A Meat-Lovers Paradise, Fogo de Chao Brazilian Restaurant, Opens in Downtown Summerlin

By Scott Roeben, on November 05 2015
3 min read 2 comments
Las Vegas Las Vegas Restaurants

The folks at Fogo de Chao, a Brazilian steakhouse, invited us to dinner, and you’d better believe we accepted.

This is the second location for the Fogo de Chao, a restaurant whose name: 1) technically requires a tilde over the Chão, and 2) you’re pronouncing “Chão” wrong.

Fogo de Chao
Fogo de Chao literally means “fire on the ground.” And, yes, photo captions are where this blog keeps the bulk of its utterly useless information, thanks.

Seriously, though, you’re pronouncing it wrong. It’s Portugese, a language that mysteriously adds a soft “n” to the end of words that don’t actually contain any.
Here’s the correct way to say Fogo de Chao.


That’s right, it’s pronounced “fo-go dee shown.” There will be a quiz.

Now that we have the formalities out of the way, let’s eat. And drink. Although, not necessarily in that order.

Fogo de Chao
All great meals start with a panty-dropper, in this case, the Ruby Red Martini, with Ketel One vodka, ruby red grapefruit, lemon juice and black salt.

In case you’re not familiar with Brazilian restaurants, it’s not your typical style of service. Rather, it’s “espeto corrido” or “continuous service.” While you have a primary server, once you flip over your coaster (green on one side, red on the other), multiple gaucho chefs approach your table bearing gifts.

Or, as our dining companion put it, “I turned over my button and all these men approached me and offered me their meat.”

Fogo de Chao
Pace yourself.

The meat served at Fogo de Chao is remarkably good, perfectly seasoned, roasted over an open fire (called “churrasco”) and carved tableside.

The charming gentlemen delivering your meats aren’t servers, they’re Brazilian-trained gaucho chefs. About 90% of the chefs at the Downtown Summerlin location of Fogo de Chao are from Brazil.

Fogo de Chao
The team at Fogo de Chao works like a well-oiled machine. Everyone knows everyone else’s job, which comes in handy when you’re looking to get your next cocktail, trust us.

Beside the protein, there’s also a gourmet Market Table and Feijoada Bar, with salads, soups, vegetables, Brazilian side dishes and feijoada, which we luckily had a news release to inform us is a traditional black bean stew with rice, fresh orange and yucca flour.

Fogo de Chao
Some colorfulness from the Market Table.

The stars of the show, though, are the meats. There’s Picanha, the restaurant’s signature sirloin, filet mignon, our personal favorite, lamb, chicken wrapped in bacon, chicken legs and others.

When you want to pause the meat delivery, you simply flip your coaster over to the red side.

Fogo de Chao
Green means “yes,” red means “chill.” Think of it as a gaucho remote control.

The cost per person for the “churrasco” experience is $49.95. Visit the official Web site for more details, including what are rumored to be great happy hour values. We were far too busy shoveling food to stop and take notes.

Fogo de Chao
The two private dining rooms are adorbs, assuming that’s something people still say.

Brazilian Steakhouse Restaurant

Fogo de Chao dessert
Molten lava gets a bad rap. You’ll want to try the cake version.

Fogo de Chao is truly a distinctive and memorable experience. The service is exceptional, even in a town where exceptional service comes standard.

Fogo de Chao is a must-visit for Las Vegas locals, and while many visitors won’t venture to Summerlin (about 20 minutes west of The Strip), if you do, this should be on your short list of restaurants to try.

Enjoy more photos, and please resist the temptation to lick your computer monitor or smartphone.

Fogo de Chao Las Vegas