Fogo De Chao - Austin — Restaurant in Austin

UPDATE: after my experience, I was called by the assistance manager and asked to give them another shot. My first review was 2 stars for Food and 1 star for Service (which they rightfully earned that night) and I gave 4 stars for atmosphere because it is a nice looking restaurant. After coming back in, I have adjusted my rating. This time, we decided to splurge and get the Indulgence ($82/pp).

Food stayed at 2 stars. The lobster was rubbery, the crab cakes were not made well. Most of the rest of the meat was better this time; however, we were only given the bread as a side. I guess they forgot the other three staples that are served at every table? Also, we got dessert and the crème brûlée was poorly prepared. The custard was overcooked and the top was not hard. It was a disappointment. The tres leches cake was okay. I would NOT recommend getting the indulgence because you really get the best “band for your buck” with the basic $49/pp option.

My service rating increased to 3 stars. I would say that the service was much improved but I would truly recommend that you NEVER sit at the bar if you are getting the $49/pp unlimited meat service because they WILL ignore you. This time, we sat at a regular table. We received far better service but during our meal we heard the table next to us, which it was their 4 year wedding anniversary say, “Where’s the meat?!” They had their green cards up for nearly 5 minutes and multiple servers had just walked past them. However, I would give their service a solid passing grade.

Atmosphere is the same.

Overall, I moved from a 1-star rating to a 3-star rating. I have still received better food and service from Estancia and Casa de Brazil. I think there is hope for Fogo but they need to stay off their phones on the dinner floor and focus on providing superior service. Oh, and remembering the sides would be good…

ORIGINAL REVIEW: I get that Fogo De Chao is a “chain-style” restaurant, but for a $160 check for two people, I have received better service from Golden Corral! I have NEVER been so disappointed in a restaurant. The meat was poorly prepared and it seemed like the only meats they wanted to peddle was bacon wrapped chicken and picanha (which was rubbery at best). We had to continually request other item options over and over and then wait for 5-10 minutes to get them. I even expressed my disappointment to multiple workers throughout our dinner and nobody seemed to care. 7 out of 10 food servers BLATANTLY ignored us with our cards CLEARLY turned green. At a certain point, I had considered waving the card around in the air to get people to offer us food. We told the guy in blue shirt two or three times that we had issues getting service but you can tell from the attached picture what his priorities were. I have gone to multiple Austin Area Brazilian Steakhouses and this Fogo De Chao was by FAR the absolute worst. You can tell by the way this place operates that the management here does NOT care about quality. They are praying the name and “meal for $49 deal” will keep them afloat. DO NOT BE FOOLED…. I recommend Estancia. They have phenomenal customer service. Or even Casa de Brazil. Both places are easily 10 times better than this place.

Now, I will try to give a positive….. The venue was nice and upscale in appearance. The atmosphere was set...

Disappointing Culinary Experience at Fogo de Chao (Austin) Despite Excellent Service Having enthusiastically anticipated introducing our visiting friends to the Rodizio style dining we enjoy, our 9:00 PM reservation for four at Fogo de Chao in Austin unfortunately fell significantly short of expectations regarding the quality of the cuisine. While the 15-minute wait past our reservation time might seem brief to some, it was still disappointing. One makes a reservation with the expectation of being seated closer to the designated time, and it begs the question of the reservation's purpose if a wait is still involved. This isn't to say I'm impatient; I've waited upwards of an hour for truly exceptional food, particularly at establishments that don't accept reservations. However, when a reservation is made, a different expectation of timeliness is set. This minor delay, though, was ultimately overshadowed by the subsequent disappointment with the meal itself. My anticipation was particularly focused on the lamb, a highlight at similar establishments. Regrettably, the various cuts of lamb presented at Fogo de Chao were uniformly dry and devoid of any discernible seasoning, tasting as though they had merely been seared. Despite maintaining the "yes" signal for continuous service, each offering proved equally unpalatable, a sentiment shared by my entire party. We found ourselves unable to finish even a single portion, a stark contrast to our usual enjoyment of this dining style. Reluctantly, we requested to speak with the management. It is never pleasant to provide negative feedback, especially given the exceptional attentiveness and genuine warmth of our waitress and the other service staff in her vicinity. They were all remarkably helpful and professional. We had been quietly discussing among ourselves an equitable way to address the situation, intending to pay for what we had consumed, including the salad bar enjoyed by one member of our party and the bottled water we ordered, but not the full per-plate charge. To their credit, the managers who addressed our concerns were understanding and offered to split the cost of the meal, which we found to be a reasonable and agreeable resolution. We are not unreasonable individuals and appreciated their willingness to find a fair compromise. Our empathy lies with the service staff, who were blameless in this culinary lapse, and we ensured our waitress received a gratuity commensurate with her excellent service, despite the disputed meal. The subsequent offer to bring more meat with unspecified seasoning on the side felt somewhat incongruous at that stage. Ultimately, while the service at Fogo de Chao in Austin was commendable, the profoundly underwhelming quality of the meat rendered the overall experience deeply disappointing. We sincerely hope this feedback is taken constructively to address what appears to be a significant issue with the preparation and seasoning of their...

Rewind to Our first time coming here, it was for a bridesmaid dinner. We were wanting to have the best time and spend money without care. we first requested a toast before our meal which they said they would gladly do, however that never made it to the table. We then requested a menu of wine sold by the bottle, again was told they’ll return with the menu… well they did not. Against better judgement by the end of the meal we asked for espresso martinis and again was hit with the “of course”. Ok but these did arrive to the table. However they had no foam, looked flat and tasted like straight sugar. We’re service industry and could recognize the server who tried to make it work did his best but all and all not great.

Felt a need to talk to a manager for the first time and cringed at the idea. He was super apologetic and understood that this was an important dinner for us and felt service dropped the ball. We didn’t want anything refunded and was completely willing to pay the bill we just wanted to bring it to their attention, he in return gave us gift cards to come back and try it all over on them in hopes for a better outcome.

Fast forward to trying it out again. Made a reservation. Arrived early. Waited at the host stand, a nice bartender did say hello and that someone would be right with us, a few employees walked by, made eye contact and continued about and maybe 10 min later someone came and said hello, welcomed and sat us. Our server took our order and for a second time was never to be seen again, only restocking other areas. This time we didn’t care to get up and grab someone or order at the bar seeing as when spending $65+ a person doesn’t include table service. We had to request the sides that was included after about 15 min from the first meat offered. Nicer cuts are available but they won’t bring it to you unless you specifically ask, they’ll just keep coming by with the same one. No one goes around to ask how things are or if you need anything. I’m sure there is dessert but for a second time it wasn’t offered.

Maybe it’s the time? My partner and I work late hours and have booked for 8:30 both times when they close at 10. Reluctantly going to try it for the third time, perhaps during supper hours, to see if that makes...