The Best Items On The Fogo De Chão Menu, According To Customer Reviews

Fogo de Chão is a Brazilian steakhouse chain that brings the traditional churrascaria barbecue experience to American diners. It's a cathedral for carnivores. The defining characteristic of rodizio-style steakhouses like Fogo de Chão is all-you-can-eat meat service and waiters carry skewers of grilled meats that are offered to diners and carved tableside. However, with the dizzying quantities of food available, it's easy for diners to be overwhelmed. Luckily, we can lean on the wisdom of previous diners to avoid the biggest mistakes people make when dining at Fogo De Chão. "This is chess, not checkers," as one Redditor advised newbies.

The original restaurant opened in Porto Alegre in 1979, but it made a name for itself when it expanded to São Paulo in the late 1980s. The Brazilian hotspot was a hit with American visitors who encouraged them to open their first U.S. location in Dallas in 1997. Since then it has expanded to more than 80 U.S. locations in addition to restaurants in Brazil, Bolivia, Ecuador, Mexico, and the Middle East. That means there is a lot of collective wisdom from veteran diners, and we've scoured nationwide reviews to bring you their recommendations. Focusing on these highest-rated menu items is a surefire way to get the most out of your visit.

Picanha is a signature dish at Brazilian steakhouses and one that most reviewers encourage you to sample. There is no understating the significance of the cut of beef to the identity of the steakhouse. The menu proudly declares: "There would be no churrasco without picanha."

While popular in Brazil, it's not a common cut at American butcher counters. The highly flavorful steak comes from the sirloin cap and is encased with a thick fat cap that bastes the meat as it cooks. It's prepared in the traditional Brazilian style. The meat is folded into a crescent and skewered so that the fat forms a horseshoe around it. Then, it is grilled over an open flame and carried directly to the dining table where it is offered to guests. A Yelper in Brooklyn spoke for most reviewers when they praised the steak for being "tender, juicy, and not over-salted."

On the other coast, a reviewer in Los Angeles claimed to be "obsessed" with the picanha because it is "a beautiful, salty, tender cut of beef." Most of their fellow Angelenos agree, including one who provided an interesting menu hack in their Yelp review. "The house picanha is always delicious," they wrote. "If you take the cheese bread and make a sandwich with the meat it's the best combination ever." Coast-to-coast, there is a consensus among reviewers that picanha is a must-have dish at Fogo de Chão.

Cordeiro (lamb) is a popular meat with reviewers. There are two different cuts, and both receive high marks. "The cordeiro is exceptionally nice," a Denver patron wrote on Yelp, "it was very savory with that subtle gamey flavor." Many diners repeat the same level of praise. "I fell in love with their lamb, which is the right thing to do," wrote another customer of the same location.

The two cuts are the picanha and the chop. The picanha is top sirloin from the leg section of the lamb and customers enjoy meat sliced from the large roast. Both cuts of lamb are marinated with fresh mint, white wine, and lemon before being spit-cooked over an open fire. 

One lamb lover from New York enjoys celebrating special occasions at the steakhouse. They said they celebrated both their last birthday and their 52nd wedding anniversary at a Manhattan location. "Their lamb is the best I've ever had," they wrote. The reviews are in, and they say you should save room for cordeiro.

The costela (beef ribs) draw Flintstone references from many customers. A New York Yelper says it is Fred Flintstone's favorite watering hole, and "when you see the size of the meat they serve here, all you wanna do is shout YABBA DABBA DOO!!!!" Many other customers also commented on the size of the rib, and one reviewer from Frisco, Texas compared them to Brontosaurus bones. "That's what I call them," he said.

These succulent hunks of beef are rubbed with rock salt to create a seasoned crust before being roasted for several hours. Unlike some of the other meats served here, ribs benefit from a long slow cooking time to achieve maximum tenderness. A common word of advice from veteran diners is to request the ribs from the waiter. They are on a heavy wooden cutting board and the servers don't carry them around the dining room as often as some of the other meats. However, they are typically available even if you don't see them being offered. Most reviewers suggest you try these oversized hunks of meat.

There are two common themes in customer reviews about the market table. The first is that it is an impressive spread that includes salads, fresh fruits, soup, smoked salmon, cured meats, cheeses, and the much-loved candied bacon. The second is an argument from many reviewers that you should avoid the first items in a buffet line. Since the market table is the first course, they suggest it is filled with temptations that will steal room from steak. However, even those suggesting to skip the market table sound wistful. One Redditor said it's a shame, "because the salad bar is seriously dank. But yeah ... Fogo is the place to engorge oneself on delicious roasted meats until you have to be wheeled out on a dolly."

Other carnivores came to the defense of the market table, pointing out that it was full of quality sausages and cheeses, plus the aforementioned bacon. Another person on the thread shared a tip for savvy diners. They said to serve a plate of light foods to eat with the main course. The crisp bites work as a palate cleanser between meats and ensure "you don't get weighed down, and ultimately eat much more meat." Another top tip from diners is to come for lunch when most locations offer the market table as a standalone option. They suggest this as a quick and more affordable ($18 at our location) way to sample the expansive spread without saving room for steak.

Pão de queijo are warm, soft, cheesy rolls that are served as a bottomless side along with garlic mashed potatoes, caramelized bananas, and crispy polenta. They are nearly universally loved by customers. "Favorite part about this place is the cheese bread," declared one five-star reviewer, who also recommended the restaurant for date night.

What is most impressive about pão de queijo is the substantial lack of detractors. Even hardcore-carnivores tend to agree that cheese bread is a tasty accompaniment to meat and deserves to be included in the meal. When disgruntled customers leave two or three star reviews, they still often take time to praise the fluffy rolls. "The cheese bread was very, very good," wrote a three-star reviewer who celebrated Valentine's Day at the midtown Manhattan location.

"The cheese bread comes out warm, soft and so tasty. It's hard to resist eating only one," a happy customer from Baltimore said in a Tripadvisor review. The praise is effusive for these rolls. With the consensus of other diners supporting your decision, you can feel confident digging into the cheese bread. Don't forget, they're bottomless too, so you don't have to limit yourself to just one ... unless you want to.

The filet mignon is well-known to American diners and a popular menu item at fine-dining establishments. Many enthusiasts argue that the tender meat and delicate flavors should only be enjoyed rare. This is a long way of saying, it's one of the pricier steaks on the market and finding it on an all-you-can-eat menu was a treat praised by many reviewers.

While you don't need to do much to make a delicious filet mignon, Fogo de Chão adds its own spin to it. The filet is skewered and grilled in the traditional Brazilian method. "You have never tasted filet prepared like this," the menu boldly claims. It's widely praised by reviewers. "The filet mignon is the best," a diner in Philadelphia wrote on Tripadvisor. A fellow citizen from the City of Brotherly Love agreed, calling the steak "off the charts good."

Fans of the Eagles and Cowboys aren't known to get along at tailgates, but if they talked about meat they might find common ground. A Dallas diner called the meat "outstanding and well seasoned." Another customer from the Texas city called it "heavenly." However, it's not all good news when it comes to the filet. A common critique in negative reviews is that the filet mignon was scarce. Most reviewers agree that this expensive steak makes less rounds than the cheaper options. They recommend requesting it if it doesn't appear early.

Frango (chicken) is a contentious dish among reviewers. There are diners who believe chicken is one of menu items you should avoid at a steakhouse. Especially when it is competing for space with endless steak. "Nothing wrong with it," a Redditor wrote when he made an argument for these diners, "but you're there for the good cuts. Filets and ribeye all day baby." It's a logically sound argument, filet mignon is definitely more expensive than a chicken leg.

However, a significant amount of reviewers raved about the chicken, including members of the beef lovers club. One example is a customer from Chicago who was enthusiastic with their praise. "THE CHICKEN!! Ironically, the chicken was my favorite meat at Fogo. ESPECIALLY the bacon wrapped chicken! SO juicy and SO hot and FULL of flavor," they wrote in their Yelp review. 

In addition to the bacon-wrapped breast referenced by that reviewer, there are roasted legs and thighs with a peri-peri sauce. The sauce is a Portuguese preparation traditionally made with hot pepper, lemon, vinegar, garlic, bay leaves, and oil. "I've seriously never tasted chicken so good," an Atlanta diner wrote in a Yelp review. Frango is a recommended option from many reviewers, even if steak purists shun it.

Alcatra is a traditional cut of beef found in Brazilian steakhouses. Like picanha, it comes from the top sirloin and shares many similarities in flavor and texture. Despite the fact that sirloin steak is often snubbed by fine-dining establishments, customers overwhelmingly approve of the Brazilian preparation. "Yes and YES!", a happy Yelper  from Rowland Heights wrote in their review. "Especially when it is medium rare and juicy. You can ask for chimichurri sauce to eat with it and it's sooooo good!"

A diner in Chicago shared some advice to prevent others from making the mistake they almost did. They said they passed the alcatra several times for the crime of being a sirloin. However, when they finally relented they were pleasantly surprised by the steak, noting it had a nice char on the outside but was tender inside. Alcatra has been vetted by steak lovers, and receives a thumb's up from most. You can order it with confidence.

Caramelized bananas are a controversial inclusion, mostly because it's a steakhouse and we're talking about bananas. But at the end of the day, too many reviewers gushed about them to leave them off the list. One diner from the Windy City wrote in their Yelp review that they very much enjoyed the bananas, before admitting they had four servings of them.

Which is a good reminder to share words of wisdom that many steak lovers included in their reviews. The tantalizing banana is one of the first dishes to appear on the table and it is surprisingly easy to overdo it before the meal even starts. Rather than gorging on the banana as an appetizer, they suggest enjoying it as a treat during the main course.

Fogo de Chão's menu description says the "balance of sweet and salt is a critical element of Southern Brazilian cuisine." Bananas are popular menu items in Brazil, one of the world's leading producers of the tasty fruit. Here, they are cooked until they start to caramelize and melt. A customer from Long Beach, California praised them for being soft and perfectly sweet. Previous diners mostly agree you should sample them, but caution to enjoy in moderation to avoid filling up on bananas in a steakhouse.

The Caipirinha is a traditional Brazilian cocktail that complements the South American vibes. "Normally many would probably go for wine," A California Yelper wrote, "but Brazilian steakhouse gotta go for the multiple varieties of Caipirinha ... a definite must!" The base liquor of cachaça distinguishes the cocktail from other drinks. There are many types of Caribbean rums, but none of them taste quite like cachaça, the national spirit of Brazil. It's similar to rum, but distilled from the fermented juice of sugar cane giving it a unique, grassy flavor.

The drink is a mixture of cachaça, fresh lime juice, and sugar. It's praised for it's sweet tangy flavor that reminded one drinker of a mojito on steroids. An Austin diner praised the "great balance of tartness and alcohol" in their Trip Advisor review. Fogo De Chão serves the cocktail in traditional, passion fruit, or strawberry hibiscus flavors. Which one you order should be based on personal preference, as they are all praised by reviewers. If you are a cocktail drinker who enjoys tart, refreshing cocktails, many reviewers suggest you order a caipirinhi to accompany the meal.

There are numerous ways to use bacon in cooking and medalhões com bacon is a filet wrapped in hardwood-smoked, honey-cured bacon. Many reviewers rave about the combination of juicy steak with bacon. A diner from Orlando wrote on Yelp that it tasted "like nothing I've ever had before. Super juicy, with a wonderful smoky flavor."

Cooking steak and bacon together can be tricky, and different reviewers reported different experiences. "I would note that the bacon wrapped filet was my favorite," a Denver diner wrote on Yelp. "Juicy, rare with just the right amount of done-ness on the bacon." Many reviewers across the nation repeated similar praise.

However, a diner at the same location reported a much different experience. They called the bacon-wrapped filet dry and "choke-worthy." While choke-worthy goes farther than most, there were reviewers that mentioned their bacon-wrapped morsel being served dry as well. The takeaway from the plethora of reviews is that when it is cooked properly, the medalhões com bacon are a hit with diners. The good news, based the majority of reports, is that you are more likely to get a well-cooked medallion than a dry one.

Creme de papaya was a trendy dessert in São Paulo in the 1990s, which coincided with Fogo de Chão's rise to popularity. The dessert was adopted by the rodizio-style steakhouses that were popular in the Brazilian city. Now, it is a classic dessert that is found at many Brazilian steakhouses. The refreshing blend of papaya and vanilla ice cream was praised by many reviewers who thought it was a pleasant end to a heavy meal. "Nice and light, which was good seeing as how you will definitely overeat beforehand," according to a Brooklyn Yelper.

The theme among reviewers is lightness. If you are craving a decadent dessert, there are sweeter options like tres leches cake, Key lime pie, and New York style cheesecake that you might prefer. However, many reviewers recommend the refreshingly light Brazilian dessert as the perfect end to a indulgent meal and many claim it contains enzymes that help with digestion. "Their Papaya Cream is an amazing sealer to the entire meal experience," is how a satisfied diner from Denver summed it up.