Fogo de Chao Churrascaria   8250 Westheimer Rd Houston TX 77063 713.978.6500 You might also be interested in these:     Brazilian Restaurants    Business Lunches    South American    Steaks    ZIP 77063   Add Review       MY REVIEW: Great salad bar. Waiters are annoying. About 1 out of every 5 meats are desirable...so you might get corporal tunnel syndrome flipping the coaster to screen the crap to get the better cuts. All in all...it is an experience. Oh, yeah...it's a great place to go if you think America is really in the dire economic situation that it is supposedly in. People paying a lot of money to stuff their pie-holes in the most obese city in the nation. God Bless America. NAME: Tricky Tuna SUBMITTED: 7/8/2008   LAST VISIT WAS: June/2008 FREQUENCY: Visited 2-3 times MY REVIEW: I go here a lot mainly because there are not a lot of churrascarias in Houston. I have to say that I guess it depends on the day and who is grilling what meat because I have had on a few occasions a bad meal where their meat was lacking seasoning/salt or there was too much of it. The service is always excellent no matter what and they are very attentive so it sort of makes up for the semi-bad experiences. They do have a few good choices of meat although I must say that their filet mignon is always dry no matter how many times I'll give it a try...isn't it supposed to be a tender cut? Othen than that I like their specialty meats, that means not the chicken, pork, or wrapped bacon meats. Those you can eat somewhere else. NAME: meatlover SUBMITTED: 6/23/2008   LAST VISIT WAS: 3/08 FREQUENCY: Everybody here knows my name... MY REVIEW: I was disappointed in this place after hearing and reading other people's reviews. I have been to other brazilian restuarants (T*exas de Brazil in Dallas and a Las Vegas one which I forgot the name to), and their meats have much more flavor and taste much better. The chicken was tougher than I liked and was bland. The lamb was ok as were the pork sausages. I did enjoy the rib-eye, the smoked salmon from the salad bar , and their butter breads. Also their service was excellent as they tended to all our needs. However, the meat was what we went there for, and all of us came out dissatisfied considering we paid close to $50/person before including drinks and tip. NAME: meatlover SUBMITTED: 6/16/2008   LAST VISIT WAS: 06/2008 FREQUENCY: Visited once MY REVIEW: Fogo De Chao is hands down my favorite Restaurant in Houston, and trust me I know alot of Restaurants. I've got the pounds to prove it ! Since we ( most of the time my daughter and myself ) arrive there it's nothing but smiles and friendliness from the staff and management. The food is wonderful, specially the lamb chops. My daughters faves are the rice, beans, bananas, and the chicken & apple salad from the bar. If my husband comes along he takes advantage of the great "Mojitos" I highly recommend this Restaurant to those of you that love meat. The price is well worth it ! NAME: Claudia SUBMITTED: 6/11/2008   LAST VISIT WAS: 06/08 FREQUENCY: Everybody here knows my name... MY REVIEW: We had a reservation for 7 people. We only waited for a minute before they sat us. The waiters were attentive and friendly. The meat was cooked to perfection. The salad bar were quite interesting and the cheese popovers and bananas were a wonderful surprise. We usually do not load on bread before the main course but we counld not stop eating the bread. My only complaint is the gauchos bombarded us with too much meat at one time, it made us loss or our appetite. We finally had to tell them to come one at a time. We also had dessert, flan and home made ice cream. It was good but not spectacular. Over all I would give this experience an "A" NAME: Food Fanatic SUBMITTED: 2/19/2008   LAST VISIT WAS: 2/19/08 FREQUENCY: Visited once MY REVIEW: We ate there AGAIN the other night. Once again: 1. Immediate seating with reservations 2. Spectacular service....non-stop waiters and gauchos 3. Outstanding cuts of meat 4. The manager raced up to say, "We're so glad you're back", shook my hand and slapped me on the back. 5. Immediate and spectacular service. Once again, this is Houston's finest restaurant for service. Even if you've only been there once before, they know you, appreciate you, and shower you with attentive service and outstanding food. God, I can't wait to go back. You always leave one thousand percent satisfied. If I could buy stock in this company, I would. NAME: John SUBMITTED: 2/17/2008   LAST VISIT WAS: 02/2008 FREQUENCY: Everybody here knows my name... MY REVIEW: Very interesting place. Best to make reservations because the place is always packed. Lower upper class setting so you can dress to impress if you want. (You don’t have to though.) You begin with a rather large and plenty salad bar with more then enough appetizers. Food is good, not sure on freshness but generally good. Once seated, waiters make rounds with samples of meat. They keep coming every so often with different meats, you can accept or decline. Most of the meat is served rare; you don’t have a choice as to how they cook it. Expect $50 / plate. Go only if you’re really really hungry. Good place to take a date, but not a first date because of the noise and you stuffing your face. NAME: yamafx4dude SUBMITTED: 12/19/2007   LAST VISIT WAS: 12/2007 FREQUENCY: Visited once MY REVIEW: Hands down my favorite restaurant in Houston. If you are a meat lover and don't mind being served 2oz morsels at a time, this is the place for you. After being seated, you are encouraged to visit the "salad" bar. There are an assortment of fine cheeses, smoked pork and salmon, various pickled veggies, and some chopped romaine. Next, the servers provide a clean plate and the parade of meats begins. They are all very good and range from rare to medium well. All the cuts are pretty heavily seasoned, something I don't mind at all, but consider this your warning. After this initial barrage, the offerings become fewer and farther between - but they do keep them coming. Some cuts are offered more often than others, but feel free to verbally request more of that beef tenderloin - you will be accommodated. The desert offerings are plentiful but really, you don't come here to eat deserts. That said, I had the turtle cheesecake and was quite pleased. NAME: john SUBMITTED: 10/28/2007   LAST VISIT WAS: October 2007 FREQUENCY: Visited 4-6 times MY REVIEW: The food is good. It is not a traditional buffet because the meat is brought to your table by servers on giant metal skewers & they slice 1-2 pieces of meat. There are about 13 different types of seasoned/marinated meat (pork, chicken, beef). There is a salad/fruit bar that you can serve yourself to. The price is outrageous at $44 per person. NAME: Tim from Stone Gate SUBMITTED: 10/19/2007   LAST VISIT WAS: 4/2007 FREQUENCY: Visited once MY REVIEW: My son and I were planning to go to O*utback for my birthday until I found there was a churrascaria in town - instant plan change! I have eaten at churrascarias in Brazil but they were mostly semi-open air roadside sorts of places - amazingly cheap with great grilled meat. What would this experience be like, other than wallet-draining (I checked out their website before we left)? Our opinion: Muito Bom! We only waited five minutes on a week night with no reserrvations. All the meat was nicely cooked - and when I asked for a more rare cut, one was produced. Our waiter asked a couple times if there was a specific cut we wanted more of - and minutes later, there it was. My son really liked the chicken and we both raved about the sausage that contained a slightly different spice than usual (rosemary?). The charcoal wood smoke flavor of all the meats was in perfect balance with the seasoning. If a salad bar has hearts of palm and real olives (not American ones) then it is high on my list. As with most reviewers, next visit I'll spend less time on salad and more flagging down gauchos. The pop overs and polenta were good (pass on the institutional potatoes) but concentrate on the meat! The server brought us a huge slice of chocolate birthday cake (most of which we boxed for the next day) as a fitting end to our carne carnage. Definitely a once or twice a year sort of place but we didn't feel rushed. Now my son has been spoiled and I fear we will never eat at O*utback again! Well, ok, we probably will - Fogo de Chao doesn't have "Bloomin' Onions" hehe NAME: Daddy Dave SUBMITTED: 10/5/2007   LAST VISIT WAS: 8/2007 FREQUENCY: Visited once MY REVIEW: My boyfriend and I went for my birthday. We made reservations for 7:30, arrived at 7:15 and was seated right away. Service was impeccable but the waiters are not very friendly. The salad bar was delicious! But don't stock up, leave room for the meat. Trust me, you'll get a meat hangover after this meal. Skewers and skewers of lamb chops, filet mignon, ribeye, chicken, sausages. You receive small to medium size pieces. If you want a smaller cut, just let them know. Some of the meat was overdone, but I like my meat rare to medium rare. The side dishes which included cheese popovers, fried bananas (to die for), polenta and mashed potatoes were GREAT except for the mashed potatoes, they tasted like grainy box potatoes. Don't waste space in your stomach over it. They replenish everything immediately. Also bring you a clean plate when needed. We had the Creme Brulee for dessert which was served with blueberries and a strawberry. Very good ending. No doggie bags or leftovers allowed to take home. What a waste, my dog would have thanked me! Great food, but I would only come here again in another 10 years as it's way too much meat for one sitting! NAME: lisacas1 SUBMITTED: 8/29/2007   LAST VISIT WAS: 08/2007 FREQUENCY: Visited once MY REVIEW: Superb, attentive and personable service. But restaurant itself was extremely overpriced. While the meat was plentful, most, if not all, tended to be overcooked. Filet mignon was tough. Actually, none of the meat was tender. The meat of the issue; quantity is not necessarily quality. Also, the salad bar could use some dessert--maybe cut fruit. I do not recommend it. NAME: foodie SUBMITTED: 8/6/2007   LAST VISIT WAS: 08/05/07 FREQUENCY: Visited once MY REVIEW: I love Fogo De Chao they had great service, food and setting. I went on my birthday and I thought it was very sweet when they gave me a chocolate molten cake with a candle so I can make a wish I was very pleased with Fogo and I would go back. NAME: Kia SUBMITTED: 6/23/2007   LAST VISIT WAS: june 22 2007 FREQUENCY: Visited once MY REVIEW: This is the place to go for meat lovers. If you call ahead and reserve a table then you sit down and being eating. Almost no waiting, they begin bringing out the meat immediatly. I never found the tenderloin was hard to find, it was always coming around or always showed up at my request. Side items are average but I knew going in that I wasn't going to be interested in side items. Actually one of their best items was the sirloin. It was very tender for that cut of meat. Chicken was also fantastic. They also have a huge salad bar which I have never had and cannot really review but it is impressive. I've been back a few times and I know I got my $45 worth when I ate there. They do keep it quite cool in the restaurant, probably to keep people moving in and out but it didn't work on me. NAME: Mayor_McCheese SUBMITTED: 6/1/2007   LAST VISIT WAS: 12-2006 FREQUENCY: Visited 4-6 times MY REVIEW: Okay, so I'm going on Saturday (I'll post my food review then) for now I would like to post for the reservations. I called a week ago to make reservations for my husband and myself for our anniversary. Maybe, stupid me for making a reservation and not realizing that the lady never did ask for my name before hanging up. So I called today to confirm and surprise no record of my reservation. I told the lady on the phone that I was not asked for my name while making the reservation. She then proceded to ask me in her most smart @$$ tone: how did you expect to have a reservation with out giving your name. I sat there for a moment, biting my tonge really hard before telling her to just put me down for a reservation. Maybe it was not smart of me to assume that the woman at this high-class resturaunt would know how to take down a reservation. But don't sit there and practicaly call me a dumb@$$ on the phone. That is very poor taste. I hope the food is better than the customer service. Sorry, had to vent. NAME: Very Upset With FOGO SUBMITTED: 4/24/2007   LAST VISIT WAS: 04/207 FREQUENCY: Visited once MY REVIEW: My family and I went to Fogo last month for my birthday. Positives: The waitstaff was very attentive. As soon as you turn over your coin to green they are their with skewers of meat! Some of the cuts of meat, like the filets were great. A nice variety of meats and a large salad bar. There are always sides and tasty cheese pop-overs on your table. We loved them and the plantains. They try to ensure you try a variety of meats and will ask specifically if there's one kind of meat you would like more of. There's no limit to how much you can eat and you can flip your coin over to red to take a break from eating or back to green for more meat any time you want. The two desserts we tried were good. One was a chocolate dessert and the other, was some kind od pappaya dessert. Negatives: There is a set price of $46 so this is a special occaision only kind of place. It is difficult to eat enough to cover the price. I found that it was hard to enjoy my meal when I was just trying to eat enough to make eating there worth the price. The meats are all flavored pretty much the same. We didn't like all of the meats, but by the time we realized which meats are worth eating, we were already getting full. We also noticed that the good cuts come around much less than the not-so-good ones like chicken or this chewy sirloin one. The lamb chops never came around to our table. When they asked what we wanted to try we said lamb chops on three different occaisions but they never came around. Finally, after asking a fourth time a the very end of our meal we got them. Some of the meats are a bit on the salty side. Our waitstaff were very efficient, but not friendly at all. Our waitress would make smart remarks or roll her eyes, but with all the noise and confusion around it was hard to tell she was doing it. They asked if we wanted water for the table and my mom said yes, thinking they just meant glasses of water, but instead they brought out 2 big bottles of water and refilled them without asking. We had to pay $20 for water we didn't really want. The soft drinks also come in fancy glass bottes and are like a ridiculous $2.50 a tiny bottle. The meal was good and a neat experience, but not worth the price. It is something I would maybe do again, but probably just a one-time thing. There are restaurants in Houston that are much cheaper with better food. If you are a carnivore, with money to spare, that doesn't mind that their pork, lamb, and steak all taste the same...then go for it I guess. NAME: KAG SUBMITTED: 4/21/2007   LAST VISIT WAS: 03/07 FREQUENCY: Visited once MY REVIEW: Fogo is Great! I have mostly gone there during lunch, and have always received great service with great food. I decided that my wife needed to enjoy this wonderful food. So, for our anniversary, I took her there for dinner. She described it as "Heaven on a Plate". Service was great too. She tried one of their specialty drinks.... she took one drink and did not like it. When we told our waiter, he promptly took the drink and compted our bill. We then were deciding on whether to get desert or not, since it was our anniversary. The waiter recommended one of there Cheese cakes. When he brought it our, he evidently over heard us say it was our anniversary, and had the chef write on the plate "Happy Anniversary". If that was not enough, he even compted us for the dessert. We recommend FOGO to everyone. Even though it may be a little pricy, it is well worth it. One recommendation, if you really want to enjoy the meat selections; take it easy at the salad bar. Fogo has a tremendous salad bar to go along with the entrees, but do not over do it. NAME: Roland SUBMITTED: 4/7/2007   LAST VISIT WAS: 4/07 FREQUENCY: Visited 4-6 times MY REVIEW: Still the top restaurant in town for top notch superior service. I challenge any other steakhouse in town to top Fogo. Just ate there again. Instantaneous service. Non-stop selection of meats. For those of you who complain (like Old and Picky) that she isn't a big meat eater, take this as a clue: You should go elsewhere to eat your lettuce and sprouts. This place is for meat lovers who love great, non-stop service. I lived in South America for many years and my wife and I are very familiar with this concept of dining. Brazilian churrascurias exist throughout South America and we just returned from Rio. After eating at the most highly rated one in the Copacabana beach area, I can tell you they were great, but no better than Fogo. If this was a publicly held company, I'd be investing in it. I eat there at least twice a month. We have never experienced anything less than outstanding in all categories. Try Fogo. You'll thank me later. Guaranteed. NAME: john the meat lover SUBMITTED: 2/3/2007   LAST VISIT WAS: 02/2007 FREQUENCY: Everybody here knows my name... MY REVIEW: I made reservations 1 day ahead and as I arrived, I still had to wait for my entire party to arrive. As soon as everyone got there, we were seated in 2 minutes. The salad bar was like any other bar you would see at a Vegas buffet. They try to get you full with the salad bar stuff so that you can't eat too much meat when they get to your table. I think this is a smart and funny tactic. Anyway, the meats are great! I sampled everything. The only thing I did not like was the parmesan crusted pork tenderloin. It was too salty due to the seasoning and the parmesan. The other meats were salty as well, but I like my beef well seasoned. The employees are very nice and they all work as a team. I was very impressed with how fast and sufficiently they all worked. I would go here again, but not anytime soon for I am watching my cholesterol. NAME: Foodiegirl SUBMITTED: 1/13/2007   LAST VISIT WAS: 01/12/2007 FREQUENCY: Visited once MY REVIEW: Fogo Sucks. Fogo lies. Starving and upset and disrespected. The reservation clerk says no reservations needed, tables available. Upon arrival, the desk clerk says 15 minutes wait. After 30 minutes the manager apologizes. After 40 minutes we finally sit and wait for service. And my company just held its Christmas party there for 60 employees. I will never ever go back there! NAME: SV SUBMITTED: 12/28/2006   LAST VISIT WAS: 12/28/2006 FREQUENCY: Visited 2-3 times MY REVIEW: Fogo continues to be the most outstanding restaurant in town for service, hands down. Non-stop waiters and waitresses. The moment you finish you salad, "Clean plate sir?" and it appears instantaneously. The place was packed last night, but as always, if you have a reservation (as we always do), we were seated in seconds. If you're looking for a R*uth's Chris four inch thick filet, look elsewhere. That not what Brazilian restaurants are about. They bring you an endless selection of new, fresh, hot meats on skewers and they slice off strips that you can try endlessly until you've totally pigged out. I challenge any other restaurant to beat Fogo for service. And I've eaten in restaurants from New York to Moscow to Buenos Aires. Fogo is light years ahead of any other place I've been. NAME: john SUBMITTED: 12/10/2006   LAST VISIT WAS: 12/2006 FREQUENCY: Everybody here knows my name... MY REVIEW: If you have never eaten here before, the entree process can be confusing, but once you "get it," it a real treat. There is no food menu (except dessert). Guests help themselves to the large salad bar (which includes high quality items like salmon, artichokes, and grilled vegetables, as well as hot side dishes, such as rice and beans). For meat service, one turns over a large coin placed by each plate: "green" indicates a desire for service and "red" means "leave me alone." Throughout the meal, one might rotate green for a while, and then red for a period. Naturally, waiters have to be attentive to something rather subtle like this, and the service is, indeed, wonderful. When "green," a revolving retinue of waiters deliver a variety of hot meats taken straight from the kitchen to the tables on skewers. If you are interested in a particular offering, the waiter slices beef or serves a kebab, a rib, a leg, sausage link or shrimp to you. Conversation can continue at the table as one gestures interest or disinterest to the waiters. Some meats are marinated; or combined, others are very simply prepared. Each table has a few sauces that one can also add. This approach is very appealing for anyone who is a slow eater, because the meat is always hot! It is similarly attractive for those with large carnivorous appetities or those who like to "nosh" - try small portions of many different foods. For this variety of reasons, it is a great restaurant for a celebratory dinner (it is expensive) enjoyed by a variety of eaters. NAME: A woman's point of view SUBMITTED: 10/18/2006   LAST VISIT WAS: 10/06 FREQUENCY: Visited 4-6 times MY REVIEW: One nice thing about reading many reviews is that it helps one form an opinion about a restuarant's consistency. If 80% of folks rave about a place then I consider that positive, but if 80% trash a place then why go? Reviews that tend to discount previous reviews are not very helpful in my opinion. What right do we have to question other folks reviews (unless it is to challenge statements like "always" and "never" etc). The first two times I visited Fogo I was VERY impressed; however the third time I went (for a birhday celebration) I was EXTREMELY disappointed! My review can be read below. The bottom line is that while Fogo can be excellent most of the time they have not "always been good" nor does Fogo "always ... live up to their reputation" As a result of our last very disapoointing experience at Fogo my family has no desire to go back. In my opinion they are way too expensive to be good ~ 80% of the time. NAME: msu79gt82 SUBMITTED: 9/28/2006   LAST VISIT WAS: 6/04 FREQUENCY: Visited 2-3 times MY REVIEW: I believe "Old and Picky" may have choosen another place to eat had they known what a "churrascaria" style restaurant is. The food has always been good at Fogo de Chao and they live up to their reputation. A churrascaria (shoo-HOSS-ka-REE-ah) is a Brazilian or Portuguese steakhouse. Churrasco is the cooking style, which translates roughly from the Portuguese for 'barbecue'. However, in order to avoid confusion, it is important to state that in the rest of South America other than Brazil, the 'barbecue' method of cooking meat is known as asado. Distinctly a South American style rotisserie, it owes its origins to the fireside roasts of the gaúchos of southern Brazil traditionally from the Pampa region, centuries ago. In modern restaurants, rodizio service is typically offered. Servers come to your table with knives and a skewer, on which are speared various kinds of meat, be it beef, pork, filet mignon, lamb, chicken, duck, ham (and pineapple), sausage, fish, or any other sort of local cut of meat. In most parts of Brazil, the churrasco is roasted with charcoal. In the south of Brazil, however, mostly close to the borders of Argentina and Uruguay, embers of wood are also used. In many parts of North America, churrascarias are alternatively known as "Ten Different Meats," regardless of whether or not the particular churrascaria serves precisely ten varieties of meat. NAME: Know It B 4 Complaining SUBMITTED: 9/27/2006   LAST VISIT WAS: 06/2006 FREQUENCY: Visited 4-6 times MY REVIEW: I did not like the restaurant decor. I am not a lover of huge quantities of meat and anticipated the wonderful salad bar everyone raves about. I was not overly impressed. My husband is a meat eater on a grand scale and he was not impressed with hassle of replenishing the small quantities of meat dished out each time to waiter flashed past the table at sixy miles per hour. I thought it was overpriced and the atmosphere left me cold. Will not be back. NAME: Old and Picky SUBMITTED: 9/26/2006   LAST VISIT WAS: June 2006 FREQUENCY: Visited once ©Copyright 1991 - 2008 B4-U-EAT.COM. All rights reserved. Design and database by B4-U-BUY