Fogo de Chão Brazilian Steakhouse

Very fresh fruit and veggies at the bar and the meat selections were really good. Great service.

A lot of the good meat didn’t come by until the end and only because we asked about it. Turns out you can request certain meats to come by your table. I wish they had told me that at the beginning. I had told the lady it was my first time there and asked if there was anything I should know.
I came here because there was a Facebook promo, which ends tonight (6÷17÷16 if anyone is interested). $ 25 off each person for dinner for up to 2 people. Anyway, I’m not so sure dinner here would be worth $ 53 otherwise. The salad bar was ok, but didn’t really have anything amazing. I only really liked three of the meats which were the chicken leg, filet mignon and the leg of lamb. The leg of lamb was the best thing ever! A little salty, but delicious. My picanha at medium-​rare was super tough. The lamb chop I got was overdone. Pork parmesan was dry. I loved their cheesy bread, pao de queijo, which they bring to your table.
There were several long periods where no meat came by, so our tummies had a lot of time to catch up to what we had been eating. If I ever go back, I think I will eat all the meat first and then go to the salad bar.

The food here is delicious. I made a reservation so we were seated immediately. The place is pretty dimly lit and you kind of have to weave around everything.
What I like here is that on top of the salad bar that they have near the front, they also bring out some side dishes for you, which include fried corn and parmesean, mashed potatoes, and fried bananas, which are my favorite. It’s basically unlimited so we got a couple plates of the fried bananas.
How this place works is that each person gets a coaster-​like thing that has one red side and one green side. When you want them to keep the meats coming, then you flip it to the green side. If you don’t want them to bother you with meats, then you flip it to the red side. The basically cycle the meats around pretty quickly so you’re barely finishing the previous meat when they bring up the next one to you.
I really like how they cook the same meat differently in different parts of it so you can choose your meat the way you like it (rare, medium, etc). My personal favorite would be the house special. I like the steaks more than the other types of meat, but the bacon wrapped chicken was pretty good too. Kind of disappointed that they don’t have ham and pineapple like other brazilian steakhouses though.
The staff is nice and checked up on us often. They would fill our glasses before we even needed them to and made sure that we had all the side dishes we wanted. The service wasn’t ridiculously fast but they didn’t take so long that we were wondering where they went. As far as taste goes, it’s definitely something to try out at least once. I loved it, and I want to be coming back to this place. The bill makes my wallet cry a bit though but that’s how it is.

My husband likes the Rei de Gado steakhouse but I’ve been here a few times and I love the lamb chops! Salad bar is okay.
Just ate here tonight and asked for the bill. I have signed up for their club newsletter in the past and they have sent me a customer code. My husband redeem this offer on Facebook. Apparently we cannot use a customer code and a Facebook offer together. He said it had to be two Facebook offers with two separate emails and he’s sorry but he didn’t make the rules. But it was two different emails, just one customer code and a Facebook offer. So you made us wait 25 mins just to get the bill and take in the codes/​offers to tell us that?
What a nice first Father’s Day to me and the hubby! At least the lil Mr in my belly is full.
Everyone, please read the fine print! Apparently I understood it wrong!

I once went to a Unilocal event at the Fogo de Chão in Las Vegas, and it was great. Unfortunately, I’m not a huge eater so I can’t justify the $ 50 price tag for dinner at this place very often. I was lucky to find a Facebook promotion Fogo was running for $ 25 off dinner! That’s a crazy deal, so I couldn’t resist coming to try the San Diego location for under $ 30 for dinner. All the meats were great, service was great, really no complaints at all. Except the guy at the next table wanted chicken hearts and they didn’t have them, so now I’m wondering if I’m missing out on something awesome. Great meal, get in here if you want to stuff your belly with delicious meats (and cheeses and breads). Not gonna eat for at least a day now.

I love going to Rei do gado so I thought its time to experience Fogo de chao!
Unfortunately I had a horrible experience. This place is super packed and crowded, like the type to give me anxiety. Thinking about walking to the salad bar? Don’t even try! The walk ways are super thin and narrow. The servers looked stressed out and in a rush, people were rushing to get to the bar and everyone is bumping into each other. I almost lost my Sh**. The salad bar has nothing to offer that is worth the money. No crab legs, prosciutto, or even a shrimp cocktail, unlike rei do gado. The only thing that looks expensive was the smoked salmon and maybe the salami.
I loved how for the steaks and lambs you can tell them how you like your meats cooked. I love medium rare! The only problem was every time me and my husband took a bite into the steaks there would be sea salt rocks in every bite. Their steaks lacked flavor. The salt was super overbearing and made me fill up on water. I literally only had 5 meats before I needed to get my check and go. I did not even leave on a full stomach. Super disappointing for a $ 110 bill.
Their cheese balls were empty and borderline cheese, not even soft. Rei do gados cheese balls are soft and super cheesy in every bite you take.
The service was basic, not exceptional. My server barely came over to us to check on how things were. He looked so busy as if he was in 10 places at once. So how could you get great service?
As you can see I am doing a lot of comparing to Rei Do gados. In every way Rei’s is better, from the food, to the bar, to the service. I would not come back to Fogo or recommend it.

Unless you can have a big appetite paying $ 52.95 for the meal is a waste!
Must try:
The lamb chop is excellent
The chicken and beef wrap with bacon
The bread
Negative:
Crowded and noisy. Tight space
Not worth the money unless you have a big appetite.
I won’t be returning again. For the same price I prefer Ruth Chris.

Consistently amazing service and great food!
You’re given a little card to indicate whether you want the meats to keep coming or not. Green means go, and red means stop and let me digest for a bit!
My friend and I came in for lunch and we found out they had a few changes to the menu! A month ago, they revamped their menu slightly so that you can order the Brazilian meats a la carte and take advantage of their market table (salads, grilled and raw vegetables, charcuterie and cheeses) for a reduced price of $ 26.95. However, if I’m at a Brazilian BBQ, I expec variety. Also, for a few bucks more, you can sample their entire selection of meats that they offer! So, do the right thing and choose the Churrasco experience $ 34.95.
My favorites:
*pao de quejo (cheese bread) — you can keep requesting it!
*fried polenta
*Garlic mashed potatoes
*Sauces: chimichurri, grated horseradish
*Lamb chop
*Prime rib
*Bottom Sirloin
*Picanha (prime top of sirloin)
*Parmesan pork
*Filet mignon
The servers do ask how you like your meat cooked so you do have full control of that. Use your little tongs to grab the sumptuous cut of meat so you don’t leave them hanging!
Tips: Save your appetite for the meats and use some of the vegetables to cleanse your palate throughout your meal! Pace yourself though! Corn hungry & leave carrying your belly out!

Like entering another country. Just where do I begin. What a delightful selection of various salads. But man must not live on salads alone. Where’s the beef?,
The onslaught of awesome assortment of endless meats, sirloin, filet mignon, beef ribs, picanha… oh heck. just throw the whole cow on the table. We’re hungry.
Once you flip that shaker up on the green side, expect these professional waiters with endless skewers of meat to lunge at your table. It’s not just beef either. There’s also pork, chicken, sometimes duck, but my desires are for beef.
For dessert, they have bananas cooking in a sugar syrup styled taste… Mmmmm.
Pros
Great selection of tasty beef
Excellent service
Nicely designed restaurant
Clean restrooms
Note
We were wondering if we should put in enough money in the meters on the street for one hour of parking. We chose to put in money for 2 hours of parking. Good thing we did, because we had 10 minutes left on the meter

I was excited to come here to try this nice upscale Brazilian steakhouse all you can eat carved meat. although I’m not really a carnivore. My experience today was totally disappointing thought my lunch was overall mediocre.
Food– Each variety of grilled meat looked amazing and tasty, but most of them are dry and not tender & juicy. The sausage was pretty good. But the polenta sticks and garlic mashed potato looks cold and boring, no Bueno! it wasn’t good at all.
I was charged for the full churrasco experience that includes the market table with boring fresh veggies, Cold meats and cheeses. $ 34.95.
CS– I gave them 4**** for the prompt service it was impressive and the waitress was really helpful and suggested veramonte primus red wine $ 12.50 pairing my steaks.
Overall it was just okay 3 stars ! Sorry And the salad was too boring for real. Well, Thanks for the $ 15 discount online if you sign up on their email list.
But I don’t think I’m coming back here I should have went to Nordstrom café and enjoy a Caesar salad with salmon. Oh well? Sorry (Fo-​go Dee shoun) not impressed ;(what a waste of money ! Don’t believe the hype ;(

Date of visit: 4÷17÷2016
I’ve been wanting to go to Fogo de Chao for a while now and since it was my birthday weekend, I decided to go for it. I was able to drag Issac and Matt along with Cam and myself, so we had a merry party of 4 for Sunday lunch. I made reservations online, but the restaurant was pretty empty at that time, so I can’t imagine there would have been a wait if you just walked in. If you go at dinner time, it’s pretty expensive, so we opted for Sunday lunch, which was about $ 20 cheaper per person.
Our waiter was super nice and explained the process for us. Every person gets a coaster — one side is red and one side is green. Green indicates that you would like some meat, while red means they won’t stop by your table. I like that each person gets their own meat indicator since you may eat faster or slower than other people at your table. Of course, Issac had his on green the whole time because he wanted as much meat as possible.
The salad bar isn’t really a salad bar — there are cold cut meats, grilled veggies, and soups in addition to salad. I filled my plate with some veggies and salad since I knew I would want something to help balance out the meat. Cam opted for cheese, Matt got salad and bread, and Issac opted for one olive.
Then the meat fest started. You are given a pair of tongs, which can be used to help the servers grab the piece of meat while they are cutting. They’ll usually tell you where to place your tongs so nothing falls. There are some cuts where they’ll just put it on your place for you. My favorite cuts were the filet mignon and the lamb chops. Both of these cuts just melted in my mouth and were seasoned perfectly. I also really liked the pork ribs, but everyone else found them to be too salty.
I can’t believe some people have room for dessert afterwards, but we all took our time and continuously got meat. Cam and Matt tapped out a half hour before Issac and myself, but during that last half hour, I was just waiting for some filet mignon.
We also got a bottle of wine to go with our meal — the Fogo de Chao Malbec, which was really good. It was on the spicier side of Malbec, but complimented all of the meats nicely. Pro tip — put the bottle in the middle of the table because it is more likely to get elbowed to the floor if it’s on the edge of the table. Yes, we spilled a bottle of wine, but luckily it didn’t break and we still had about 2 glasses left.
Overall, I probably won’t come back because 1) it’s super expensive and 2) I don’t need to ever eat that much meat again in my lifetime. Issac and Cam did mention that we should try it out in Brazil, so if I ever end up in Brazil, I might do something like this again. Your definitely paying for the experience at Fogo de Chao and it’s definitely recommended.

Came here to take my Mom out for her Birthday.
We had made reservations for the 1 PM lunch and we arrived a bit early, but were still promptly seated.
I really enjoy the ambiance of this place. It is pretty inside and you feel like you are in a nice restaurant (which it is!). We were immediately greeted by our waiter who explained how the steakhouse worked, since it was my Mom’s first time.
We went straight to the market table, which had an array of many vegetables, meats, and cheeses which were all yummy. My mom really liked the mushrooms they had.
We received our cheese bread, which unfortunately wasn’t fresh (it was kind of cold), but I was hungry so ate it anyway. Much better when it is fresh.
The meats here are to die for so don’t fill up on the market table! I had the lamb, house special, flank steak, bacon wrapped chicken, and prime rib. Very yummy! Seasoning was perfect and the meat was cooked to perfection! Only gripe is that towards the end of our meal, the restaurant had gotten quite busy and there were numerous times we were waiting over 10 minutes before anyone would come by. They kept coming by but skipping us over for some reason, even though the card on the table was green. Weird.
Sides: I love their garlic mashed potatoes and the yucca fries. YUM. I could easily fill up on those; so I had to monitor myself.
They gave my Mom a birthday dessert on the house which was very sweet of them! We chose the papaya blended ice cream dessert and it was amazing. Not too sweet and not too bitter. I would definitely order it again!
My only reason for the star off was the long wait times between service, and for the price I do feel as though it is a little overpriced, seeing as we cannot eat our money’s worth here. I will definitely return for special occasions since their meat is simply amazing, but I for sure cannot afford to eat here often.

Highly recommend this place for special occasions you want to celebrate in a big way.
Came here for my anniversary with my boyfriend. The servers were very accommodating and made our visit worth it. I love love LOVE everything that was served, from the cheese bread to the filet mignon, it was on point!
My faves were the fresh mozzarella and smoked salmon from the salad bar. You get to taste all sorts of yummy appetizers to begin your meal. Big tip: Don’t overdo the salad bar and water, to get the real deal, save it all for the steaks.
Shout-​out to our server for our anniversary dessert! I didn’t get his name since we couldn’t see his name tag, but if you read this you totally made our evening!

Fogo de Chao is roughly like a traditional Brazilian steakhouse, but it falls short in terms of customer attentiveness and mostly seems to adopt a model that lowers customer meat consumption and increases overall price.
I was with a group of 8 people, and often times our table was skipped and would go long periods of time without meat service. When we would get meat, if multiple meat servers hit the table simultaneously, they would only get one half of the table… meaning that half the table missed out on that specific rotation. It mostly felt that the slow meat service was meant to entice the group to fill up on ‘filler’ food from the salad bar, rather then provide the service promised. Moreover, over time I was unimpressed with the variety of meat offered — well beneath other high quality Brazilian places that I’ve attended. However, the quality of the meat provided was often adequate.
While the meat service was often slow, the cognac service was frequent. They had no problem using servers to push around a cart with top shelf liquor trying to further push their alcohol sales. I imagine that if the drinks were ordered solely off the menu like most restaurants, some of these repurposed servers could have helped our meat delivery.
I would not recommend this restaurant in the future, and will not be returning.

Very pleased with my visit here. Made a reservation and showed up a little early. They still seated us fairly quickly.
They had excellent service all around and the food was totally worth it. If we were waiting for a certain «cut», multiple employees would approach us and ask what we were waiting for and how we would like it cooked. Our water and wine glasses were never empty. There are multiple people to help serve you, not just one main waiter.
I also had a Facebook promotion to eat here too that gave us $ 25 off! What a great deal!
Overall, very pleased with our visit here.

The Brazilian BBQ here is pretty good, I’d say to try lunch first if you’re just wanting to try it out as you get a pretty good selection during lunch (market table, house special Picahna, side dishes, cheese rolls, and whatnot) just don’t get the filet mignon (only comes with dinner) or the seafood (that is an add-​on). However, you’ll pay about $ 20 less. The side dishes are pretty standard in comparison with other Brazilian BBQ places. The Yukon mashed potatoes are tasty, sometimes they drown it in butter though, and their yucca fries are usually a good thing to munch on while you wait for the various cuts of meat. My favorite meats are the house special, bacon wrapped chicken breast, and the fraldinha (bottom sirloin). Their market table has some charcuterie /​cheese /​veggie /​pre-​made salad options. Nothing special but provides something nice to eat between meats. There is also a Eljoada bar (rice /​black beans with sausage /​toppings) if that’s your thing.
I think they could improve with their overall flow and timing of their servings of meat. Seems like they all come out at once so you’re inundated all at one time while trying to eat, but then can go 15+ minutes with no one coming to your table.
As for the service, we’ve been to this location several times and always had great and friendly service. I used a birthday email special this time for our lunch (which gives you $ 25 off your meal) and got a complimentary dessert (I think it was their papaya cream) which was really tasty and light.
Overall, a great place to go for AYCE Brazilian BBQ. Be prepared to spend a few hours eating, at least $ 32 for lunch, as well as some time looking for parking if you don’t want to spend $ 15 for valet.

BRING ON THE MEATS!
And then the meat sweats, because this is no restaurant for the faint of heart. It’s brazilian, so they do the usual dance of meat on sticks carved tableside, but different than other restaurants they have a huge selection. Chicken, pork, beef you name it and all of a sudden it’s there at your table. If you have some dignity wear something stretchy, because after about 30 minutes that top pants button is going to be hanging on for dear life. If you have no dignity, just cave and wear your dressy sweatpants. Worth it though.

This would be my second time at Fogo de Chao, but first time ever at this location. As usual, the food was excellent and service was great during my visit, as I could never finish the meats on my plate in a timely manner as the servers were so good in bringing the meats on swords to our table at a constant rate. Okay, if you’ve never had the Brazilian Steakhouse experience before, then I suggest these cuts of beef from rare to medium rare:
Picanha (prime top part of sirloin)
Beef ancho (ribeye, so damn good)
Filet mignon
Fraldinha (bottom sirloin)
I’ve also had the lamb and pork sausage which are also good, but I was too busy with the beef. I didn’t check out the salad bar as I was just enjoying the beef (gotta hit the weights and eat clean again lol). The complimentary sides like the caramelized bananas and garlic mashed potatoes go well with the churrascao experience.
To top it off, I ordered the flan dessert and I must say that this is the best flan I’ve ever had so far. I knew that Fogo was known for their meats, but I didn’t know that they had great dessert as well. I’ll try a different dessert when I’m back, but it’s hard to not pick the flan, as it is that good!
Overall, a memorable dining experience. Great for business dinners, birthdays, anniversaries, or if you just want to have a great dinner! :)
PS: Come hungry. Trust me. Reservations are highly recommended on busy nights like weekends. ;)

Do come hungry and I mean really hungry because you get a lot of different meats here. Don’t even bother with the buffet they have because that’s going to make you full right away, and don’t order any drinks too. Stick with water and wait to drink after you have devoured enough meat.
My most favorite meats from here are the lamb chops; very flavorful and tender. The fat with it is like the icing on cake. It’s so good! Another favorite were the chicken bacon wrap, pork chop in a lemon zest seasoning. I tried everything but wasn’t too fond of the other meats that I can’t remember what was what. I also like the side orders the meal comes with already, crispy polenta and the caramelized banana fritters. The bread is really gooey and chewy yummy too.
Also grab a big plate while you wait for the meats to come around. Kids under 6 years of age are free so I’m really happy about that!
The servers are all very friendly and quick. They tell you what kind of meat they have on the bob and cut it up for you. You can ask for more meat at a time, don’t be shy about that, it’s unlimited meat!
They have my most favorite dessert here too, Crème brûlée and it was a great ending to my meal. Even though I was full I still had to squeeze in some room for my beloved Crème brûlée. It’s good for sharing. The cream was perfect not too sweet and the brûlée part just made the whole dessert go over the moon right into my mouth! I was in heaven! I haven’t had Crème brûlée in awhile so I was definitely a happy camper!

I’m a regular at Rei do Gado but we decided to try this place out since a lot of people like this place. The service was excellent! There were about 10 different servers coming around asking if we needed anything! The food was okay. The filet mignon was dry as were the Parmesan pork loin and chicken. My favorite was the bottom sirloin. The ribeye didn’t come around too much and I wish I had more of that. I must say their cheesy bread is really good and their chimichurri sauce is better. I loved the passionate caipirinha! If it wasn’t so expensive I’d order more of those! Rei do gado has more meat options so I’ll stick to it but if I need a change I’ll come here.

This is the first I get to enjoy Brazilian food in a very designed oriented location in downtown. I loved that you can eat all you want fresh steak and have a server over your head every minute. Beyond great customer service. I went with my wife for her birthday and was very nice.

Bottom Line: A fun experience for carnivores but definitely pricey.
I enjoy the concept of Brazilian steakhouses because it’s fun to try a wide variety of foods, and particularly meats. Even though Brazilian steakhouses like Fogo de Chao have an all you can eat menu, I know that I am never going to get my money’s worth in food and that is ok with me because I come here for the experience and social aspects of a leisurely dinner. What makes Fogo leisurely is that you don’t get a plate of food, chow down and leave. Instead, you load a plate with salad bar items and then patiently wait for the server to offer you the skewered meat you have been craving, often taking little breaks throughout the meal. This experience, Inclusive of grazing and socializing, does come with a hefty price tag though so I reserve places like this for special occasions. On my recent visit, my meal including a cocktail and tip was about $ 85 plus I paid another $ 12 for valet parking. For that kind of money there are certainly better places to eat a steak dinner but again, I come to Fogo for the experience, not just the beef.
What I like about Fogo de Chao is the nice atmosphere. The interior and décor is very polished and feels classy. Also, the entire staff looks very professional in their uniforms. The bar is in its own closed off space so it’s nice that rowdy patrons in there wont disturb the dinner crowd. Service is top notch from start to finish.
My favorite meats here are their house special beef (picanha top sirloin) and the rack of lamb. Also, their spicy and sweet bacon on the salad bar is delicious and I’m usually very neutral on bacon. About that salad bar, «salad bar» is really a misnomer because there is way more than salad like items on it. In fact, I think Fogo calls it a «Market Table.» For me, I skip the carbs and get a few light veggies because I’m really holding out for the meats. Something else I recommend skipping out on is the dry bacon wrapped chicken and dry pork ribs. Also, as a heads up, the wait staff will bring some items to your table like cheesy bread rolls, fried polenta and mashed potatoes. Shrimp are no longer on the salad bar but you can order them as a separate appetizer. The corkage fee here is $ 25.
There are several parking lots and garages within a few blocks where you can park for a few dollars but if you are running late, lazy or just like to valet, then you can valet here for $ 12 but be sure your waitress validates your parking ticket, otherwise they will charge you $ 20.
Overall, this is a nice experience but I think Rei Do Gado feels more authentic.

Came here during restaurant week ($ 40) and was so excited to finally try it. Fogo de Chao definitely did no disappoint. Their cuts of meat were cooked perfectly and the kept them coming consistently through out the night.
Their salad bar offered a wide variety of options as well. Most exciting was the Parmesan cheese wheel!
Can’t wait to come back soon!

Happy Valentines Day!!!
I have to say, writing a Unilocal review while you’re super stuffed is quite a challenge but here it goes…
We chose to celebrate Valentine’s Day at Fogo de Chao and made reservations far in advance. We know how busy it gets and even with a reservation, they give you a buzzer prior to seating you. A lady walked in with her son hoping to get seated but the hostess said that the wait is 3.5 hours.
As part of the Valentines Day promotion, you receive a dinning card good for a complimentary lunch or dinner on your next visit with restrictions. The great thing about this is that you have about 6 weeks (Feb 5 — Mar 28) to redeem the offer.
We were seated against the wall which was more comfortable than being in the center of the room where just about everyone rushes in and out.
The sides are immediately served which includes caramelized banana, fried polenta, potatoes, and their famous cheese bread. Trust me, you’ll need these sides and the market table to clear your palate and to help you chew less intensely.
The passadores (meat waiters) bringing by large skewers of meat continue tableside service as long as you have your card on green = Keep it coming! or flip it to red = I just can’t! This time the cards are heart shaped in honor of Valentine’s Day. Unlike Rei Do Gado which uses a salt shaker-​like tool to mark green and red, these flat cards are hard for the passadores to see from afar — which may have caused them to skip us every once in a while.
The passadores will carve the meat while you use your mini thongs to hold and move the piece to your plate. The outer portions of the meats tend to be more salty. Special request or made to order is available.
After chewing on picanha, lamb, lamb shank, chicken, and pork ribs (a little on the salty side) it was time to dive into the market table/​salad bar. This includes mozzarella, artichoke, tomatoes, sundried tomatoes, quinoa and eggplant, kale salad, smoked salmon, charcuterie, brussels sprouts, roasted bell peppers, chicken salad, rice and much more. I really enjoyed the soup of the day which was butternut squash. Dessert is not included but they offer fruits which include papaya, grapefruit, pineapple, and orange.
It’s unfortunate to say that the service is inconsistent. Some of the passadores such as the one holding the picanha came by frequently. Other passadores holding other meats did not make an appearance. We noticed that a few of the passadores would start at the left side of the room, come up in the middle and the exited. We sat on the right side and a missed a few of the meats. Since passadores are assigned the same meat throughout the night, you might just be out of luck. Instead of waiting, we decided to utilize the special request option for filet minion but it took over half an hour before making its way to our table.
If it wasn’t Ercolano who is the passadore with the filet minion, I think service was meh — keeping in mind how busy it was for V-​Day. This guy was on top of his game. He remembered exactly how we like our meats prepared. Impressive! Also kuddos to the passadore with the picanha who was very thorough at making sure we had enough.
The ribeye and filet minion are my top picks. They are tender and delicious! If you are a carnivore, then this is the right place for you!

Prelims: located in the heart of the Gaslamp district, FDC is a really nice looking restaurant, both inside and out. The interior is a very nicely decorated, with the dim lighting leading to a very nice atmosphere, although there is plenty of lighting to actually see. Parking is the usual dog-​eat-​dog world, so get what you can get and head on over to experience this festivity of meat. Service is quite excellent; our server was great explaining the concept and even slyly noted that we needed to eat more meat rather than the fantastic sides that they have.
So the concept is that you have the signal on «green» and wave after wave of servers will walk by and offer you slabs of deliciously cooked meat that they would carve right onto your plate. There are plenty of sides and salads that you can pre-​fill before you eat your weight in meat, like Caesar salads, prosciutto, bacon, etc. And then waves of house cuts, rib eyes, fllet mignons, New York strip sirloin, chicken, and pork will waltz by your table, offering a mouth watering selection of deliciousness. I particularly enjoyed the house cut, an in-​house selection of meat that is cut and cooked a specific way — Personally, I think this was even better than the filet mignon, and the ribeye was a close second. It was very good and I totally ate even more than I thought it was possible and I walked out regretting my gluttony.
If you’re going to come here, then consider money a side issue; it’s expensive, but totally worth it.
TL;DR Eat your weight in meat.

Decided to try this place out during restaurant week. When I made the reservation 4pm was the available slot. This is actually the time they open so it was an early dinner. $ 40 for the SD Restaurant Week dinner. Included the market table (salads, cheese, veggies), Feijoada bar (soup), unlimited sides (cheese bread, crispy polenta, mashed potatoes, caramelized bananas) and the main course meats. The meat main course included Sirloin, Top Sirloin, Bottom Sirloin, Lamb, Pork, Pork Ribs, Pork Sausage and Chicken.
I came ready to eat. I started with the market table and got the caesar salad, artichoke and some cheese. The sides came and the cheese bread was heaven in my mouth. I probably ate about 4. It was best right out of the oven. I’m drooling thinking about it. It was hard to hear what all the meats were so but I tried them all. My favorite cut was the one with a lot of fat on it. It was juicy and flavorful. All our servers were very nice and accommodating. I was so full and wished I could take my leftovers home but just like any buffet you gotta eat while you are there!
We also were given dessert with our dinner. We had three choices: New York Cheesecake, Key Lime Pie or Chocolate Mousse cake. Since there was three of us, we got all three and tasted them all. I’d say the cheesecake was a little too warm for my liking. It was warm and more like pudding than cake. The mousse was too rich for me and lastly, the key lime pie was perfect. Just enough lime flavor.
I would definitely come back and visit again. Maybe wear stretchy pants next time. :)

Ok so just hear me out. 5 star in the service department. Servers, waiters everyone nice, on top of it, making sure we were taken care of.
It was my first time here and we picked the restaurant week menu. 40 $ per person. Dinner.
TERRIBLE cuts of meat minus Costela (pork chops) and Alcatra (top Sirloin). greasey, overly salty (some of the meats). 3 sides were bright out: caramelized banana (so oily), mashed potatoes (DRY), polenta (interesting not in a bad way).
salad bar was a hodgepodge of sides from beets, cheese, and stuff I don’t recall cause it wasn’t anything special. desert was a slice of key like pie that was more cheesecake sweet and creamy than tangy and limey. lemonade was pretty good. mango vodka drink was good.
the price for what we ate was not worth it.
it’s an awesome concept and people looked like they were enjoying themselves, in fact one of my colleagues recommended the place he loved it.
I just found myself unsatisfied with the entire meal.
**although there is a wide variety of meat selection, side dishes from the salad bar and drinks, it did not feel like an actual meal to me; it just felt like disjointed parts that did not fit together at all**
I will not be going back but I’d say give it a try, lots of tables looked happy. who knows maybe it was just us, making the wrong choices. but a place that is supposed to be good AND have many choices, I think we gave it a fair shot.

Brazilian steakhohuses are typically one of my favorite types of restaurants; from lovely serve yourself salad bars, the amazing caipirinhas, and the Gauchos who come table side to slice perfectly cooked pieces of delicious meats onto your plate. my husband and I try this style of restaurant every time we stumble across a new one so was excited to try Fogo which has great reviews and had an awesome restaurant week price.
the atmosphere was modern, sophisticated and clean. large dining room with an extensive salad bar but it was stuffed full. I am hoping that they added extra tables for restaurant week because if I were paying $ 60, I would have liked to feel less squished & rushed. the Gauchos had little room to move around as did we.
brought to the table were traditional Brazilian sides; the cheesy bread which was the main attraction of everything brought to our table. I would have been happy with just this! the fried crispy polenta was really good as well. we were unimpressed by the mashed potatoes which were extremely bland.
for meats, the top sirloin was delicious; melt in your mouth tender, perfectly cooked and extremely flavorful. it ended up being all that I ate because there was a very small variety of meats that came to our table. I assume that they didn’t serve some of their meat specialities because of the low price that they were charging, but it made me hesitant to come back again. the pork we tried was very dry, as well as the chicken legs which were the same. the garlic beef was cooked well done every time and the majority of us liked our meat medium rare so we passed on that as well. the pork sausage was yummy but there were guests at the table who do not eat Pork. overall, we weren’t given the lovely meats that we were expecting and i was sad to leave unfulfilled.

Reading my last review I realized that yesterday I felt exactly the opposite than last time: I did not eat nothing from the salad bar but enjoyed the meat.
So… I must update the review!
The problem yesterday with the meat was that they did not have ready nothing well done so I needed to wait a lot to get a piece of meat. In fact, I waited about 15 minutes for a filet mignon that never came. We asked the waitress two time to ask for it and also the man there but it came when we were having desserts.
Besides that, it is a very nice place, the table was ready on time, the service very good although what I already said.
The 3 desserts we ordered were delicious!!! 3 leches OMG! And both of the cheesecake we had were perfectly made.
I can’t remember the name of the wine we had but was the finest.
No idea about the cost because I did not pay, but the Valet is $ 15 if you ask for your ticket to be stamped.

My boyfriend brought me here for a surprise dinner to celebrate the New Year and I was very impressed. We had a reservation and were seated right away at a table right in the center of all the action. Our waiter approached us immediately and explained how the whole process worked. He recommended a great red wine for us to start and we were off.
We started off at the Marketplace table where they have an assortment of salads, sides and vegetable plates. I was told not to fill up here but I couldn’t resist some of the great looking dishes. I got a little bit of the things I was dying to try and brought it back to the table. My favorite thing on the Marketplace table was the quinoa dish.
Once we got back we turned our cards to green which meant we were ready for the meat. The waiters started coming immediately with different choices so we had to turn it back to red after just a few minutes. Great service to say the least! My boyfriend and I tried every meat and our favorite was both the filet and the lamb without a doubt. Everything was absolutely delicious though! The waiters were very accommodating and kept asking if there was a certain meat that we wanted to try and if so, they brought it over right away.
The ambiance of the restaurant was also very nice. I would definitely recommend this place to anyone wanting to celebrate or just splurge a little. Great and fun experience. I will be back!

It is a good restaurant, but… you might be wondering why I don’t rate it higher. This is because I was expecting more, comparing it to other Brazilian BBQ places I have been to elsewhere in California.
The meat taste was good, but not jaw-​dropping. Plus, some of the cuts were extremely salty. The salad bar was acceptable, but there were no personal standouts besides perhaps the fresh citrus, pineapple and papaya slices. Service was good, but not exceptionally friendly and prompt. And it was true that they only tend to come when the whole table is green. Plus, the people were packed in way too tight to move through.
I might have been more satisfied if the price range was more reasonable and adapted to the overall quality of the place. Get ready to also shell out $ 10+ for valet parking.

Quality is slipping — 2.5 stars
— — — — — —
We came here as a special night out — we hadn’t been to Fogo in over three years (last time was in Philly), and wanted to come back.
They have made some updates to their offerings since our last visit. First, they now offer sea bass — an interesting twist, not unlike other steakhouses which offer seafood to capture a larger market.
Second, they offer a hot station in the back which serves butternut squash soup (good), white rice (not tried), and black beans with pork (not tried).
How was our experience? Let’s just say it was ok, not great. The garlic mashed potatoes looked like they were sitting under the heat lamp for too long. The fried polenta sticks were incredibly hard — not sure if they changed recipes or if they were also sitting under the heat lamp for too long. The plantains looked flat out unappetizing.
We did have doting service, but that was to compensate for the fact that the «gauchos» were nowhere to be found for half our dinner service. We were also surprised to see one of the managers actively bussing tables. Were they that short staffed?
But most importantly, the meat was mostly overcooked and inconsistently seasoned. Rare became medium rare, medium rare became medium. The rock salt was unevenly distributed. And there was a slightly sour taste not clearly attributable to lemon /​lime juice seasoning.
This is disappointing, because steaks /​grilled meats should be their forte. I’m hoping this was just a minor blip rather than a «new normal.»

Had Rei do Gado before and this was my first time at Fogo. We celebrated my boyfriend’s and my birthday last Saturday. Made a reservation for 15 about 2 weeks ago. I actually changed it the day of requesting a later time and they were happy to accommodate. There was a little bit of a wait when we got there, but it wasn’t too bad.
Our waiter was so informative and awesome overall. He split our checks without any issues or complaints… and explained every step of the meal with enthusiasm. My boyfriend felt like he made our experience so much better and I agreed.
The salad bar is top notch!!! I especially loved all of their cheese yum yum yum. We also really enjoyed the sides they served. DON’T FORGET to ask for their sauces… they have so many different kinds from A1 to chimichurri… loved all of them minus this weird green one that’s supposed to be good with the lamb? Idk it tasted like toothpaste to me.
Anyway, red means stop and green means go (you’re like duh!)… haha they give you a coaster that you flip over. Leave it at green if you want the meat guys to keep coming to you.
My favorite had to be the garlic sirloin and the new york strip… but mostly everything was good. Even their chicken (which I usually don’t enjoy) wrapped in bacon was so moist and flavorful.
Fogo is GREEEEEEEEEAT for groups and an awesome place to celebrate birthdays :) They surprised us with a slice of dessert each with our names written on the place. So cute! I enjoyed it more than Rei do Gado and we will for sure be back.
Price: About $ 52 a person for unlimited meat and salad bar sans drinks, coffee, and extra sides.
TIP: Sign up for their mailing list online and you’ll get a $ 25 coupon to use on your birth month :) You’re welcome

Come hungry. That I cannot stress enough when you go to Fogo de Chão. I definitely brought the hunger that night. I had snacks at work and almost spoiled myself with lunch. However the thought of glistening hot meat on sticks reminded me of the night ahead of me.
The fiancé and I decided to walk to Fogo since we needed to build up an appetite and burn off extra calories before and after dinner to accommodate all the delicious Brazilian meats they had to offer.
Our server was such a charmer. Gave us great suggestions for drinks, I had his personal favorite sodas from Brazil, a guarana soda based off of our common love of ginger ale.
We’re directed towards the salad and sides first before flipping out card to green for go give me the meats. I love their outfits at Fogo de Chão. They just look regal and epic as the come from the kitchen, bearing swords of delicious meats in all different kinds of cuts. My favorite was the pork spare ribs – super tender, fall off the bone, and simply seasoned just the way my mumsy makes them. I also enjoyed the signature beef cut and the filet mignon.
I was pretty proud of myself. I think I might have out meat eated (yes I know it’s ate but it rolls off the tongue better for me in this case) my fiancé. There was a distinct need to try as many cuts of meat as I could get in. They were doing a pretty awesome promo at the time too for No Kid Hungry were you donate and get a voucher for a discount on your next visit. Which is very much worth it for a good cause. I still think I could do much more damage the next time and try more meat. I’ll have to consider training my stomach to handle more delicious delicacies of Fogo de Chão.

I really didn’t want to give a two star review but I think I might have too. I understand that fogo is an ultimate meat lover paradise. Trust me I love my meat too BUT it should be cook perfectly.
We came to fogo to celebrate a birthday. The service was okay but the food was not. I honestly could not tell you which meat stood out to us since every single meat that came out or barely came to our table were either too tough to eat or just flavorless like it could use some salt. I think maybe the meat came around to us like 4 – 5 times which for ayce and 6 adults. That’s just not enough. I believed a manager maybe asked me if I was waiting for any meat when my plate was clean and empty so I told him «filet mignon» it came but it was pure fat… no flavor just fat. I couldn’t eat it.
The only item that I remember enjoying was the bacon from the salad bar which I must say. It’s sad to enjoy something so simple at a place that is well known for something else.
Overall, what a disappointing experiment. Will not come back since it is also pricey and in my opinion overpriced.

Typisches Brasilianisches Rodizio bevorzugt für Fleischliebhaber.
Die Bedienung war sehr zuvorkommend, auch wenn wir für das Restaurant etwas zu leger gekleidet waren. (Ich habe das auch schon anders erlebt.)
Ein Rodizio beruht auf den «all you can eat» Prinzip aber speziell für Fleisch. Es gibt ein reichhaltiges Buffet mit sehr hochwertigen Beilagen und Salaten. Nachdem man sich an dem Buffet bedient hat signalisiert man über einen zweifarbigen Pappdeckel (rot/​grün) dass man jetzt bereit ist für den Hauptgang. Das Fleisch wird auf großen Metallspießen gegrillt direkt zum Tisch gebracht und dünne Scheiben davon abgeschnitten. Normalerweise versucht man nun, den Gast mit allerlei billigem wie Hühnerherzen, Würstchen etc. abzufüllen, damit er bereits satt ist wenn die wirklich guten Sachen serviert werden. Nicht aber in diesem Restaurant — gleich zu Anfang wurden die feinen und teuren Fleischsorten serviert und auch immer wieder nachgereicht. Auch die Side Dishes waren nur vom feinsten (brasilianischen Cheese Bread, Polenta, Kartoffelpüree und karamellisierte gebackene Bananen)
Wir hatten als Getränk normales Eiswasser gewählt, was normalerweise immer etwas nach Chlor schmeckt — nicht aber in diesem Restaurant — hätte auch San Pellegrino sein können! Auch haben wir es nicht fertig gebracht unsere Gläser jemals leer zu trinken bevor wieder nachgeschenkt wurde. Meine Frau isst aus Überzeugung kein Fleisch und hat es normalerweise sehr schwer in derartigen Restaurants. Als Alternative wurde ihr Loup de Mer auf gegrilltem grünen Spargel mit Erdbeer Mango Dressing serviert. Meine Frau hat in einem Rodizio noch nie so gut gespeist.
Als Nachspeise gabs dann «Flan», so gut wie ich ihn außerhalb Brasiliens noch nicht gegessen habe.
Kann das Restaurant ohne Einschränkungen weiter empfehlen.

Fogo de chão é uma excelente opção em San Diego.
Serviço ótimo, comida de excelente qualidade.
Vale a pena conferir.