I know fogo de chao doesn't seem like a "hidden gem" per say, but I didn't know this until recently: they have a market stand aka a buffet where weekday lunch is $15! They don't Have much meat, but they do have cured meats to create a charcuterie board and smoked salmon. They also have chicken salad as a meat option. My favorite surprise was the TikTok viral pink pineapple that they had :). When you get the market table option only, they'll also ask you whether you wants sides like mashed potatoes and fried bananas. The fried bananas came piping hot and crispy!! Highly recommend this option if you don't eat much meat or want the fogo experience without the fogo experience, if you know what I mean!! Was in and out on a Monday. read more

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This restaurant is fantastic. I loved the continuous tableside of premium Brazilian cuts. The atmosphere felt cozy, relaxing, and delightful. The Market Table had a fresh delicious and vibrant selection. The attentive waiter made me feel special. The server recommended a great customized cocktail. THIS PLACE IS THE BEST!!! TREATED ME LIKE ROYALITY! read more

I had dinner last night at Fogo de Chao, Lasalle St in Chicago, and there was a server who was fantastic. Her name is Savannah! She was very helpful, attentive and extremely personable!!!! DO EVERYTHING THAT YOU CAN DO TO RETAINN HER AT YOUR RESTAURANT!!! Hopefully she will still be there the next time I visit. read more

Carlito!!!!!!!!!!!! Carlos!!!!!!!! If you want the best food, experience, staff and atmosphere...this is the place!!! The food was absolutely amazing, the staff will do all they can to make this a wonderful experience both for your taste buds and your heart! We will be back to see our new friends again and again! Fogo de chao just go there!!!! read more

Fogo de Chão - Brazilian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I'm breaking my "no negative restaurant reviews during the pandemic" rule to write this review. Fogo de Chao does not care about its customers. It's a corporation focused only on making money--but not actually providing the experiences that their marketing claims they offer. Fogo de Chao ruined Thanksgiving for well more than 100 people--as you can read in other reviews. Our experience was similar to others here, so I won't get into the long story. However, we were NEVER seated for our 7:30 reservation. We were told several times our table would be ready in 45 minutes, and they would text us when it was. They never texted. We ended up at the open-late McDonald's across the street at the end of the night. That was our Thanksgiving dinner. But this isn't just about Thanksgiving--the bigger message here is Fogo de Chao is a terribly run organization, undeserving of your time and hard-earned money. The restaurant had MANY opportunities to make the situation for hundreds of people (crammed into the waiting area during a pandemic) better, and it chose not to. Here are some things it could have, but did NOT, do: 1. Alert reservation holders ahead of time. The restaurant knew early in the afternoon that it was overbooked and wouldn't be able to accommodate everyone's reservations. At that point, it should have started calling people and alerting them to the issue--giving us time to make other plans on Thanksgiving. With most of the city closed, prep time would have been much appreciated and would have certainly assuaged heartbreak for many people. 2. Be honest upfront. It shouldn't have lied to people checking in for their reservations. As you'll see in other reviews, hundreds of people were waiting. We were ALL told by the front desks hosts that our wait was 45 minutes--and that never changed. People with 6pm reservations were told 45 minutes. People with 8pm reservations were also told 45 minutes. An hour after you were told 45 minutes, you were again told 45 minutes. 45 minutes was a lie. The truth was Fogo de Chao knew the wait was HOURS and that in some cases, people would never be seated (i.e., our party of 3). They had an opportunity to come clean, and they didn't take it. 3. Provide a list of restaurants close by that were open. Some people waiting were out-of-towners and others unfamiliar with the city. With so many places closed on Thanksgiving, a quick Google search and printout of restaurants in the area that were open would have gone a long way toward partially saving Thanksgiving dinner. There were two hostesses standing at the podium like robots saying "Your wait will be 45 minutes ... 45 minutes ... 45 minutes." One of them easily could have taken 30 minutes to create a list, print out 200 copies and hand them to people trying to check in for a table they would never get. When I asked one of the hostesses if she knew of any restaurants around the area that might be serving, she sneered at me, rolled her eye and chuckled "No" ... as if I were insane for even asking, adding insult to injury. 4. Provide snacks to the waiting crowd. People were starving, had nowhere else to go and captive to horrible circumstances of Fogo de Chao's making. The restaurant could have easily sent out food for the people waiting. Designate one server to the crowd waiting and set up a table to place easy snacks. There was plenty of room along the west wall to make this happen and plenty of options from the market table to put out. 5. Offer incentives to those waiting. At the very least, Fogo de Chao should have tried to win back our business by giving folks waiting gift cards to return at a later date on their dime. They did nothing of the sort. Please do NOT believe the responses you are seeing from Fogo de Chao on these reviews. Despite saying it, they are not actually reaching out to angry people--it's just for show. They asked me on Facebook for my phone number (at the time of this review, three days ago) so they could follow up to discuss this horrible situation--and just like the text to say our table was ready that never came, no one from Fogo de Chao has attempted to reach out to me. There are SO MANY wonderful restaurants in the city and in the River North neighborhood. Please support businesses that care about their customers, the experiences they provide and the food they serve. Fogo de Chao is undeserving of your precious time, attention and money. read more

Fogo de Chão - Small snapshot of the waiting area Thanksgiving 2021. Many people with reservations waited hours or never got seated at all. - Brazilian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

THIS RESTAURANT IS AWESOME!!!!!!! It was busy the day we came so we sat in the back corner... people still came to our table. If we wanted a specific meat we asked our waiter and they sent whoever had which to our table. We got skipped a couple times but they came back. I love this place. Fogo de chao's salad bar is great too. I definitely recommend this place. The service kept coming back with mashed potatoes and pop overs read more

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ONE OF THE WORST EXPERIENCES!! Tried calling the place to speak to a manager and ended up speaking to a man called giovanni. We were a walk in of 2 on a Wednesday night. We opted in for the buffet and when we walked over to the cold bar they were out of everything or whatever they had was old and soggy. Then came the steaks, only 3 of the meats on the menu came over out of all of them and everytime we asked for medium rare we got grey colored steak... The manager said he would compensate us with a gift card and after multiple calls to let him know no we never received the gift card over email they would keep us on hold for over 10 min each and never got back to us. Very rude host and management. Would not recommend. read more

Meat / Salad items were not consistent with what Im used to @fogo.... Ive been going since 2012 and there were very limited options. I do not go for chicken/sausage but they kept bringing it and offering sides that I specifically said "do not bring". Lamb was awful! I noticed they were setting up for a large party so maybe they were saving the best for them. Not going back ever! read more

We had a delicious brunch and a fun time celebrating our friend's retirement. A highlight was our service from Valmor. A couple of people in our party spoke Portuguese with him and he graciously brought out some special desserts to celebrate the retirement. Great service and great food! read more

READ THIS BEFORE YOU MISS OUT ON AN AWESOME FAMILY OPTION! FIRST STAR: SERVICE Who doesn't love incredible service with impeccable looking servers walking around offering up their meat? But when you have a server that goes above and beyond to make an already fabulous situation even better it really makes an impact. During my visit for Easter Sunday two weeks ago I had an absolutely impeccable server. Michael R., not only knows the menu, is truly personable, but also goes a step further to make you truly feel at home. He welcomed my family and I, and was simply a pure joy. I also want to send a special thank you to the server he took this photo, even as he was closing and cleaning up the gentleman blended a helping hand to capture this moment. (AA Server tall gentleman) SECOND STAR: FOOD I really don't have to go over how good the food is, it's an open beautiful display of awesome salad choices, cold foods, soup, bread and incredible meet circulate in the room need I say more. THIRD STAR: NOSTALGIA I am a stickler for a place that can maintain its quality, aesthetic, And it's impeccable menu. If it's not broken why fix it? FOURTH STAR: BATHROOM CLEANLINESS It is always great when you can go to a quality restaurants and Knowing you're paying a certain amount of money that the rest rooms are going to be clean. It was even a greeter surprised to see one of the servers really putting in time to straighten up, I know it is normally something that the host desk is in charge of. But if they have made it a community effort I really love that. THE LACK OF STAR: As a fellow former hostess, it is really disappointing when you leave a message, send an email and you need to receive a call or email back, even if you didn't leave a message but your number came up on the call ID to not receive a callback when you have a reservation the day of is disheartening. One of the key in food and beverage rules is to always call back your guests because no matter how busy you are he want to maintain those relationships. That being said it WAS extremely busy when I walked in to make adjustments to my reservation so I do lend some understanding but do recommend further training for the front of house staff. And while the menu is perfect it would be nice to see some more options like fish, chicken, or lamb on the menu. But not a must... read more

Fogo de Chão - La Famila - Brazilian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Lovely place for ladies that lunch. The salad bar is sufficient with lox, chicken salad and many vegetable options. The service is wonderful. We didn't take the meat option. The desert of cheesecake was delicious. read more

This place was recommended to us by a family member, and I'm so glad we checked this place out. Everything was delicious. The staff were very courteous, and our server was awesome, so I will definitely be a returning customer. read more

Great location, attractive, and great food. I've been here a few times with large groups, usually business related and always enjoyed it. I'm not sure what else to say, if you've been to a Brazilian steakhouse anywhere you know the format. It's really a matter of if they do it well or not. They do it well here. The quality is good and the service is too. You can count on a fun evening, great service, and terrific food. read more

Wow. The service here is amazing. I think it's because it's pretty open and they can see everything. I always had a fresh plate. The candied bacon was amazing. I ate so much (⁎⁍⁍⁎) but it's hard to grab a small amount because the sugars make them stick together. The filet mignon was so good! At first it was a little too well done but the guy's voice is so seductive and when he came back he was like "don't hold back" lol. Then he plopped two large pieces. Those were great. When they say medium, it's medium not leaning rare. The ribs were good but they don't fall off the bone so I ditched the fork and used my hands. It had good flavor. The skin was kind of crispy. The lamb chops also don't smell as bad as other places. (I don't really like lamb chops so this is a compliment.) Seating filled up pretty quickly for brunch. Their waffles were even amazing. I really liked the house special (aka salted goodness) and the filet. The rib eye was pretty fatty so not my favorite. The cheesy bread was good and the bananas were great. I like that they ask you what sides you want because I hate wasting mashed potatoes because no one at the table eats it. The fruit was also pretty good. The papayas were ripe. The pineapples were kind of hit or miss. Grilled cheese was interesting. It's like the taste of stringed cheese but warm and you can't rip it apart. Also, this is random but everyone smelled good, granted it was the beginning of the day. But they didn't smell like grease. I will return soon. read more

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Carlitos -Elvis made this experience outstanding! His friendliness matches the amazing food! The lamb chops are so soft and yummy. Definitely worth the price!! Come hungry and you will leave full and happy. read more

I am not a big meat eater, but this was some of the best meat u have ever had. Even though I get full fast the garlic steak, lamb chops, roast parmarsan pork and grilled chicken was so good. Then they insisted we try the beef ribs, but I was so full, I just had a bite and it was delicious. Carilito was along with the rest of the staff were just great!!! read more

So i was excited for this place because I've been to it multiple times before and enjoyed it. Making reservations is always a good idea with this place because if it's crowded, it takes time to wait for a table. For the salad/appetizer bar, they need a more organized system. People were coming in and out from all places. The selection was good but they need to replenish a lot of things right away. They might need staff that watches the bar and tends to it. It also can get messy. Our server was nice but expect to be thirsty. Ration your water slowly because you'll be waiting for awhile to get a refill. The people walking around the meat can be a little disrespectful. I asked what the meat was and he walked away and moved on to the person I was dining with and did not acknowledge me after that. Some don't tell you what it is. I'm torn in recommending this place. I like it but damn the service sucks read more

Came for a Bar Fogo Capirhinha event and it was very nice. Drinks were delicious and the appetizers served were yummy. However the highlight of the evening was our server Jason. After a long day of work it was so nice to have such an attentive and pleasant server! He made it a wonderful way to unwind and ease into the weekend! read more

I came today with my family and we had a great experience. The meat was great, the buffet really varied, and our server, George, was outstanding!!! The vibe of Fogo de Chão was very welcoming. Hope to come again soon! read more

Such an amazing food experience! The selection of meat was delicious, and perfectly cooked. The sides were fresh and cheesecake to die for. Our service Jerod and Carlitos was so on top of things and friendly. I can't wait to come back! read more

Dragged the whole family to chicago for my birthday, chose this place for us 6 to eat on my birthday and boy was I disappointed. Reservation was at 7 pm got seated at 7:30 pm place was packed, got seated an basically forgotten as we where close to the door ? Took me asking someone twice if we had a server! 25 min till someone came took drink order. Got some drinks both alcohol an non. Went to get out sides an waited they kept passing same thing over an over no sausage no lamb had to ask about 6 times for certain things an they get you with those tiny drinks they are passing around I got a margarita the size of a shot tasted like lemon and a hint of alcohol was $16.50 ! Lol wow this location is no good service sucks, birthday was a busy read more

Fogo de Chão - My sides went only one time to the bar - Brazilian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

They have packed tables so tight no one can walk. This is fine for Europeans and bmi 25 or less but (unfortunately or not) that's not Chicago or average in USA . I felt terrible seeing people smashed in. Nauseating . So if they only want to cater to athletes it's fine but otherwise they need to less greedy and be kind to everyone. FOOD IS great but big middle finger for being greedy/unkind to the people around me. Head to the one in Oakbrook with plenty of room and free parking read more

When you go to a Brazilian Churrasco you go as much for the experience as you do for the food itself. This restaurant just did not meet the mark. When I arrived it got off to a promising start as I was promptly seated and greeted by the server. She explained the menu and took my drink order and invited me to enjoy the buffet salad bar. The selection at the salad bar was very good and the glass of wine that I had ordered was at the table when I got back. So far, so good, but that's where the fun ended. The restaurant is divided into separate sections and the meat servers either just didn't have the bandwidth to handle more than one section, so the section I was seated in was virtually ignored. They came by once with a couple of meat selections and then I didn't see them again for over twenty minutes. Very poor coordination and this is the FIRST Fogo De Chão I've been to where the manager didn't come by the table to check in and see how service and food were. That explains a lot... I left the restaurant disappointed and still hungry but I couldn't wait any longer as I had to catch a flight. Disappointing, especially for the money you pay for the full experience. read more

Mauricio ga e use excellent service. The goof was tender and delicious. All curs of meat were a.azing! Salad bar was plentiful and very tasty. read more

[FOGO de CHÃO] Brazilian Steakhouse in the center of Chicago Features different various cuts and variety of meats ranging from Picanha (top sirloin) to Frango (chicken). The ones featured here were Fraldinha (bottom sirloin), Filet Mignon, Lombo (pork loin), and Cordeiro (lamb) which was my favorite. We also ordered a Jumbo Shrimp Cocktail It also features a market table bar which includes unlimited cured meats, aged cheese, smoked salmon, fresh salads and fruits, etc First wine paired with the dinner was a 2020 Natura Pinot Noir while the second wine was a 2017 Lapostolle Grand Selection Merlot, both of which were red wine Passion fruit mousse and Molten Chocolate cake were chosen for dessert Overall I had an amazing dining experience and flavors. The waiters do not make constant rounds so as a tip you should either be a bit more extraverted or befriend your waiters, etc 661 N. LaSalle Blvd Chicago, IL 60654 read more

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Bad service. I went here for my birthday with a gift card that they refused to honor, and they took 30 minutes to make the "decision" that there was "nothing they could do." To make matters worse, it took so long that it made me late to a show I was seeing afterward, so I was overcharged and inconvenienced based on their incompetence, and I myself am in the service industry. The buffet was kind of cheap but the meat was good, so the interaction where the server did not honor my gift card and took an inappropriate amount of time was incredibly frustrating and disappointing, and just about ruined the evening. read more

Went for a date night with gf, had incredible food at large quantities, and really enjoyed the fresh salad bar selections. Service was impeccable, very quickly filled our plate with delicious meats, and cleared our empty plates fast. Carlitos personally came by to check in after our meal and to thank us for choosing them, which we really appreciated. Highly recommend! read more

Fogo de Chão - Chocolate Molten Cake, vanilla Ice Cream - Brazilian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Carlitos Elvir the best customer service in chicago. Best "mock-tails" I have had - get the Cleanr sour! read more

Fogo de Chão - - CleanR Sour - - Brazilian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Went for the $39 deal and it was great! Salad bar has so many options and all very good. Meat coming around is a fun experience and was tasty. read more

Fogo de Chão - Brazilian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Came from California and clueless as to where I should stop by and eat. What I can say is that aside from the food tasting good, the service was GREAT. Valmor provided the best service and made this experience memorable. If you ever come visit, ask for Valmor. He was very attentive and made sure we got to try all meats and asked what our favorites were to continue to eat the meat to our liking. Valmor, I would like to thank you for the service. I will definitely be coming back. read more

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We're back . Food was great. Service great and place was nice and clean. And we were starving which made it even better. read more

Fogo de Chão - Brazilian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Carlitos, please stop harassing customers to leave multiple reviews. We have been enjoying lunch and dinner here for the past four years, but what makes the dining experience unpleasant is when you repeatedly ask for reviews on multiple platforms, even after we've told you we wrote one two weeks ago just to avoid this situation. read more

Is it worth trying continuous service option? NO Market bar has too many options for appetizers, meats are delicious. But I have preferred to choosing one meat with good service instead of waiting to meats and try to find which is better for me. Service was really good, waitresses were really communicative. read more

Still one of my favorite go to nostalgic spots for lunch AYCE steak.. Carlitos was great.

I went on Valentine's day, pretty early and based on the reviews before this it seems like I thankfully barely missed the chaotic night. However I was leaving near the beginning of it and it just seemed as though that customers were kind of dragging their dinners out longer than they should've and causing the pile up near the host stand. It's never really like that when I come and it's always well organized and you never have to deal with waits like that. It was just due to the popular holiday so I would look past that if you see a review about it. Our server Noah was amazing and great, made a lot of good jokes and answered the few questions we had. When we got a fruity drink that was sadly a little too heavy with the alcohol Noah made a great joke that made the situation less awkward and reassured us that we wouldn't have to worry about the drink on the bill since we weren't going to drink or enjoy it. Every other worker as well continuously checked on the tables as well, it felt really nice that every worker walking around was making sure every table was doing well. The music and ambiance were nice as well, nothing much to say here it was just nice and simple. The food is amazing, if you're going to a steak house and complain when you see medium rare to rare then I would definitely sit this out, Ive seen many reviews about people claiming food is raw when in reality its just how meats are cooked. So please take into consideration that the meat is charred and tends to be medium to medium rare (sometimes rare). If you are someone who eats like that this is the place for you. The options feel almost unlimited for a while as an example I had, Sirloin, Filet Mignon, Garlic Steak, Ribeye, Sausage, Chicken, Garlic Pork, Lamb, and way more. Trust me if you want multiple different options of meat this is a great spot. Also a bit of advice if you're going to eat as much meat as humanly possible, ether skip the free salad and soup area or get one plate of sides because it's 100% going to fill you. They also give you free plantains, fried polenta (thank you Noah for telling us what it was), and mashed potatoes. read more

Ruined our Valentine's Day by over booking. Close to 70 people were waiting in the lobby and everyone I talked to had 7pm reservations. Horribly ran and managed read more

What's better than an endless supply of meat cut right at the table? NOTHING! I've tried Brazilian BBQ at multiple restaurants before, but this was my first time go to Fogo de Chao. My mom who was grew up in Brazil was really excited to see that there was a chain in Chicago, so she wanted to try it. We came during their restaurant month, so we got buffet at $39/person (excluded cuts of meats like ribs, filet, lamb chops, etc.). The process is simple: you can go to the salad bar and get whatever you want and when you're ready flip the coaster they give you to the green side and someone will come up to you with a cut of meat on a sword and offer you a piece. Pick it with the tongs and enjoy! Order: - Fogo restaurant month special ~ $39/person (5/5) Pros: - Amazingly delicious cuts of meats - Buffet style so you can eat as much as you want - Very friendly servers ~ our server checked up on us regularly and when I told him my drink was too sweet, he offered to add some sprit to it or get me a different drink Cons: - Very pricey ~ thankfully I saw they were having a special, or else our bill would have been double what it was Overall: - I see a few negative reviews for Fogo, but I personally really enjoyed my experience. The service was great. The food was hot and tasted delicious and I left very full and satisfied. It's not your every day restaurant (unless you got some serious guap!), so come here on a special occasion! read more

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Absolutely top shelf service! I can't say more about the crew that served us! If you are looking for a place to eat meat, this is the place. read more

My girlfriend and I celebrated our 1 year anniversary yesterday at this location, we have been to other locations in the suburbs so we knew what to expect, the food is always top tier and this location was no different in that regard. Throughout the night we had a couple different servers check in on us, which was nice, if one was busy someone else would come by anyways. Our Server Jessica was fantastic, very attentive and made sure we had everything we needed. She shared some good conversation with us, shared some laughs as well. To the point where my girlfriend was even offering to share her food with her, which she doesn't even do for me lol so that's saying something. Thank you Jessica for the amazing service and adding to our wonderful evening. read more

Carlitos Elvir was amazing ans helped our work group with a great seating area and amazing food! Great restaurant Great service read more