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Categories: Brazilian, Latin American [Edit]
Neighborhoods: Near North Side, River NorthMerchandise Mart (Purple Express, Brown)
Clark/Lake (Pink, Brown, Green, Blue, Purple Express, Orange)
Grand (Red)
Neighborhood: Near North Side
"I know there are a lot of haters out there, can't help, I like and have fun. Okay, only ate a cheese plate and had a drink, so I cannot…" read more »
While on a business trip to Chicago we found this place in the booklet at the Hotel. This was a fabulous place, the brazilian salad bar was very fresh and had everything you could think of. The bacon chicken was excellent, the steak, on and on, they just keep coming to the table. That was some good food!
Way better than the place in San Fran, the meat was tasty at both, but the salad bar was really excellent at this place.
The DRINKS! OhMyGawd! GOOD!
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I know this is a such a low rating for Fogo De Chao and if it was a few years ago it would have been so much higher.
Yet, after my many visits to this place I realized that having so many meat options is distracting and not as fulfilling for my palate. I thought a few visits ago that I found a system where I would get just a limited types of meats and be good, but I think I would rather go to an American steak house and focus on a single steak. I think that experience overall is more enjoyable for me at the end of the night.
However, Fogo was amazing the first few times I went and the idea of all you can eat was a great challenge. They also have an impressive salad bar with an assortment of fresh veggies, mixed salads, cured meats and cheeses, which could be a reason alone to go to Fogo.
If you have never been I would tell you to go for the experience and maybe you will form the same opinion as me or not.
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A friend and I came in off the beach. And we looked like it. What's the point?
Folks, we brushed off the sand that still lingered after a 4 block walk, and got a table. And it was a good one.
And there were no untoward offers either.
I think what got us in was us flashing our friendly canines.
See? We are meat-eaters. Paying meat-eaters.
Meat grrrrls! Meat! Grrrrr!
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What a night it was taking my soon to be married friend here for part 1 of his bachelor party. This was my first experience with Brazilian cuisine and all the food was delicious. I particularly enjoyed the garlic breaded chicken if I recall correctly (there were strippers and alcohol involved between then and now.) I put them at four stars because at the end of the meal we had to flag down a server in order to get the groom a nice expensive glass of scotch. I understand the service isn't traditional - most entrees are served by the guys carrying various meats around on skewers, But for what we paid the guy could check up on us a little more often.
Its not like FDC needs little old me to give them this pat on the back but these props are way overdue. Dined here often and really dig them for starting the trend that everyone and their cousin is attempting to knock off........Here is what I love about them:
1) Meat, superior quality, well prepared meat.
2) Hot men in gauchos (so my outfit never looks lame)
3) Giant, delicious salad bar with well rounded options, a meal in itself
4) Great energy, lots of action
5) Great for the dexterity, flipping the chip STOP/GO/STOPGOOOSTOP
6) Nice bar area to wait in and fast turn over.
7) Wonderful for large groups and picky pain in the ass friends
8) Not so expensive if you quantify everything you eat
9) The papaya finish. Like a long, slow fruity kiss....
10)Professional service-excellent team concept.
11) Decent wine list-nice options!
What I don't like
1)The copycats
2) The gauchos on the gauchos could be a little snugger.....
3) The never ending meat parade +my lack of self control
4) I always forget to come and have the salad bar for lunch!
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This restaurant is a vegetarian's nightmare and a carnivore's dream. One thing to note when coming here is that you need to be prepared. Mentally and physically.
Be prepared to be teased with a vast amount of roasted meats (pork, beef, chicken, sausage, etc) and salad bar items. Their offerings will play mind games on you as you immediately start feasting with your eyes.
Physically, you'll need to pace yourself so that you can savor each delectable bite and enjoy all the things they offer. If you gorge yourself and surrender to your hunger pangs right away, you'll be sorry.
Besides, part of the experience in eating at Fogo is taking in the pomp and circumstance of the gaucho chefs who walk with their swords of meat.
Enjoy this restaurant if you visit and the best value is going during lunch!
The carnivorous tour of Chi-town ended tonight with a piece de resistance at the famous Fogo de Chao. My goodness, this place is as fantastic as they reviews say. This place is the Shangri-la of all-u-can-eat. I wished I was a 300 lb linebacker tonight so I could just keep eating until the cows came home (sorry). My dinner guests were raving and thanking me profusely for suggesting we try the FDC tonight. Everyone was just happy as a T-rex after our dinner.
First they bring out the rolls. WHOA. Can you make rolls any better than this??? Aren't these more like deep fried butter puffs?
Then we headed to the salad bar. I knew my AYCE technique so I was careful to only get a smidgen of veggies. It was an astonishing salad bar. I thought it would be just any ole salad bar, but dang, everything I tried was incredible. They even had some nice Carpaccio ham, which I really dig.
I started into my salads and quickly flipped my green light-red light puck to GO. I was overwhelmed by the meat that started pouring onto my place. The meats that really knocked my socks off were the filet mignon, the garlic beef, and the leg of lamb. I was in such carnivorous delight that my eyes rolled into the back of my head with every bite.
The sides were family style and excellent as well. Fried plantain, mash potatoes, and these bananas. I managed to try a little taste of each, while keeping focus on the mission at hand...MEAT.
The service was incredible as well. It was tag team attention that was never failing nor lapsing. I dropped my knife at one point, and I had a new knife in hand in about 20 seconds. Our waiter literally ran to get new plates for us when asked. There was no higher calling he had other than to serve us hand over fist.
We all ordered the drink that we've heard about before, the Caipirinha. It was similar to a mojito but more fantasticker and very strong. The only surprise was that it was $11.50 each, a bit more than we had expected. But hey if you have to ask....
This was a most fantastic finish to our carnivorous tour and also for our last dinner in Chicago. I will be dreaming of the next time I will be able to enjoy such Churrascarian delights. (Fogo de Chao please come to SF!!)
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First off, I would like to say I am a huge meat lover. I am not sure why it has taken me so long to visit a Brazilian steakhouse. My boss treated our team out to lunch at Fogo De Chao. I had heard many good reviews and was looking forward to this lunch for weeks. Even before we started getting our rounds of savory meat, I was really pleased with the salad bar. Then it was never ending variety of meats! I LOVED IT. It was every bit as good as everyone says it is. Very high quality meats! The lamb chops are excellent! I am definitely taking my boyfriend out to a Brazilian steakhouse.
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This place seems a little more upscale than Brazzaz - the service is impeccable, and they are lightning fast in taking away your used plates and replacing them with new ones. The menu is the exact same for both lunch and dinner, so you might as well come here for lunch since it's cheaper by half. You get unlimited amount of the tiny popovers, the fried banana, and the polenta - I always ask for extra fried bananas, because I cannot get enough of it!; you also gain access to their salad bar and the meats. I try not to focus on the salad bar because that can fill you up. For the meats, I only go for the beef, but there are other meats available, such as lamb, chicken, sausage, and pork. You can only come here once in a while, but it's a great experience. Better valet, unless you're lucky to find street parking!
so this place was needless to say amazing. If you like meat and potatoes, you can' t go wrong. I've had a lot steaks from various restaurants, and Fogo de Chao had by far the best filet mignon of all of them. Besides great food, the service is impeccable. Fast, prompt and accurate. Pricey, but totally worth it. Don't stock up on the salad bar, no matter how tempted you are by all the delicious goodies, wait for the good stuff and try your best to close the place down.
One of my favorite restaurants anywhere. The meat is incredibly well-seasoned and perfectly cooked. The sides brought to your table are delicious and difficult to stop eating, especially the sauteed bananas. There is a salad bar I'm told but I haven't been able to tear myself away from my bacon-wrapped filets long enough to check it out. The service is excellent and extremely attentive. The beer selection is nothing special but they do have one Brazilian beer (maybe called Xingu?) that I'd recommend checking out.
Superb steakhouse I have ever been to! The various cut meats are cooked to perfection! The salad bar is out of this world! I would have to say their mojito's are one of the best I have ever tasted! Very pricey however worth it! Definitely go on an empty stomach!
Enough distance has passed between me and this meal (literally) where I finally feel I can review my experience. While it wouldn't be fair to say this is the end-all be-all to the great Brazillian all-you-can eat steakhouse debate, Golden Corral it is not.
Put simply, Fogo de Chao is a meat parade that will cost you an arm and a leg if you're not careful. The caring staff will explain the rules (green means 'meat', red means 'stop bothering me') to you then try to up-sell you on the drinks. After the meal, you'll realize that 8oz bottles of Coca-Cola were $4. Seriously, that's where they make their money.
I started off with their small and sufficient salad bar but realized it's a half hearted attempt to make you think you're balancing out the meal. As the meal progressed the different items on the menu get shuffled around the restaurant. Operating like a well oiled machine, Fogo's plates, knives and bits of meat fly around so fast you'll have your pick of the day's menu in no time. Along with the sides of potato, plantains, and a third side I don't recall, I probably sampled 12 out of seventeen items on the day's menu. That's partly due to the fact that the meat servers would serve one side of the table then walk away (we were a large party). I probably missed out on a few items, but that's okay. After a while you'll start to feel like you're at a carnival but this time, all the barkers come to you with their meat-toss games.
At the end of the meal, you'll cry mercy and turn that card over to red. The table clears and you'll walk away in a daze...not sure what to do with yourself for the rest of the evening. It's a good meal experience, but I wouldn't make a habit out of it.
We went here back in late March for my brother's birthday. It was awesome!
The salad bar is so exhaustive and well done. It's hard not to fill up on that alone. (Actually, I think it's their ploy to get you to eat less meat, which is clearly more expensive) The wine list was also wide ranging.
Finally, the main event -- the meat -- was spectacular. It's like a carnivore shangrila. Waiters pirouetting around, each with a different delicacy on a skewer. You don't even have to speak -- just make sure your coaster is right side up (the green side), and the food will flow to you.
If you love meat of all kinds, defninitely go here. You won't be sorry. (Except for the food coma)
If you want to get a deal you have to go here for lunch, it's half the price. Unfortunately the rest of your day will be spent sleeping off a meat coma. Wait, did I say unfortunately? Sounds like heaven to me.
This is going to sound funny but I loved the salad bar here! I actually went back twice. They have a great selection of high quality foods. The meats are good too and the plantains were scrumptious. I can't see myself going back again as I am not a big steak lover but it was a good experience overall. I didn't really like the ambience very much though...too much of a cafeteria look.
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The steak trio made this our focus for a recent meat adventure, and I have to say that it was a truly an amazing and unique experience. Meat flying from every corner by men in fancy breeches, how can this be wrong? Everything was right, and I didn't spoil myself at the salad bar (despite the fresh cheeses and veggies), and focused my attention on the meat on the spits.
The beef courtiers were courteous, and I dug the way that they'd keep tabs on you so if there was something you wanted, cooked a certain way, they'd seek it out and bring it your way.
I don't really know what can be said about this place, other than go here hungry, get a dessert, get a drink, and flip that little disk over. Just don't forget to flip it back or you'll be bombarded by the Latino types ready to serve you their meat. Oh yes.
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As a recovering vegetarian, I was sort of concerned with going to a restaurant which is so heavily meat-focused. Although I do love meat I'm definitely not used to eating huge amounts of it at once.
There was a wait, but it was a Friday night, and they told us it'd be an hour for a party of two. We were fine with that, and hit the bar for a (surprisingly decent) martini. I had barely had two sips of it when we were seated. It took about twenty-five minutes at most.
The service was fantastic, the waiter explained everything to us (we were Fogo de Chao virgins) and showed us the wine list. We didn't order wine with our meal as we still had cocktails, and opted for a bottle of San Pellegrino instead.
The salad bar was good- but there were fewer choices than I would have expected. What was out was very good, though, with the exception of the prosciutto which was very dried out as if it'd been sitting there too long.
The meat was, as others have said, to die for. The lamb and the filet mignon were my favorites. I don't eat pork, but my date thought it was really great, as well as the bacon-wrapped steak thing. I didn't try any chicken, either. I'm all about rare meat, and they consistently gave me really good, perfectly cooked rare pieces.
The only complaint I had wasn't with the restaurant itself, but the clientele. There were people in there wearing tee shirts and flip flops. If you're going to a reasonably nice establishment to eat dinner, please wear something slightly nicer. This isn't Applebees.
I managed to leave without feeling disgusting, but still feeling like I'd gotten my money's (well, my date's money) worth. We'll probably be back in the next couple of months as a treat.
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Great food, great service and everything I expected. There was not a thing they could have done better for me.
Be careful and pace yourself as everything is so good it is easy to fill up way too fast.
Take your time and enjoy the experience.
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I stopped at Fogo for lunch and it was spectacular! Its funny that all the waiters swarm you unless you have your red card showing. I didn't try much of the salad bar so I could save some room for the good stuff. If you are ever near a Fogo de Chao I would recommend anyone to stop into one....you won't regret it. I think I will take my fiance here for his birthday that's coming up.
The best restaurant in Chicago, if you love meat. This is an experience that everyone, except vegetarians should have at least once.
Exceptional salad bar, but save some room for the main course.
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Helpful hint. Don't eat all day and don't eat dinner the day before you plan on coming here. MEAT STORM. The food here is delicious, their Brazillian special Sirloin and the Beef Ribs are my favorite, but everything is good. I'm in heaven, if only they had fried chicken. The experience of men with swords walking around and offering you meat is priceless. The price of such gastronomic goodness (other than terrible weight gain and stomach cramps and loss of consiousness do to blood rushing to your stomach), is quite high money wise. But its worth it once in a while. If you can afford it.
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I am a huge fan of red meat, so it's always a treat to come here. I think the meat is good, but not as good as Brazzaz. However, their salad bar is better. The service is generally really good and everyone is pretty attentive. One thing to be mindful of is that even though they take reservations, you still end up waiting.
Having sampled many Brazilian steak houses, this is the best! Not only is Fogo the best, this particular one in Chicago is the best Fogo I've tried. Salad bar is amazing and fresh. Meats are top notch, service is good. It's pricey, but worth it for a splurge every once in awhile.
The meat is delicious, the salad bar is delicious, the appetizers? (endless bread, mashed potatoes, fried bananas) are delicious, the service is wonderful, the decor is nice (I love the bathrooms).
Everyone needs to try Fogo for Brazilian BBQ.
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Okay, I ate so much, my belly expanded and I looked pregnant. This woulda been 5 stars for the food and service, but I am going to have to do 4 stars due to my meat baby.
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Here's the deal on Fogo: Everything is great, but I can think of like, 12 better ways to spend the money.
You go in and they start you with their salad bar. This ain't no Ruby Tuesday ordeal, folks. It's hard core. I knew what half of the possible items were. For real. At one point, I think I encountered brains... Regardless, the salad was great.
Then, immediately after that last bite of salad, the meat barrage begins! The second you flip that little disc over, your life is forever changed. I thought it would take about 30 minutes before I began to forget what kind of meat I was eating but it was more like 30 seconds. I didn't know if I was sticking lamb inside of me or cow. All animals became one in that place. One inside of my stomach, that is.
The garnishes and side dishes they provide are essential because after your first pound of meat, you start feeling like death. Fried bananas, seasoned mashed potatoes, and some Brazilian cornbread stick-things provide hope in the face of a possible self-inflicted homicide by meat. All were top notch.
Bottom-line: This place gave me the biggest case of the 'meat sweats'. Seriously.
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This was, by far, the best dinner of the road trip. Though I was roadtripping on a shoe string budget, I decided to splurge for one night; This was well worth it. They had a wide variety of meats and many different cuts. The service was excellent. The salad bar was pretty tasty too.
However, I have to disagree with Jonathan C's helpful hint. I'm in the Joey Tribiani a la "Friends" camp here - your stomach needs to be warmed up before a big meal. Don't starve yourself before hand - you'll just get fuller more quickly. My friend and I, on the other hand, actually had a Vietnamese banh mi before we went, and we ate Fogo de Chao goodness until we were the last ones in the restaurant.
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If you haven't ever eaten here your seriously missing an experience...not just lunch or dinner but an experience in its self......amazing top of the line meat...great service....great environment and top shelf liquor! i really suggest this place but make sure you phone ahead for reservations....
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I have to make myself NOT go here regularly....this is a Caveman's or Cavewoman's paradise .... ME, MEAT, GOOD. I feel like a lion sitting at my table eyeballing all the men walking around with skewers of meat...I TAKE MAN AND MEAT HOME. GRRR. This is definitely a fun place...and the salad bar...holy veggie land!
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Nina's Criteria for a 5 Star Restaurant:
1. Salad...CHECK
2. Meat...CHECK
3. Good dessert...CHECK
4. Guys in authentic Brazilian dress offering you their huge amounts of meat...CHECK [oh! i gave myself a chub!]
5. An entire cart filled with liquor...CHECK
6. A guy who pushes the cart around and talks you into getting an ice wine that is amazing that ends up being $21 for about 2 shots worth of wine...CHECK
Seriously, how can you not like this place...even if you don't eat meat they have a huge @$$ salad bar that you can eat all you want from. If you are worried about the money, go during lunch, it's way cheaper.
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I LOVE THIS PLACE!! So much so that my boyfriend and I have a wager going on, loser in the NCAA bracket challenge buys dinner at Fogo. The meat here is amazing. My advice, skip the salad bar (its fun to look at but why waste room in your stomach?) and pace yourself with meat. The first time I ate here we were so overwhelmed at the quality of the food that we just accepted everything that came and we ate so fast we filled up quickly. Pace yourself and enjoy your meal!
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If ever you have desired the sensation "it's raining meat", this is the place for you. The second you flip over your meat coin, a literal swarm of men holding sticks crammed with meat appear at your side, ready to rid themselves of their offerings. In terms of the offerings (meat) and the service (they wouldn't leave us alone) i bequeath 5 stars.
Hint: cut each serving in half and share with whoever you came with, so you get to try everything.
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So I'd been to Brazzaz and was expecting this place to totally blow me away. Everyone always raves about Fogo and how amazing it is.
'Tis amazing, because anything wrapped in bacon will fall under that category, but can I say that I wasn't blown away? Honestly, I liked the ambiance of Brazzaz more. I feel like less people know about it so the kitsch factor isn't so harsh. I mean, I think our gaucho here was seriously an actor. Like, literally. Just serve me my meat and check your lame Groundlings improv at the door, homes. Also, I enjoyed Brazzaz's salad bar more.
Don't get me wrong, Fogo was good. But it was a tad tourist-y for my taste.
MeatFest 08's at Brazzaz.
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When my aunt asked me to come eat Brazilian food with her and the rest of my family, I looked at her in confusion. I wondered if I'd ever had Brazilian before, and where we'd be traveling to in order to get some. "Brazilian? Where will we find a Brazilian restaurant in Chicago?"
Little did I know, there are tons of Brazilian restaurants in Chicago. And fortunately for me, she treated me to Fogo De Chao, where I discovered that I love Brazilian food because all it is meat. Pork, beef, chicken, beef, more pork, more beef... I ate it all. I ate a million of the rich, buttery cheese dinner rolls that they'd left out for us. That filled me up the most, but I couldn't resist those amazing rolls. Then I had about 10 different types of meat. All wonderfully meat-flavored and probably marinaded for hours, because some of it was pretty salty. The waiters were all very polite and carrying around giant skewers that probably weighed more than me when I got done eating. I was being offered so much food that I failed to realize that my coaster was flipped on to the green side, which means "Yes, I want food." I flipped it over to the red side so that the waiters knew not to ask me if I wanted more meat. I was relieved of savory meats for a few minutes and had time to stuff my face full of more dinner rolls.
Then I rolled over and died happy.
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LOVE THE CHEESE BALLS!!!
During our visit to Chicago, it was my best friend's birthday, I did some research on Yelp and decided to come here.
OMG!! The food was incredible here! When you first arrive the waiter explains how the system works. You have this round card - one side is red and the other green. If you want meat, then make sure the card is on the green side and if you want to take a break, make sure the card is on the red side.
The items in the salad bar was very fresh! The beef steak tomatoes were huge and tasty. The asparagus were delish! The starches that they bring to your table:
1. Garlic mash potato
2. Fried polenta - delish!!
3. Fried banana's -oh booooyyy!!
4. CHEESE BALLS!! We nicked named these Cheese balls but they're actually small bread balls with cheese in the middle. They lightly crispy on the outside and soft and buttery/cheesy on the inside. The cheese didn't goop out when you bit into it, but you can smell it and taste it.
The service was superb. Our wine, water, cheese ball basket, fried polenta and other stuff was NEVER empty. We never had to ask for refills. They would notice that there was only one item in the dish and automatically replaced it. We had to tell the guys to stop bringing the items.
The meats - filet mignon, chicken, linguica, ribs, lamb - were all delish! BUT..... when the bacon wrapped prime rib and filet came!! OMG!! What doesn't taste good that's wrapped in bacon!
We had the papaya ice cream and tres leches cake. Very yummy!!
PLUS... the guys in the gauchos were cute too!
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Vegetarians steer clear! This place is not your cup of tea (although they do have a salad bar, but I don't think you want to spend $25 for lunch or $50 for dinner on a salad -- pricing is set per person - all the meat can eat!).
Mmmmm, churrascaria. Thank you to my boyfriend for introducing me to this one (and many other fantastic places in the city), but this one is a sure-fire winner. We usually go for lunch (duh, its cheaper) and its fantastic. They have so many different types of meat (15 I believe) and you choose what you want, how much you want and how you like it cooked (medium well, well, etc).
How it works:
They give each patron a circular card with green on one side (gimme more meat baby!) and red on the other (whoa there I'm eating or I'm so full I'm going to vomit). Along with the meat, you are served sides of fried bananas, polenta-like mashed potatoes and these awesome cheesy rolls.
With a glass of wine (or three) and a huge dessert selection (my favorite is the papaya dessert - papaya has natural enzymes that help digest meat - an excellent idea after binging on all the Churrasco here!) you leave stuffed and happy!
Oh and the "gauncho chefs" (who bring around the various meats) are fun too look at too! ;) And I love that they pull out the ladies chairs, so we can sit down! Such gentlemen!
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I'm obsessed. The best service I've ever had. The manager himself found out I can't have gluten and took all the food away in front of me and went to the salad bar himself and hand picked all the gluten-free food. He made sure I had gluten free bread in front of me all night, which was so good and tasted so much like real bread, I actually started crying. The wine is fantastic. It's expensive but worth every penny. I would consider it a bargain.
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I had dinner here last night and everything was perfect. The service was flawless and the food was delicious!!! I was a little overwelmed with how much service there was though...they work as a team so it seemed as though I had 5 servers (but I'm not complaining). Although it is a little pricey, I would definitely go back.
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Went here last night, this placed was packed!!! The meat was great...very tender and juicy. There was a good variety of meats; however, I preferred not to try the lamb since I'm not too fond of the taste. The salad bar was good and pretty big, but where was the fruit??? One star off for the lack of roasted pineapple on the skewer. That was actually what I wanted. I went to Brazzaz during the summer and they had the roasted pineapple and it was soooo warm, so juicy, and so delicious. That's what I was looking forward to last night, but no pineapple!! I was sad. If I had a choice, I think I'd go back to Brazzaz....less expensive and they have roasted pineapple!
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