Fogo de Chao
- Price Range: $$$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Private Lot
- Attire: Dressy
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Good for Kids: No
- Takes Reservations: Yes
- Delivers: No
- Take-out: No
- Waiter Service: Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: No
- Good for: Dinner
- Alcohol: Full Bar
25 Reviews for Fogo de Chao
I give full stars for the experience. Over the years there dress code went out the window, and i find it remarkable that 200, 600 dollar dinners can have sport coats, ties, and shorts t-shirt and flip flops. Service is the best, food all you can eat meat fabulous, the salmon and cheese at the salad bar a must. I plan my eating habits prior to, so i can get the full amount of my buck. And not getting a after drink, nor that strawberry dessert you are crazy, you must have them. I won;t scream greatness, seeing how this experience is not limited anymore. Great date place or to try if haven't.
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Difficult to say more about this place than has already been said, really. This was my first time to the Dallas location, though I've been to the Chicago one before. The Chicago location seemed slightly more upscale than this one - the customers here were much more casually dressed. Not that thats bad, or that you need to be dressed up, its just my observation.
A nice plus was that my cocktails had plenty of gas. I drink mojitos here, mostly because I don't really care for caipirinhas - they just don't taste right to me for some reason. Anyway, the bartender did a lovely job on mojito. My $115 bottle of vino that the sommelier was pitching wasn't much of a deal though. I'm no wine snob, but I know what doesn't taste good. I did have a fabulous 20 year port though. Super smooth. (Is it wrong to spend all of your review of steak house talking about the drinks, and never mentioning the steak?)
The salad bar is lovely and very complete, but you want to watch your intake if you plan on binging on the meats. They also bring a few things to your table: from memory, plantain, mashed potatoes, and fried polenta. I've tried them before, but not on this trip. As usual, the meats and everything were fantastic.
I'd recommend, if just for the experience.
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MEAT, MEAT AND MORE MEAT!
Our family of 9 ate over $1000.00 worth of meat here and then finished off wine and dessert. We gave those gauchos a run for their money that evening.
We enjoyed it all although the wine is extremely pricey and the dessert menu is a little weak, especially after following such a dynamic meal.
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MEAT!!! ALL YOU CAN EAT MEAT!!! When I used to work in Addison and knew we had a business dinner here, I would eat one powerbar in the morning to hold me over until dinner. Don't make the mistake of loading up on the salad, sides or bread. It's pure meat here and great quality brazilian style skewered cooked meat. The best meats: 1. Bacon wrapped filet mignon 2. leg of lamb 3. sausages. It's pretty unbelievable
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My husband and I love this place! Great for steaks, chicken, lamb, pork, whatever you name it! The meat here is sooooo juicy, its never been overcooked any of the times we've gone. Tastes the same, even better each time we go!
Apx $40-48 per person, which includes the all you can eat meats, sides, and salad bar ---which has huge selections of salads, pasta, bread, etc --BUT DO NOT PUT TOO MUCH OF THE SELECTIONS FROM THE SALAD BAR ON YOUR PLATE! OR ELSE YOU WONT HAVE ANY ROOM FOR WHATS TO COME! They have dessert as well if you're stll hungry....but I doubt you will be because you will be FULL wayy before you plan on leaving this place. DO NOT EAT BEFORE YOU COME HERE!! (you won't have any room for the good food if you do!)
Make reservations before hand, the wait can be ridiculous sometimes-We've waited over 40-45 minutes before. Other than that, the servers and waitors were a delight, excellent service.
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Being a fan of the South American preparation of beef (grass fed, roasted), I thought I would try this place and see how it lived up to the best places I've been in Buenos Aires and S.America in general. Well, it was good, very good. Not the same, however. The meat was--understandably--more slanted towards American tastes (which suits me fine because I'm not interested in blood sausage and sweetbreads) and pretty flavorful.
The fattier cuts are probably the better ones to go with given the method of slow cooking a la parilla, but in general they had very tasty meat. It was a very nice experience though, and the wait-staff was good even if they looked a little dejected when you said you didn't want their cut. Oh well... oh, the key lime pie was amazing.
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I was in Dallas on a business trip last week & the first night we went to Fogo de Chao. This was carefully planned because we'd be traveling all day with minimal food, and there's no point going to a Brazilian steakhouse unless you're hungry because it's all you can eat. If you haven't done it yet, here's the way to do it right.
Step 1: Go hungry. Very, very, hungry.
Step 2: Don't load up at the really good salad bar. I saw one woman leave the salad bar with two slices of cucumber or an otherwise empty plate. She knew what she was doing.
Step 3: Try everything at least once, then get picky.
Step 4: Pick & choose, eat slowly, and don't leave room for dessert. After we had tried everything once or maybe twice, we were only going for the beef.
The restaurant is in Addison, in an area where there are a ton of restaurants. We were in downtown Dallas, so it was a half hour through rush hour to get there and longer to get back because we got lost. It was worth it.
It's not cheap but it's really not all that outrageous if you're hungry. There's no specific dress code and there were business people as well as families. It's for just about everyone who eats meat, though restless young kids might do better at home. Service was really good. There's a pool of people to take care of you and someone is always nearby to get you whatever you need.
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This place is so great I can't even begin to say. I live in LA now so I was glad to see there's one on La Cienega out here. I'm always to broke to go though. Paul (see other TX reviews) usually pays. Holy cow this place is the shiznit. TONS of meat. Trick is don't get fooled by the salad bar. That's what they want you to do. You're here for the meat...plain and simple. No rolls, no veggies. There is more meat in this place than Andy Dick has in his mouth on a nightly basis. Ok it was gross, but I had to say it. It was too easy. Ok, best Mojitos on Earth. Which brings me to another tangent as I often like to do in reviews. I remember when nobody knew what a Mojito was. I used to drink them all the time. Then somebody got the bright idea to introduce yet another of my personal pleasures that I held secret, to the general populous. Thus killing my individuality that much more. Now you can't go to a fucking place without everyone saying "Oh have you tried the Mojito here?" Shut the hell up. You started drinking Mojitos 2 months ago. And all of them suck except for Fogo's. Believe me. He grinds the lime up Mortar and Pestle style. The bomb. Trust me. Go to Fogo de Chao. But you have to fast all day ahead of time so you can get your money's worth. Believe that!
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I love this place, Best place to get awesome steaks and they keep giving you more till you tell them to stop using a card..green means BRING IT ON.. RED MEANS give me a min... lol
38$ for a person, all you can eat meat, filet min, etc...great place...classy...great service
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cheesy bread, cheesy bread, cheesy bread.
they are awesome!!!!
also, the fillet mignon wrapped in bacon is heavenly.
save room for dessert. i know that's tough. but their tres leches and creme brulee and papaya cream are great.
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Next best thing to sex. If you are a meat eater, you MUST eat here. It reminds me of some ancient kingdom where you are the king and slaves continually bring you the best meat you have ever put into your mouth. I honestly can't say enough about this place. Every time I set foot in a city with a Fogo I dine there.. Atlanta, Houston, Dallas, and now one if coming to Austin.. Thank God. The service is literally the best in the U.S. in my opinion. An army of servers watch you like a hawk and never, never let you suffer through a minute of a dirty plate, empty glass, or empty plate. This is the only buffet that I will gladly eat at. If I had to choose between Fogo and my testicles.. I would have to think about it...
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Wow, I just can't say enough good things about this place. It's definitely expensive - $46.50 per person for just the salad bar and meat (it's even more if you're getting drinks and/or dessert), but it's worth it. While most people here are dressed up, the staff certainly doesn't care if you're dressed casually. I've gone twice now in just a t-shirt, shorts, and flip flops, and they haven't given me a hard time.
The cheese bread they bring out is AMAZING. The bread is really crispy on the outside, but super gooey and soft inside. And it tastes fantastic.
As other Yelpers have said, the salad bar is excellent. There's a very wide variety of things available in the salad bar, and everything is fresh and tasty. However, don't go wild with the salad bar or you won't have room for the bajillion different types of meat they're going to bring out.
The meat comes with a few sides - mashed potatoes, bananas, and something that looks like french fries but isn't. While these are all pretty good, I'd recommend just skipping over them because the meat is much, much better. Overall, the meats are excellent. The first time I went, I thought the beef and lamb were amazing, although the second time I went I didn't think the lamb was as good as it was the first time. The chicken is also pretty good, although I personally prefer the beef a lot more. Both times I went to Fogo, I didn't think the pork was very good, but there's enough other quality meat to more than make up for what the pork is lacking.
And the service is also excellent. I don't know how they do it, but as soon as you flip your card to green, you will have people rushing towards you to offer you all the meat you can handle. The serving staff seems to be psychic - as soon as you want a new plate, a refill on your drink, etc. they're at your table taking care of it. You don't have to wait for your server to come over to your table to get you something because the entire serving staff works together to make sure every table is taken care of, and this works extremely well.
So eat away and enjoy the food, but save room for dessert. I've only had their molten chocolate cake, but it's absolutely phenomenal. Seriously, I think this may be the best dessert I've ever eaten in my life. It's the softest, moistest, most flavorful chocolate cake imaginable. In the middle of the cake is a little well that they fill with milk chocolate and white chocolate sauces that are also fantastic. You *have* to get this when you go to Fogo - it's just way too good to pass up.
Basically, if you're willing to drop a chunk of money on a good dinner, this is one of the best choices you can make.
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Fogo De Chao is the best Brazilian barbecue you can get in the US. The quality of meat is the best, unlike some places that use cheaper meat. You can tell by how flavorful, tender, and juicy the meat is. The picanha is out of this world incredible. Not only is it all you can eat, but they'll keep bringing you fried bananas and cheese bread all night (don't get too full these). In addition there is a salad bar, but you have got to be suffering some sort of brain damage if you even think about visiting it when eating here.
If you're a huge fan of meat, this is the place to go. People think it's expensive, but come on you pay $30-$40 for a fantastic steak, so you pay $40-$50 for all you can eat fantastic steak.
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Fogo de Chao is awesome if you can afford it! They have the best salad bar I have ever seen, with locks, fresh mozzerella, and giant asparagus. Usually I'm already full by the time they start bringing the meat around. Not a good place for vegetarians, even though the salad bar rules.
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I have been to Fogo de Chao in Houston and Dallas. On a recent visit to Texas I went here with my family, to celebrate my Dad's birthday. I like to eat meat, but I can only visit this place once a year at most. You probably already know by now that the concept of FdC is unlimited high quality meat, until you can't eat any more. If you pace yourself and are smart about what you select, you can get your money's worth.
My favorites out of the selection are filet mignon (NOT the bacon-wrapped filet) and bottom sirloin (Fraldinha). I don't care so much for the house specialty Picanha. Everything, especially the bacon wrapped and garlic meats, is very salty, more so than I prefer. I try not to eat too much of the starchy sides, but the cheese rolls and polenta sticks are awesome.
** Here is a tip: go for lunch, instead of dinner. It's the same menu and still all you can eat, but roughly half the price @ $26 vs $40 a head. There are no cheap wines here - which is too bad.
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I think Fogo de Chao is the best example in Dallas. My rating borders on 5 stars but I used to live in South Florida and Chima's in Fort Lauderdale bests Fogo. The "salad" bar is impressive, the beef dishes are nearly all outstanding, and the ambiance is fun and cheerful. Fogo loses a few points on each of two issues: seating is crowded and in my experience service for items other than meat delivery can be mixed.
BTW I had my business Christmas party at Fogo last year. They did a good job handling the crowd, seated us on time, etc. Everyone loved this choice.
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BAM. This place places you carnivores to a whole new level. Their large selections of different types of meat from different parts of those delicious animals makes you almost unable to try each one twice because your stomach won't be able to freaking handle all that food.
They bring these brazilian cheese breads, mashed taters (what's taters precious?), baked(or fried?) bananas, and these fried cheese things that are soooooo good.
their salad bar is huge with all sorts of greens and other types of veggies that make you wonder if you should eat the salad... or the meat. but you should choose the meat. The salad bar also have crisp whole bacon that are used as bacon bits. good pig man. mmmmmmm
i just wish they had this in austin. sigh..
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An absolute must for a meat lover! There's a salad bar which I looked at after the wholesome meal :) They've got all sorts of cuts of meat which are grilled to perfection, filet mignon, sirloin, lamb chops and some other cuts that I don't even remember the names of... but every cut was better than the one before. And it's an all you can eat buffet, so make sure you're really hungry going there, cause it's expensive too. It was a weekend night and the place was packed, am glad that we had reservations going in. The decor is really nice.
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This is your standard Brazilian Churrascria with Gauchos running around with meat on the stick. You get a two sided coaster, one side green,the other red. Green tells the Gaucho to pile it on, red says stop.
There are so many different meats, it is hard to try them all without exploding. Overall, the food tastes very good, with Fillet, top Sirloin, and Picanha being my favorite. They have a very extensive wine list and you can find some decent wine at reasonable prices. Also, they have a very good salad bar. The only complaint I have is that the Caipirinhas are not as good as they used to be.
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Fogo de Chao is a meat lover's dream come true. You can't ask for a better churrascaria (brazilian bbq) restaurant here in the US. The service was impeccable and the offering in the salad bar and meat selection are second to none.
Everything from the plantains, cheesebread, and polenta that is left at your table is delicious. The selection of the all you can eat salad bar fixed with a wide variety of veggies is fresh and crisp. The artichoke hearts, hearts of palm, and smoked salmon are pleasing to the palate.
Once seated the Gaucho chefs please your taste buds w/ around 13 different choices of mouth watering meat. A must try is the Picanha sirloin which is their most flavorful meat and also my favorite. It is seasoned and cooked to perfection. The linguica and the lamb are also my favorite, but I've realized the lamb can be inconsistantly cooked at times. The chicken wrapped bacon explodes w/ flavor.
Overall, Fogo de Chao is much better than Texas de Brazil in my opinion. The meat is much jucier and tender and the salad bar is incomparable. Make sure you don't fill your stomach with too much beer or cocktails or else you won't be able to stuff your face w/ all the cuts of meat. Grab yourself a nice glass of redwine during your meal and the next thing you know...you'll be in meat lover's heaven!
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What can I say, carnivores rejoice! I always go here if I am feeling like I need some fatty protein. Dont be fooled, dont eat too much of the sides they bring you, try to restrain yourself and fill up on the good stuff like the filet.
Red side of the coaster means stop, no more, please! Green means come on over and hook me up with some of dat good stuff.
The salad bar is is good but nothing that really makes me want to squeal like a pig.
Sides, they bring out are the fried plantains, rice, and some fried cheese sticks...dont be fooled and get full on these items.
Our server was hot and was attentive.
Parking is in the rear, the wait may be long on the weekend, cash and credit accepted.
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You get what you pay for. A bit on the pricey side (three of our party had to split the bill on their credit cards to get it approved by corporate), but the food is outstanding and plentiful. My first churrascaria experience was in Sao Paulo, and this was my second; it compared very favorably to the original. Now can we apply the red/green signals in real life?
This place is good but by no means deserving 5 stars...I agree with Tom, the rest of you were probably just trying this for the first time, Picanha is not a house specialty, Boi Na Braza has it, and might I add much better. The salad bar at Braza is much better too, this place is good, but I'm not gonna rave about it.
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This is NOT your standard Churruscaria Brazilian Steak joint. It is the original Churruscaria in Dallas and the standard that all the others have not met yet.
10 different meats. Don't let them load you up with sausage, pork etc. Go straight to the good stuff: Filet and the house special Picana.
The cheese rolls are awesome and the salad bar is tops: hearts of palm, mozzarella, beef tomatoes, and a huge Parmesean to take scoops from.
Finish it off with the Papaya Mousse and make sure to get it topped with the Cherry Liquour.
All you can eat meats and salad bar.
$40 for Lunch
$65 for Dinner
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Good Job Fogo de Chao, you converted this Flexatarian!
I have been quite the devout pescatarian for some time now, seldomly dabbling in the pleasures of meat. But I was invited along to this place for a business dinner recently, not knowing what I was in for. The restaurant interior was BEAUTIFUL. All cherry woodwork with wine storage nesteled between tables. Perfect lighting.
There is this buffet in the middle of the room, complete with elaborate melon and fruit scultures. With items like fresh hearts of palm, sweet brasilian chiles, marinated shitakes, smoked salmon, and wheels of parmesan, the buffet warranted repeat visits.
This is the best part, these gaucho guys walk around the place with swords decorated with fine cuts of beef filet, lamb, and incredible rib cuts! The only thing stopping them from burying you in meat is a little RED/GREEN card next to your wine glass. If you remain green, prepare to be attacked by sword yielding meat cutters. If it is RED, sit back, relax, digest, and contemplate on when you can go GREEN again. If you have room for dessert, which you wont, you will not be disappointed. The pastries are nicely done. They are large and over the top, but this is expected. There is also a well-thought out list of liquor coffee drinks and after dinner drinks.
And I have never seen a more professional staff. They worked it, but they were still cool and approachable.
When San Francisco gets one, I will be first in line.
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