14 Best Items To Try At Fogo De Chão Brazilian Steakhouse

If you've never been to Brazilian steakhouse Fogo de Chão before, hopefully this will be a good introduction to the chain. It has a fairly widespread presence across the continental U.S. and extends internationally, finding an audience in Canada, Mexico, Dubai, and Brazil (of course). I had my first experience with the restaurant at its location in Portland, Oregon, and though I was excited to head in, I walked away with mixed opinions. Some dishes were stunning, some were decidedly underwhelming, and the atmosphere was hectic and stressful.

Nevertheless, I was on a mission to uncover the best options available at Fogo de Chão — the unmissable, winning dishes speckled in between the throngs of options you're presented with. I got the Indulgent Churrasco dinner, which gives access to the full Market Table, the entire array of tableside-carved meats, as well as a couple of sides, a choice of enhancement (I chose the lobster tail), and a dessert (I got the cheesecake brûlée). My meal was $88 before tip, and I'll be blunt — I don't think I got my money's worth. Nevertheless, I did taste a handful of excellent dishes, and I won't necessarily stay away from Fogo in the future, though I may choose a different location. 

This Brazilian potato salad was the first dish I tried, and it didn't disappoint. I don't know everything that went into this dish (which is the case with, well, pretty much everything I tried), but I parsed out peas and tomatoes in addition to the potatoes. A problem I frequently have with potato salad is that it's not tender enough. Especially when the potatoes are cut fairly large, the outsides will be tender while the interior retains some bite. Fortunately, that wasn't the case here — this potato salad was delightfully creamy, and not just because of its flavorful sauce. The potatoes were soft and boasted a melt-in-your-mouth texture, while the peas and tomatoes added some good textural variety. It was a well-rounded, refreshing Market Table option. 

I have lots of questions about this dish, which I dubiously put onto my plate. If I'm being honest, it didn't look that good. The sign dubbed it "apple sweet potato salad," though, so I figured it couldn't be bad. I was wrong — it was pretty delicious, and made for a sweet-savory side that held its own even among heftier offerings. The apples were sweet, juicy, and tender, and I was glad the chain chose white sweet potatoes over the more well-known orange variety. White sweet potatoes are slightly less sweet than their orange counterparts, and their presence here offered a nice counterbalance to the apples, giving a slight nutty note to the dish. 

I'm a fiend for anything caprese — caprese salad, an open-faced caprese sandwich, or simple caprese bites like the above. So, of course, the above made it onto my plate immediately. I do have to deduct some points for being less than extra-crisp and fresh, but that wasn't enough to keep it off my list. The basil was fragrant, and I loved getting a whole leaf in the equation, and the mozzarella was rich and almost creamy. The large tomato slices were flavorful and gave the appeal of being locally grown (though I don't know if they were), and though they could have been more crisp, that didn't take away from the flavor. This will be an easy dish for caprese fans to enjoy. 

I'm a sucker for good mashed potatoes, and though I can't say this selection beat the garlic mashed potatoes at Ruth's Chris Steak House, they were still an impressive entry in the genre. I'm always wary of spots being too heavy on the garlic when making garlic mashed potatoes, and I'm happy to say that wasn't the case here. These potatoes had a smooth, fairly thick texture, and they were nice and buttery — just how I like my mashed potatoes. The garlic was subtle but present, and the garnishes added just enough enhancement to the dish. They were solid mashed potatoes (and yes, I ate the whole plate). 

I'm lumping these two sides together because they came together as part of my Indulgent Churrasco dinner. I don't know if they're grouped together as a menu item or if you have to order them separately, but I recommend getting both if you can swing it. I avidly dislike bananas, so I'm not the best judge of the caramelized fruit (on the left in the photo), but my friend who was dining with me adored them. The fried polenta, on the other hand, was insanely good. The outside had a light crisp and got some good flavor from the parmesan, while the interior melted in the mouth. The two dishes paired exceptionally well together, too. 

Now, onto the meats! This was the part of the meal I was most excited about (for obvious reasons), and I'm happy to say that the vast majority of the selections I tried didn't disappoint. To start with the beef ancho (a ribeye), I realize that the above may be too rare for the average consumer, but it was perfect for my taste. The interior was buttery, tender, and insanely flavorful, and it seemed minimally seasoned, which let the cut shine of its own accord. Had I not been saving room to try everything I could get my hands on, this would have been easy to chow down on as a sole meat selection. 

I didn't expect much from the frango (chicken leg) that was served tableside — after all, it's just a chicken leg, right? Wrong. This chicken stood head and shoulders above the legs I've had elsewhere. Apparently, Fogo uses a peri-peri chicken seasoning on its legs, and that, plus the slight char on the outside, made it one of the best chicken legs I've had. It was moist and juicy on the inside and boasted wildly balanced flavors on the outside — smoky, a bit exotic, and slightly herbal. Don't eschew the chicken leg just because it's not steak. Do yourself a favor and at least take a bite; you'll probably end up eating the whole thing. 

Well, pork belly is always a win in my book, and Fogo de Chão's version was no exception. The description given on the website is deceptively simple: "Succulent pork belly fire-roasted and served with Malagueta honey." I can practically taste it again just from looking at the above photo. The tiny strip of meat offers the perfect blend of crispy, salty, fatty flavors and texture, and it was a succulent cut that was wholly satisfying with just one bite. And, yes, I got more when the server offered seconds. 

Ah, filet mignon. How could I not love this cut of meat? Yes, this filet mignon is worth the hype, and I wanted to load up my whole plate with the cut — but, alas, I had more dishes to try. The grilled meat seemed minimally seasoned, for which I was thankful. It didn't need any help. The filet was full of flavor on its own, its texture was buttery and juicy, and the thick piece was cooked perfectly all the way through. I simply loved it — don't skip this on your next trip to Fogo. 

I love bacon-wrapped anything, so Fogo's bacon-wrapped steak wasn't hard to indulge in. Funnily enough, I don't think I'd had bacon-wrapped steak before, though it's an obvious enough combo that I'm now second-guessing several life choices. Regardless, this was insanely good. Both the bacon and the steak were tender and very easy to chew, and I loved the salty, fatty appeal the bacon brought to the steak. The honey-cured bacon was also slightly sweet, which acted as a nice foil to the sumptuous steak. Unless you hate bacon (in which case, well, we are not the same), get at least a couple pieces of this when it's offered at your table.

Again, as a medium-rare girly, the above alcatra (top sirloin) cut was cooked exactly to my liking. Surprisingly enough, this may have been the most tender cut of meat I had — though that could just be because it was one of the thinnest pieces I got (I was getting pretty full at this point). Like all the other steaks I tried, this was juicy and full of flavor, and it melted in my mouth. This is the final cut of steak on this list, so I'll sum up all the cuts with this: Each is lovely, and it's to your service to try one of everything that's brought to your table. I don't think it would make sense to go to Fogo de Chão without getting the Churrasco Experience, unless you've been before and already have a favorite cut of meat. 

I have no clue what all went into making this roasted eggplant, but it was darn good. The eggplant itself was so tender and easy to cut through, the tomatoes and herbs added a brightness to the dish, and I got heavy balsamic notes. Sometimes roasted eggplant has a bitter quality to it, but this didn't whatsoever. Even if you're not a fan of eggplant, go ahead and give this a try — it's very well-made and I think it would be easily palatable to those with a wide variety of tastes. 

In stark contrast to the last selection, I'm going to toss Fogo's cordeiro (lamb) in this line-up as a potentially contentious option. The thing is, you have to really, really like game meats to like this lamb. It was incredibly gamey, and even I (who generally likes lamb) found it slightly strong for my palate. But if you like the unique notes that game meats host, you'll probably love this lamb. If you're on the fence, it may not be for you. But hey — give it a try anyway. 

Last but not least, I was so stuffed that I got my cheesecake brûlée to go — and then promptly dug in once I got home 10 minutes later. I've never had a brûléed cheesecake before, and it presented a welcome variant of my favorite dessert. The exterior had a pleasant crunchy shell to break through, which then gave way to a light, smooth interior. I can't call this the creamiest cheesecake I've ever had, but that's okay. It was still flavorful, and the brûléed exterior is what earned it a spot in this lineup. 

To get my hands on as many dishes as possible, I got the Indulgent Churrasco dinner, which gives you access to the widest spread of options. For a choice of enhancement, I got the lobster tail, though I found myself wishing I'd gotten the crab cake instead. There's a reason I didn't mention the lobster tail on this list of "must-try" products. Compare the above picture to the images that come up when you search for the lobster tail at Fogo de Chão — this one is decidedly inferior. It was hopelessly tough and did not cut with a knife, though the flavors were excellent. 

All of that is to say, not every dish I tried made it onto this list. I only picked the ones that I found exemplary, and among those options, there was a wide range of foods that fit the bill. I didn't include DIY options like the salad bar or charcuterie; I focused on ready-made house dishes. I also didn't include the Brazilian cheese bread — I believe this comes free to every table, but it was indeed divine.