Fogo de Chão Brazilian Steakhouse — Restaurant in Portland

Quite possibly the worst experience I have had in years, maybe ever at a restaurant. This was my husband and my first time at any Fogo de Chao for my birthday. We had a reservation for 8:30pm and movie tickets for 10:45 pm. We figured worst case we get there when the trailers are finishing around 11. We arrived on time for our dinner reservation, and could see it was visibly packed, as we suspected which is why I was happy I made a reservation. We check in at the front and were given no information about how long it would be, clearly they were a bit behind. We ordered a couple drinks, finished them at the bar, and when about 30 minutes have gone by my husband checks in again and the host tells us oh yeah there are just 3 people ahead of you. We are thinking, ok good maybe we can still make our movie. She proceeds to call and seat about 8 additional groups meanwhile telling multiple other people who check in that there are "only 2-3 parties ahead of you". When our name is finally called around 9:30 pm we made the decision that it is what it is, we’ve been wanting to try this place so if we miss the movie, we miss the movie. The host, when we come up to the podium and tell her that’s us says nothing but turns around and beelines to the other side of the restaurant without even checking to see if we were following or telling us to follow. I honestly wasn’t sure if I was supposed to be waiting for them to clear the table still or following, she walked so fast and said nothing I couldn’t be sure. By the time she stopped at a table and turned around we were quite a ways behind her because we were cut off by multiple servers as she was walking so quickly. We get seated and she starts talking but is so quiet I had to ask her to repeat, she asks us what we will be doing tonight – the $67 option or some other option I don’t even remember – again, this is our first time so I have no idea other than the bit I looked at online. I tell her that I thought there was a $44 special, she says yes and then proceeds to tell us she can bring us some water but can’t serve us alcohol (I think she was too young) and will find a menu for the $44 option. She returns with the menu pretty quickly and takes a bit longer for the water. She leaves the water on the table then as she is walking off says “sorry we have a cup shortage”. So now we have water, no cups, and no clue what we are supposed to be doing. After another 10 or so minutes go by a gentlemen comes by and gives us cups and offers to take our drink order. We order drinks and nervously ask him how this all works. He seemed a bit confused no one had explained to us so he goes through and briefly explains the options and the basics at least of how the service works (market bar, meat will come by – flip to yes if you want more, no if you don’t). We determine we want the nicer cuts of meat so opt to pay the extra for the full experience (but no one explained to us how we got the better cuts of meat, so we didn’t get any anyways…) We go to the market bar, grab some things then sit back down, flipping our cards to “yes”. Very quickly the servers start coming by with different meat options, the food was very good, what we had anyways and the guys serving meat were nice and attentive. It wasn’t until probably another 20 minutes that the person who I think was our server comes by and asks how we are doing or if we need anything. I once again explain we’ve never been here before and apologize because I don’t know how we get sides. She says oh I’ll bring some right out. We get our sides, we continue getting served meat, our server does not come back for quite awhile. We ask for more potatoes, she says she will get them. Comes back out and says it will just be a few minutes for them, then proceeds to completely forget about that. We wait awhile before finally flagging her down to ask for them, she apologizes and says she forgot, my husband orders a Nutty Irishman when she is there. We never did get the drink...never offered dessert either...that's all I...

We had reservations for 8 at 7:45. I've never seen the place so packed and I'm honestly trying to give the establishment some grace as every employee was working hard and extremely friendly and professional but the experience just wasn't what I've been accustomed to in my many years coming to Fogo. Upon our prompt arrival it was absolutely packed and that's to be expected but we did have to wait just over a half hour past our reservations to be seated. Not a huge issue even though it was packed the bartenders were very attentive and we easily snagged a drink and found a corner to wait. When we arrived at our table it was crammed against the wall with chairs literally touching and the table touching the wall. The tables on either side were so tight that the back two chairs had to ask the person next to them to stand up to be able to get in or out. It felt like a Golden Corral not Fogo. Maybe Fogo is changing their dynamic and I'm the one missing something. There's a new $39 special and I think it's bringing in a lot of customers. That being said between the bar and dinner we were roughly $1000 for the 8 of us doing the full $68 dollar dinner, several drinks, bottles of wine, rounds cachacą and the whole meal we just felt squished, our poor gauchos had a heck of a time trying to serve it wasn't an enjoyable experience, very uncomfortable. The salad bar was fantastic, that's why I gave the stars I did. Veggies were pristine, everything was clean, well stocked, and beautiful. Truly impressive for the number of people in there. The meat is what you come for though and it was sorely disappointing. It was ALL either beyond well done (charred crispy with not an ounce of moisture) or so rare I noticed not one person at our table had more than one bite. The manager did come over to check on our table, again not complaining about the service in any way. He asked if there were any meats we wanted to see. I noticed we were offered the bottom sirloin and the house special 2-4 times but had to ask specifically for any of the deluxe meats like filet or lamb which were not part of the $39 special. I think if I ever went again I would do that option. I feel that's a fair price for the meal we got. When the filet did finally come it was well plus but surprisingly still delicious. I think if Fogo would like to maintain their reputation as an upscale restaurant they need to remove some tables, and be willing to turn some guests away so they can increase the quality of the meats, and the temperature of sides coming out...I love hot polenta, cold polenta is about as good as a cold fry. I realize Saturday is going too be nuts anywhere but the tables are arranged in such a way there's no clear isles to get to the buffet, to the restrooms, to be seated or to exit to the rear parking garage. Our server was out of this world and I would go back on a less busy night just for that experience but I would go with the $39 special. If I want great meats I'll go next door... I understand things are difficult in the restaurant world and I'm thrilled that Fogo seems to be so busy I'm happy for them and their staff. I also feel everything is so expensive and when people do come out and drop hundreds or almost a thousand dollars it should be enjoyable and memorable and being so squished in and having the meats constantly miss the mark makes me sad because I've had some truly magical meals there...

Just a Note: The response from the business told me to email them and they would call, its been over two weeks, I haven't received a call or any sort to respond to my review...LOL...so no point in asking the reviewers to send their personal info if you aren't going to complete your side...

Came for my birthday dinner, I've been a long time frequent diner with fogo at several locations around the US. This one was probably the poorest experience I've ever had. That being said, in comparison to other restaurants i would compare it as average.

Service: Front desk, professional and greeted as we came in. Entire party must be present before sitting.

Table service, Okay, they seemed a bit short staffed, forgetful of extra orders of beer and beverages we ordered. When I ordered a bottle of Justin Isoceles, never got a taste of it before she started pouring and filling up all the glasses for me and the other two guests in our party. I would suggest to train staff to pour half pours, and top off as the dinner progresses, not everyone likes to drink a full glass of wine.

Manager touched the table several times throughout.

Gaucho service was good. They seemed stressed out, we had a party of 13 so we would clean out the gaucho hitting our table by the time he got through half the table.

Food quality: For the first time in the 12+ visits I've had at fogos, it was the first time the first 6-7 gauchos that came to the table brought medium well- well done steaks. I munched on my salad plate for the first 45-55 minutes before they finally brought us med rare-medium cooked steaks, after we requested it 4 different times. I had to eventually mention it to the manager on duty. It was really odd, idk if that's the norm or if the grill person was just accidentally overcooking all the steaks. After that first 50+ minutes, every gaucho that stopped by for the most part served medium - medium rare cuts. Which was PERFECT for our table.

Sauces were brought promptly after requesting.

Salad bar was good. Enjoyed the variety as usual.

Ambience: it was way too hot inside the restaurant, not because we had a big group but their AC is definitely down. I was wearing a thin romper with no bra and I was dripping sweat just sitting there. I regretted ordering red wine and wished I went with a cocktail on the rocks. Those poor staff, I bet they were really hot.

Besides that having a big group helped us forget most of the mishaps, we entertained each other. Our total for a party of 13(which includes 5 children) was around $951+ we left a 20% tip, overall the staff was really friendly and efficient as they could be. There were definitely areas of improvement, that servers can't really control.

Overall, it's a great spot for big groups. I'm happy they were able to accommodate a same day reservation!

Also I love the location, the building features have cute old doors, and located in downtown Portland? Plenty of street parking on a weekday.

Be aware of the surroundings, lots of people that harass you from...