The Meat Never Stops at Fogo de Chão

The famed 'churrascaria' opens its first Philippine location in Glorietta 4, offering 16 cuts of meat—and a vibrant Market Table that even vegetarians will love.

- Pam Pastor

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 linguica, 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.