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Fogo de Chao

  • 4.6 star rating
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4.6 rating over 8 reviews

661 N La Salle Dr
Chicago, IL
(312) 932-9330 View the Menu
Website More Locations

Currently OPEN

Description: Fogo de Chao is a Salads, Buffet, and Brazilian Steakhouse restaurant where most Menuism users came for a family meal, paid more than $50, and tipped between 15% to 18%.  Tags: , , and
   
Stats:
  • 1 site links here
  • 24 dishes entered by diners
  • 6 users wants to eat here
  • 16 users loves this restaurant

Reviews Write a review

  • 8 reviews
  • First reviewed by JDogg

March 26, 2007

  • 5.0 star rating
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+8 0
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8 Votes
 

Chow down at Fogo de Chao

Fogo de Chao is a Brazilian buffet with exquisite service. The meal has two parts: salad bar and a merry go round of meat. The second part, as seen in the other reviews, is where Fogo de Chao excels. Serving 16 different types/variations of meat, it’s impossible not to find a meat you won’t like (unless you’re vegetarian. =P ). My favorite meats were the Chicken Leg, Parmesan Beef, Filet Mignon (the plain version and the bacon wrapped version), and the sausage. They were all good though.

Seeing as the meal is $50/person, the restaurant should, and does, go beyond just good food. Since the merry go round of meat relies on efficient walking around of waiters. They come to your table with giant meat skewers and get you the meat in front of you. That service, and the normal waiting staff was beyond excellent. They randomly pulled out my seat for me, they refilled water almost instantly (unlike most places), and they replaced the side dishes quickly (pilenta, fried banana, and mashed potatoes. The fried banana is addicting and a nice change of flavor from meat).

All in all, if you have the money to burn, eat here.

Dishes I tried:

parmesan beef

  • 5.0 star rating
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I doubt everyone would agree that this is a five star rating, but I really enjoyed the quality beef with some parmesan cheese on top. A little salty, but it blended well. The beef was also really soft and tender.

frango (chicken legs)

  • 5.0 star rating
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Amazing. Juicy and the best thing here.

fried banana

  • 5.0 star rating
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Mmmm. sweet and soft.

mashed potatoes

  • 4.0 star rating
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Another side dish. Silky soft. You might feel guilty for eating more since you’re already powering down all types of fancy meats.

filet mignon

  • 5.0 star rating
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The bacon wrapped version is especially juicy and soft. Probably not great for you, but it tastes great. The filet mignon itself is also good.

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December 19, 2006

  • 5.0 star rating
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+8 2
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8 Votes
 

The best Churrascaria

I’ve tried several Brazilian steakhouses, and this is the best I’ve had so far. More variety of meats, and of better quality and taste as well.

It also has one of the best salad bars around (ironic for a carnivore’s dream restaurant). There was a vegetarian in our group and he didn’t mind being in a steakhouse because the salad bar was so good. Plus there is a discounted price if you just want to eat at the salad bar.

The preset price may seem high at first, but if you think about it, you’d spend just as much at any other higher-end/quality steakhouse. Further, this is a buffet so you get more food. For an even better deal, go during lunch and it’s cheaper. Just don’t plan on being very productive the rest of the day.

Dishes I tried:

SALAD BAR

  • 5.0 star rating
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One of the best salad bars

frango (chicken)

  • 5.0 star rating
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Chicken breasts wrapped in bacon. Mmm … bacon.

beef ancho

  • 5.0 star rating
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My fave, a rib eye.

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January 24, 2007

  • 5.0 star rating
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+71
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7 Votes
 

Always a good meal

Even if you don’t want to totally stuff yourself, a meal at Fogo de Chao is always a fine experience. The service is amazing, the decor is nice, and food is great.

The salad bar is amazing and you can even just opt to eat that if you want (or if you’re vegetarian). But even the waiters will advise you not to eat too much salad the start. Once you eat a couple pieces of lettuce, the fun starts and you turn your green disc up for the meat to start coming. Sometimes you’ll have to keep your hand near the disc because they come so fast you need time to eat all the meat on your plate!

The desserts and coffees are also really good if you have the stomach for it.

Dishes I tried:

DINNER BUFFET

  • 5.0 star rating
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So many tasty meats and great salad. What else could you ask for? It’s like your own little farm: pork, beef, lamb, and chicken.

fraldinha (bottom sirloin)

  • 5.0 star rating
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I like this cut. It’s really tender and juicy.

filet mignon

  • 4.0 star rating
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Always a solid choice. Make sure you get it a little rare so its juicier…err, bloodier :)

frango (chicken legs)

  • 4.0 star rating
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Bacon around anything is good and this chicken is no exception. It’s exceptionally juicy and tasty.

costela de porco (pork ribs)

  • 4.0 star rating
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While not totally fall off the bone soft, they taste very good.

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August 9, 2006

  • 5.0 star rating
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+6 0
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6 Votes
 

MEAT

How can you go wrong when waiters dressed as Brazilian cowboys serve you a limitless supply and selection of freshly barbequed meat?

Oh, I guess the salad bar is pretty decent, too. The fried polenta is awesome, but try not to fill up on that or else you won’t be able to eat all the meat!

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August 28, 2006

  • 4.0 star rating
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5 Votes
 

great meal for carnies

the wide selection of meats is impressive, and the brazilian cowboys serving them make for an even more impressive dining experience. it’s a hefty $50pp so be prepared to eat your money’s worth and you won’t be disappointed. i’ve been to a few other brazilian bbq restaurants nearby, and fogo’s is definitely where i’ll be returning to when the craving for bloody goodness arises.

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March 24, 2007

  • 5.0 star rating
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+42
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4 Votes
 

meat heaven

This place isn’t for those who like to spend money on food. Each buffet is $50, which is not easy to make up for. But it’s worth it for the experience and pure variety of food you get. The restaurant is decorated very nicely, with a salad bar in the middle. It is a very extensive salad bar, offering lots of different types of vegetables and good stuff. While one might be able to eat a buffet on the salad alone, that’s not what you are there for.

The meat here is generally very excellent, and comes in unrelenting waves if you have your card flipped. You get a card where, if its on the green side, servers will flood you for food, while the red card tells them to stop. But if one person has a green card, chances are, you are gonna get the meat there because it is WAY too tempting. While the meats are great, you also get fried banana, polenta, and mashed potatoes in the middle. AND you get a cheese bread thing which is super puffy and really good. These dishes are a welcome change from the onslaught of meat. It’s always cool to see the servers give you meat off a sword.

I thought the most memorable part though was the service. I am not used to such good service, where they constantly refill water, give you new side dishes super fast, and give you meat right when you want it. It was ridiculous. They are all also really nice, and seem to have telekinetic links with each other. If you have money to burn and want a new food experience, I suggest that you go here.

Dishes I tried:

cheese bread

  • 4.0 star rating
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This provides a nice beginning dish and a refreshing side from all the meat.

costela de porco (pork ribs)

  • 4.0 star rating
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The ribs had good meat, though some bites were a bit salty and the meat didn’t fall off the bone like some places.

frango (chicken legs)

  • 5.0 star rating
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Small chicken legs with a fried skin around it. The meat is super tender and it was just really good.

linguica (sausage)

  • 5.0 star rating
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A juicy, super meaty sausage which any sausage lover would devour in a jiffy.

fried banana

  • 5.0 star rating
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You could eat this banana all day, because it is sweet and refreshing, especially after eating a ton of meat. Mmmm.

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June 21, 2007

  • 5.0 star rating
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+3 0
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3 Votes
 

Orgasm in all-you-can-eat steak form. Totally worth the $...

Orgasm in all-you-can-eat steak form. Totally worth the $25 for lunch or $50 for dinner if you do the anorexic thing for a day or two before venturing to the Fogo. Definitely the best of any of the Argentinian/Brazilian steak buffets around… Sal et Carvao and Texas & Brazil do not even compare. Excellent cheesy bread and fried bananas, and a buffet with maybe every kind of cheese and artichoke and antipasta ever invented. There are really friendly waiters dressed in goofy gaucho pants catering to your every beefy desire. And chicken and bacon and pork too. They carry open-pit roasted COWS on swords, it’s pretty much a merry-go-round of steak. Excellence.

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June 23, 2007

  • 5.0 star rating
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2 Votes
 

beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeef

beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeef

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This restaurant is located near the cities of Hyde Park, Lincoln Park, Austin, Lindenhurst, Gold Coast, and Bricktown.

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