, you shouldn't be at a loss for good options. The black beans and rice that they served were probably the most authentic of any to be found in the city. The pao de queijo and croqueta table starters are average, as are the accompaniments that come with the main course.
The meat is very good. For me, linguica is the touchstone of a churrascaria in America to be able to see whether they are trying to provide an authentic dining experience, or trying to pass off cheap stuff on unaware guests. In this regard, I give the linguica high marks. I also found the picanha (top sirloin) to be delicious and very authentic. Filet is great too. I don't think that you can go wrong with the beef options at Chima. For people who might have said that the meat is dry or overcooked, you can get whatever doneness you like, just ask the server and he will cut from the hunk of meat accordingly. The only cut that I did have a problem with was the lamb chop, which was overdone. I also acknowledge that it is nice for them to offer a fish option, though it's nothing that I would get; churrascarias are all about meat! I definitely look forward to going back, especially with the promotional coupons and deals that they do periodically.
Went here last night as part of a party of 4.
We loved it, hands down. Really loved it. Great service, friendly gauchos, delicious delicious cow.
I heard the lamb was fabulous (didn't try it).
In the non-red-meat department, I really dug their parmesan-encrusted pork loin; their chicken breast wrapped with bacon wasn't shabby either. Their regular boneless chicken was meh.
The overall winner of the evening was the filet mignon, which surprised me really. Normally filets are flavorless, but this really shined. The texture was silky and perfect; we got seconds (twelfths?) of that stuff. I would give this place 809 stars for the filet alone.
Dessert was just fine; nothing transcendent, but certainly good... but I imagine you don't come here for the desserts.
As we got our desserts, the temperature in the restaurant suddenly dropped 15 degrees and we were FREEZING -- there was a distinct cold breeze. We're not complainers, but when we asked the server and then the floor manager if there was a door open and we were told no, we were puzzled as to what was blowing the tablecloth around. (Last night it was 34 degrees. We weren't just whining for whining's sake, trust me.) The floor manager checked the thermostat and said it read 72, and we said that's quite lovely but DUDE THERE IS A DOOR OPEN SOMEWHERE, and he shrugged and politely walked off.
As we left the building after we paid, HEY, what do you know, the front door was wide open, but nobody caught it because the front reception staff had adjourned for the evening. That was annoying, and sadly really soured the whole experience. Bummer.
Anyway, it was probably just a fluke thing.
Nota bene: If you can't find street parking, consider the valet which is $16. Parking in the building's garage is $10-$15 and is a farking obstacle course / maze of teeny catwalks. If you drive anything other than a Mini Cooper or a Smart Car, pay the $16 for the valet. Trust me. All of the cars in the garage have giant scrape marks down the side of 'em because the lot is really challenging.
My mom came across a scathing 0-star review for Chima (I forget the paper, maybe it was in the Inquirer?), which I took the time to read a couple weeks ago. I couldn't imagine how it would be possible for me to have lauded Chima, especially their food, without taking this more seasoned opinion into consideration.
So the 0-star review was primarily tiffed about a comprehensive but uninspired salad bar, and more/most importantly meat that was oversalted and overcooked. I now agree that the meat was a little dry as a result of possible over-salting, but I don't think that warrants 0-stars...the reviewer was being way too harsh, or maybe he just had a bad time.
Anyway, I've docked this review one extra star, the food at some points was so-so, it's just that I had so much coming at me, I wasn't really able to focus on the individual tastes, none of which were too salty to my palette. Read my original review for more.
I'll preface this review by disclosing that I've never been to a Brazilian-style steakhouse, even… Read more »
Been to Fogo De Chao in DC, was alright. Chima is similar and close to the hotel, so a group of us stopped by. Their salad bar was impressive with tons of variety. However the taste of the items were so ehhh. Had a slice of the prosciutto and this was really disappointing!!! Never had anything like this ever, beware.
Flipped the switch on and the swords of meat started to arrive. From what I remember, the sirloin and the filet mignon were the best. Had tons of flavor on it and worth the wait. Get your server to call the guy around. I recall a piece I did not like and that was the chicken wrapped bacon. So bacon, right? Typically almost good w/ anything. Nope! This chicken and bacon had a really strong smell to it, almost as if the chicken were old, yuck. The lamb, sausage, flank steak were all okay.
Last up, the dessert, ordered a chocolate mousse cake type thingy. More like a chocolate block of cream cheese. It was TOO rich and where was the Kahlua liquor? There was some sauce on the bottom, but it was Hershey's syrup. Oh, and I asked the server to bring the Kahlua liquored sauce on the side in a small dish. When it came out, it was neat from the bar. Way to go ...
Not to blame the server, but Chima uses an electronic notepad to put in the orders. The server took a GOOD amount of time punching in drink and dessert orders and not to mention, he had a heavy accent when speaking. We just nodded and said thank you.
If you could find something else and craving meats, hit up the Capital Grille off of Broad and Chestnut.
First - Chima is on 20th and JFK - the 1901 address is kind of misleading.
Second - I should disclose that I work 19 floors above Fogo de Cho - and in the year it's been at Broad and Chestnut I've been once.
Third - I loved Chima. I read the other reviews - and I agree that the service needs help... but I think they got the kinks worked out of the food IF you know how to ask for meat.
***PLUSES***
SALAD BAR was good. At an all you can eat brazilian steak place I am looking for dressed tomatoes, olives and a selection of cheeses... and they had all of that as well as a terrific eggplant I found a nice pairing with the strip.
DRINK MENU was also good. I was impressed with the wine list as it had a great range of wines and prices. I went with a 2006 Tamari reserva malbec... a snootch pricey at $36 a bottle... but smooth, fruity and SO worth it.
WHITE MEATS were where Chima beat Fogo hands down. I was in particular a fan of the Parmesan crusted pork chop and the sword fish (try it with and without the sauce). My neighbors were also huge fans of the bacon wrapped chicken.
QUALITY MEAT SERVICE was also good. Unlike at Fogo I at no time thought I was being throttled... which is impressive at a table with five guys averaging 270 pounds who each put down 5-7 pounds of their most expensive cuts.
FRIED BANANAS were AMAZING. The moment you see them hit the table pounce on them like a cat on an empty altoid can. They are much better fresh than if you let them sit a minute.
***MINUSES***
SERVICE that was non-meat related was spotty at best. We timed it - 35 minutes from the time we stopped eating to the arrival of the dessert menus and another 47 till the desserts came out - and you nearly had to insult someone's mother to get a cup of coffee in under 20 minutes. That I could ALMOST overlook - but it was a good 20 minutes until my wine arrived after I ordered. If I'm ordering bottles of wine at a meal I expect to be drunk FAST.
PRICE seemed higher than at Fogo - which says something since we ate there buy one get one free and didn't end the meal with 20 dollar shots of Grappa this time.
SAUSAGE was aweful. Maybe not a big deal to some... who goes for the sausage at a beef place? But it mattered to me, danged it.
***NEUTRAL BUT POSSIBLY ANNOYING FOR SOME***
The meat guys came fast and furious... but they really didn't seem to know much about meat temperature. That said - they took instruction well... so I pretty much pointed to what I wanted rather than saying "medium rare" 80 times. Hold out for the temperature you want - check before they cut - and remember they will bring you what you want if you hold out.
***CONCLUSION***
Overall I liked it better - and have hopes that they will work out the service kinks. Even if they don't I can see myself definitely walking the extra six blocks to go to Chima before Fogo... and that is probably good. Because I can use the exercise if I'm about to down five pounds of beef.
Last night I feasted on meat carved tableside by men dressed as gauchos. And no, I wasn't at Epcot Center or in a Fellini movie...I was at Chima. And it was glorious.
I was there for a special event, so we got to see the place in full swing and total capacity. After loading our plates at the salad bar (which, btw, is huge and also includes fresh mozzarella, a personal favorite of yours truly) we sat in the gorgeous dining room, complete with contemporary red/crystal chandeliers that I am totally coveting, turned over our cards and let the madness begin.
Here an orange card means "Bring me some meat and keep it comin'," and black means "Please, for the love of God, no more." Our table of four ate enough to feed a small village (yes, I feel a tad guilty about that) but particularly enjoyed the succulent filet, sirloin and Parmesan encrusted pork loin. It was quite an experience, and I walked out of there wishing I had a handbag big enough to smuggle food out in. Is that wrong?
The consensus is that, while gorgeous inside, this is a man's dinner. My girlfriend and I had a great time, but the testosterone factor was high. I'm sure it had to do with all that meat and knivery...so I think this is a perfect place for a power dinner or a meal pre-bachelor party. Just remember to leave the strippers at the club - after all, Chima is a class act.
What's not to love about a restaurant featuring South American cowboys carrying large knives and sizzling skewers of meat? Not much, that's what.
While as a rule I try to stuff a well balanced and healthy variety of food in my piehole, sometimes I just need to go caveman and chow down on some of my four-legged friends. Chima offers most manners of beast well cooked and presented tableside. With the all you can eat style, it's a place I could easily get myself into trouble. I tried the filet mignon, sirloin (my favorite), the pork with parmesan crust, and then a bunch of other delicious treats, however, I was in a full on food coma by then and it's all a little hazy.
While well appointed and upscale, I think this would be a great place for a boys night or bachelor party or any time you need to get your fix of all creatures great and small.
I went here recently for City Sips and the two-for-one dinner deal (register on their website to get the coupon; it's a steal). I was impressed with the interior - it's very swank, sleek, and modern. I went with a large group and the place/experience seems best suited to that. We had a great time.
Drinks: I stuck to the City Sips drink specials. Their caipirinha is kinda icky but it does the ultimate job of any cocktail and does it quickly. After sucking one of those caipirinhas down as quickly as possible so as not to really taste it, I moved on to a nice glass of Malbec. I'm not normally much of a lightweight, but I had a very good buzz going after that one cocktail and that one glass of wine. It kept me going through dinner.
Food: I wasn't too impressed with the salad bar. I did like the mozzarella, but otherwise, nothing else was memorable. If I were to go back here, I would definitely go light on the salad bar. Once you flip that orange card, the meat just keeps coming and coming and coming. I couldn't keep up; I was so overwhelmed and stunned by the continual meatfest, I didn't flip over the card until my plate was covered and I could no longer identify one meat from another. What I managed to discern, I liked. If you want to know what you're eating, definitely be strong with that card flipping or else you'll basically end up with a meat salad like I did.
It pains me to type this, but I was disappointed with my Chima experience. Our waiter was awesome, funny, outgoing, informative, gregarious, etc but the meat was just eh. Now, don't get me wrong, a night of all you can stomach cuts of meat with my boys can never turn out horribly, but compared to my experience at Fogo, I would be remiss if I did not ding Chima for not stepping up to the challenge.
I believe others have mentioned that the salad bar at Chima is superior to the one at Fogo - I would have to agree. But think about it, is this place called Chima Brazilian Salad House?
Step your "all you can stomach cuts of meat on a stick game up," Chima. I'm going to give you another shot in about a month when my arteries soften a bit. (I know it doesn't work that way.)
I managed to slip by just in time for the 2 for 1 coupon here last night. I've never eaten at Fago de Chao and that may be a good thing, seeing how the majority of people say Fago is better.
The food here was pretty decent. I thought the salad bar offered a very nice selection and I had to be careful not to fill up there. The meats were good, some better than others. The lamb chops were disappointing, and the bacon wrapped chicken was dry....as chicken tends to get. I always ask for medium rare and some times they get it, some times they don't. If not, I'll just keep the card on orange until I get my fill of the correct cuts. (I started a "discard pile" of pieces that were over cooked). The meats came so fast and furious that I never felt like I was waiting for more food.
The service at Chima was good in my opinion. I had a really personable waiter. The general service was almost too attentive.
Not having eaten at Fago previously and having a buy one get one free coupon has left me with a good impression of Chima. However, if you get the chance, Picanha in North East is worth a try. Not as shiny or showy but good price for the quality.
I rounded my 3.55 stars to 4. What an interesting concept. I have heard about similar places but had yet to partake. Had I had to get up and wait in line for my meat, the rating would surely be a three star.
The meat listed by my favorites first, Garlic Sirloin, Fillet Mignon, Top Sirloin, Lamb, Sausage, Chicken wrapped in bacon, Parmesan Pork. The salmon and swordfish were dry and barely discernible in flavor.
The salad bar had everything that I could have wanted. I would recommend avoiding the zucchini and squash (crazy spicy; in agreement with the last reviewer.)
All the while they serve you with the abundant meat, the servers attempt to fill you up with little plates of appetizers: meatballs, fired bananas (good), pulverized mashed? potatoes, french fries? and of course rolls.
Its funny watching people stuff themselves silly. I admit I was quite overburdened the next morning.
I hear if you register with them online you will receive a buy get one free until mid July.
To put it bluntly, they have some way to go to match Fogo...the atmosphere is good, shame that the normal service is slow (although there is a lot of staff) and the meat service far too quick - they bombard you with meat eventhough you have plenty on your plate. They serve as much meat as you want but they keep bringing appetizers, we felt a bit overwhelmed. I think they're new so obviously they need to get settled down so I will probably give it a go in the winter again, in the meantime...fogo!!!
Not quite as good as Fogo de Chao. My girlfriend found a piece of metal in one of the salad bar dishes. The wait staff was slow with drinks and to clear plates. The meats were dry and too well done. The only plus over Fogo is that they do serve some fish as well. Take your money to Fogo instead.
"I can't imagine what this place's carbon footprint is," said my friend toward the middle of our gorge-fest at Chima. So true, so true... but Brazilian steakhouses are one of my guilty pleasures in life.
Wasn't really sure what to expect after reading the other reviews, but we just had to try it. The end result? While it didn't live up to other Brazilian steakhouses we've tried, it was pretty damn good. I was wavering between 3 and 4 stars, but decided to bump them up to 4 due to the fact that they have a sweet deal on their website that gives you a 2-for-1 coupon if you sign up for their e-mail list. AND, apparently you can use two coupons if you go with four people, which I wish I had known before we went!
Comparison between Chima and Fogo:
-Service: Not quite as good at Chima. Other Brazilian steakhouses tend to bring you stuff before you have time to ask -- here, we had to ask. Still, certainly not bad by any means.
-Starter courses (cheese bread, croquettes, some sort of mousse): Equal to Fogo. The cheese bread is not nearly as good, but the miniature beef and pork croquettes, aka "fried balls of goodness" as the fiance called them, more than made up for that.
-Salad bar: More variety than Fogo, but quality not quite as good. The garlic butter, however, is amazing.
-Side dishes (mashed potatoes, fried bananas, fried polenta): Equal to or possibly even better than Fogo, especially the in-CREDible fried bananas. We kept getting refills of those, and toward the end we thought they'd be perfect with some ice cream as dessert!
-Meat: We all basically agreed the quality was not as good as Fogo, but we also wondered if we were just biased (Fogo being our first-ever experience at a Brazilian steakhouse) or nostalgic (we haven't been there in a while). However, I think it's safe to say the quality of the meat is not quite up to par. They do bring around two types of fish, though, which might appeal to some people who aren't big fans of red meat.
All in all, I'd eat here again, especially if we had another 2-for-1 coupon. But if I had to choose between the two Philly options, Fogo would win.
Ok. After being to Chima and to Fogo de Chao three times each, here's my verdict.
DESIGN: Firstly, I love cool places. Chima is a cool place, sort of an up-to-date-revibed-70's-colors environment. We will see how this game plays after two years in business. So, kudos, but the last word is not spoken.
The FOOD: Good, but not as good as can be. The top sirloin and the beef flank would be my pick. I would rate the salad bar slightly better than Fogo de Chao, but read my review on Fogo, that's not what really counts. Did not try the fish, after all it's a red meat place, so why bother?
The SERVICE: Is different when you come with a big crowd than just a few. With a party of four: lousy. Went twice with more than 15 people and I had the most impeccable service I had so far in Philadelphia. The waiter checked for eye drops in the back for a girl who had trouble with her contacts, just because he saw her eyes tearing! When the discussion came up on the table if somebody wanted white wine and two people said yes, the waiters placed white wine glasses after thirty seconds without notification. And so forth. Chapeau.
CONCLUSION: You don't go wrong and you will probably have good time with a big party. Plus, they are not that booked as FdC, so you get a table easier on short notice. Then again, read my other reviews and you know my final pick...
Woohoo! Yet another Brazilian steakhouse in town to compete with the awesome Fogo De Chao. You would think that more competition would mean more competitive prices, but unfortunately, at around 50 bux per person, not including drinks and dessert, dinner is just as expensive as it is at Fogo De Chao.
Side note: as of this review writing, if you register with Chima on their website, they'll send you via email a 2-for-1 coupon. I took advantage of that to get half off my dinner =D.
So the concept is the same as any other brazilian steakhouse. You get introduced to the awesome salad bar where you can get a variety of veggies, meat cuts, cheeses, soups, pasta, etc., and they're all you can eat, of course. The smart thing to do, though, is to save your appetite for the luscious meats. They give you a card, and if you flip it to the green side, it means you want them to serve you the meat, and when you are satisfied, you can turn it over to the red side to get a break. You get a variety of meats to choose from: sirloin, lamb, ribs, filet mignon, etc. Top sirloin and flank steak are my favorites. Although red meat is traditionally served, they also have chicken and... what is this... seafood?! Yes! They also serve salmon and swordfish! They were also very good with the sauces that came with them. Even Fogo doesn't provide that!
The food was excellent, no question about that. But there were some other things that happened during my experience such that I didn't give this stylish place with a nice decor 5 stars. First of all, the service may have been *too good*. What do I mean by that? Well, traditionally, if you turn it over to the red side, they'll leave you alone. Despite that, our server kept on coming over and bugged us if we wanted anything even though we were clearly eating our foods, and our conversation kept on getting interrupted. We understood the concept of ordering, but our server just kept on bugging us. Eventually we gave up and just ordered stuff directly from the server without the regular meat servers coming over when our card was flipped over to the green side. Mine was on red almost the entire time! At any rate, since the food was good, and I am sure our server had some good intentions, I didn't let it bother me too much. A nice bonus: he gave us a free tiramisu since we were there to celebrate my friend's birthday, and it was on the house! w00t, can't complain about that, right? Then I get a bill... wait a minute... an 18% tip that was *automatically* applied to our bill? The only time I've ever seen that happen was when there were parties of 6 or more, and at that particular night, it was just me and my friend. The ironic part was that I was going to tip them a lot more than that, but since he asked for 18%, that's what he got. It was probably just my server who "messed up". From what I heard from my friends, they didn't have this happening to them.
Despite all of those little annoying things, I'm sure I will be back one day, probably if I have another one of those coupons onhand. Another unfortunate thing is that this place doesn't open for lunch for a cheaper price, something that I'd prefer to do at Fogo since it's essentially the same menu selection for 40% less. But when it comes to dinner time, the quality of the food at Chima can give Fogo a run for its money.
Fogo de chao's red head step sister. 2 stars may be too harsh but 3 was too high. If u want to know what I really think look up my Fogo review and rate everything a notch lower.
brought around the same meat. didn't get to try alot of what was on the menu. The salad bar is the whole 2 stars. The meat was Acme rating. Yes, Acme the grocery store. Go the Brazillian steakhouse on Castor Ave in the NE. NOt as fancy but top of the line steak and meat!
"You are the only person we know who would come last minute to eat free meat." Hearing that quote to describe oneself is just unexplainable, but probably true.
I have been to a Brazilian Steakhouse before in Vegas. Even though I'm not a huge meat eater, I definitely enjoyed the meat and the entertaining way it is served. But the salad bar was a huge letdown. At this place it was pretty much the same.
The decor is beautiful and it looks like a great place to hang out at the bar. If you really like red meat, you will really like this place. There's also some pretty good salmon and chicken wrapped in bacon, which made me think of a bacon-lovin' friend of mine.
But give me a Ruby Tuesday salad bar any day over these things. Lovely simple things like artichokes and zuchini are irrationally spicy. Lonely canteloupe is displayed between all sorts of bean & mayonaise concoctions that remind me of the shady crockpot wares served at a church picnic.
My two cents: good for people who really really love meat and spicy veggies. Also probably really good for parties.
My wife and I went here because we got a promotional flier and I was curious what Fogo's competition would look like. Surprisingly similar, with the exception of the decor which was a mix of casino meets asian steakhouse. The 'salad' bar was bigger than Fogo's, I'd say better than Fogo's. The meat was wonderful, as was to be expected. The service however was not up to Fogo's standard. At Fogo I feel like a minor dignitary, I actually had a guy run for a plate so I wouldn't have to move three feet out of my way. At Chima the wait staff is distant and more of the service I would expect at an Apple bees (passable but not great). The dress code was completely lax as well, which didn't add to the atmosphere, we were seated next to a guy wearing nylon shorts and a white t-shirt (stained), while we were in suit and dress. We did enjoy dinner though and I would recommend you try it!
I was waiting to meet my boys for a night of drinking and decided to check out Chima. How disappointing, I had a drink and a god awful appetizer (Filet Mignon in demi glace). What I got was some awful chopped up steak and peppers with some watery sauce. Horrible and the labels where still on the sliced peppers
Neighborhood: Market East
Category: Brazilian
Philadelphia, PA
Category: Brazilian
Neighborhood: Logan Square
Philadelphia, PA
Category: Buffets
Neighborhood: Olde City
Category: Bars
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