The meat never stops at Fogo de Chão
The meat parade started with picanha—the prime part of the top sirloin, presented to me tableside by a gaucho chef bearing an enormous skewer and a sharp knife. He started cutting the meat and I used handy little tongs to catch the slice and place it on my plate.
I took a bite—it was tender, salted perfectly, with a robust beef flavor. I took another bite. And another.
Another gaucho chef appeared at my table, this time bearing filet mignon. It was cooked beautifully.
Next came the linguiça, a garlicky, juicy Brazilian-style sausage that was definitely one of my favorites from that evening.
“This is the fraldinha, or bottom sirloin,” said the next gaucho chef, showing me a glistening piece of steak, a slice of which also ended up on my plate.
The meats kept coming because on my table was a green medallion that read “Yes, please (Sim por favor).” When you’ve had your fill, you’re supposed to flip it over to show the red side, which has the words “No, thanks (não, obrigado).” But I wasn’t doing that—not anytime soon.
I was waiting for the bone-in ribeye.
Welcome to Fogo de Chão.
Elevated churrasco experience
Pronounced “foh-goh dee shawn,” Fogo de Chão is a restaurant known for offering an elevated churrasco experience. Here, skilled gaucho chefs showcase the Brazilian culinary art form of skewering high-quality cuts of meat and roasting them over an open flame. The meats are then served rodizio-style—with servers continuously bringing various cuts to your table so they could be sliced right in front of you. Each bite is fresh, hot, and served the way they’re supposed to be.
“The gentlemen and the ladies who are serving you the meats, they’re the chefs. That’s one of the things that make Fogo very unique. And they’re really paying attention to what you like and your preferences,” said Barry McGowan, CEO of Fogo de Chão.
Founded in Brazil in 1979, Fogo de Chão has since brought the authentic flavors of churrasco to cities across the United States, Mexico, South America, and the Middle East.
And now it’s in the Philippines—Glorietta 4 in Makati, to be exact.
“What you’re experiencing tonight is what you’d be experiencing whether you were on the beaches of Rio at our restaurant there or São Paulo or New York or Dubai. We really work hard to maintain that consistency,” said Andy Feldmann, president of International at Fogo de Chão, who added that they want to wow customers with their dining experience.
The new restaurant has been wowing Filipinos since it first opened on Aug. 18. “Our guests have been very happy and we’re getting a lot of reservations,” said Guia Abuel, COO of The Bistro Group, which, for over 30 years now, has been bringing world-class dining concepts to the country including TGIFriday’s, Italianni’s, Morton’s The Steakhouse, Denny’s, LongHorn Steakhouse and Texas Roadhouse.
How does The Bistro Group choose which brands to bring in? “First things first, we have to like the food,” said The Bistro Group president Jean Paul Manuud.
And they like Fogo de Chão’s food “so much,” he said. “It’s our personal favorite whenever we go to the US.”
Abuel said, “Fogo de Chão is our 29th brand but I think it’s going to be the best. It’s really a pleasure to have it in Manila.”
It took a lot of work to bring the brand to the Philippines. Manuud added, “This was not done overnight—this was five years in the making.”
A big part of bringing the authentic Fogo de Chão churrasco experience here is training the staff—especially the gaucho chefs who are all trained butchers. Even Abuel learned how to butcher meat.
16 cuts of meat
Fogo de Chão’s churrasco experience offers 16 cuts of meat—and you can have as much of them as you like. In the Philippines, they use beef from the US, local chicken and pork, and lamb from New Zealand.
They also serve three kinds of sauces to go with the meat: chimichurri, of course, hot sauce, and mintchurri for the lamb. But I didn’t need any of them. The meats were already so flavorful, I forgot the sauces were even on the table.
A gaucho chef brought more picanha to my table. It was hard to resist. It’s Fogo de Chão’s signature steak and their most popular cut of meat.
Then came the medalhões com bacon or bacon-wrapped steak, also a flavor bomb. The lamb chop followed, also beautifully seasoned and perfectly cooked. Next came the torresmo or pork belly—did I want it served plain, with lime, or with honey?
I was starting to get full and so I passed on the next ones—a mix of meats I already tried plus some new ones: lombo or Parmesan-crusted pork loin, frango (chicken legs and thighs), alcatra or top sirloin, lamb picanha, beef ribs. I was tempted to say yes to the garlic picanha but I thought, maybe next time. I needed space for the ribeye or beef ancho—my favorite cut of steak.
It was worth the wait. It was succulent, juicy, rich, and so satisfying with that marbling of buttery fat.
Not just for meat lovers
But Fogo de Chão is not just for meat lovers.
In fact, McGowan is confident that anyone—regardless of dietary preference—will find something to enjoy there. That’s because of the Market Table, a beautiful spread that they consider the centerpiece of the churrasco experience at Fogo de Chão.
Feldmann said, “It pays homage to the farms in southern Brazil where they used to have these gigantic kitchen tables. They bring the best of the harvest and celebrate together… We spend as much time on every item on that Market Table as we do on our premier picanha cut.”
Market Table, which promises to be naturally gluten-free, offers a colorful selection of signature salads, cheeses, charcuterie, smoked salmon, antipasti, superfoods, seasonal fruits, roasted vegetables, soups, and more. It’s a feast for both the eyes and the palate.
“It’s the perfect complement to churrasco,” Feldmann said. “But it’s also a great option for people who don’t eat meat or want a lighter lunch. My twin brother is a vegetarian—he loves the Market Table.”
“It’s a unique serving model which I think you cannot find in the Philippines,” said Manuud.
The full churrasco experience (P3650 for brunch and P4200 for dinner on weekends; P3200 for lunch and P3950 for dinner on weekdays) includes unlimited tableside meat carvings plus unlimited access to the Market Table—all the makings of a perfect meal. My Market Table picks were the asparagus, broccoli, Caesar salad, potato salad, corn salad, and black pepper candied bacon.
There’s an indulgent churrasco experience available too, which includes butter-poached lobster tail or jumbo lump crab cake plus dessert.
Fogo de Chão also offers a la carte dishes—seafood tower, dry-aged tomahawk ribeye, pan-seared salmon, Chilean sea bass, cauliflower steak, and more. Or you can also go for just the Market Table.
McGowan said, “If you’ve never dined at Fogo, try a little bit of everything and discover what’s your favorite. You get to learn how to Fogo. And what I love is you’re never going to run out of options. There’s so much variety, and it’s all included, so just enjoy.”
Feldmann added, “One of the great things about Fogo is the customization. Don’t feel rushed. If the lamb chops come by and you’re not ready, that’s okay. They’re going to come back. The truth is, you won’t be able to try everything. And that’s okay because that’s what Fogo is. You’ll always have another reason to come back.”
But no matter what you do, don’t miss out on the pão de queijo—the cheese bread that they bring to your table fresh from the oven. Feldmann said, “They’re incredible. Start with one or two, but be careful.”
Fair warning: They’re impossible to stop eating. Another thing that must not be missed is the caipirinha. Fogo de Chão does a fantastic version of Brazil’s national cocktail. Just like the pão de queijo, you might need more than one.
Fogo de Chão Philippines is just getting started. They plan to open five restaurants in the country. McGowan said, “Manila is a great culinary market. We’ll be in other cities soon. But I’m very, very happy to start here.”
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Fogo de Chão is at the ground level of Glorietta 4, Ayala Center, Makati. It’s open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Mondays to Thursdays, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Fridays, 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Saturdays, and 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Sundays.
