Fogo de Chão Brazilian Steakhouse — Restaurant in Reston

We visited as first-time guests (with a reservation), and I wanted to treat my friend to a great birthday dinner. I thought this would be the perfect place to try. The staff was kind and welcoming from the moment we walked in. Jessie was outstanding. She explained the Churrasco experience clearly, walked us through how the menu worked, & helped set expectations for the evening. I let her know it was my friend’s birthday and that I wanted it to feel special.

There was some confusion at the start since we didn’t realize we needed to grab our own plates from the salad bar in order to begin the meal. Once the staff pointed it out, we got settled in, but it would have been helpful to know that upfront.

When the meat service began, the first cuts brought to us were pork and chicken, even though I had specifically asked for beef and lamb. Once I mentioned it to Jessie, she followed up with the meat staff & made sure the selections moving forward matched what we requested. That attention to detail meant a lot and helped us feel heard.

The meat service itself was fast & steady, which shows strong attention from the team. We had the red and green cards to manage the pace, but at times it did feel a bit overwhelming. We were constantly flipping our cards over to keep up & had to pause just to have a conversation. It also created some pressure not to miss out on the better cuts, which made the experience feel more intense than relaxing.

We did enjoy several of the meats like the picanha, pork belly, ribeye, and bacon-wrapped beef. However, some of the other meats were dry, over-seasoned (one cut of the lamb), or too well done despite our request for medium rare. We were also served several of the same cuts repeatedly, & it was difficult to know what we were being offered since many of the meat staff didn’t announce what they were serving, & some didn’t speak English. A printed list of the meats in rotation or giving customers small meat flags or tabs to indicate what they want to try would really help. Even something as simple as the servers wearing small signs identifying the cut they’re carrying would make a big difference in helping guests keep track.

The truffle butter was also forgotten, which I had been looking forward to trying, & it’s something that might have added to the flavor where some of the meats were lacking.

The drinks were a mix. Our favorite was the Sambo Martini, followed by the Yellow Bird. The Old Fashioned was too strong & unbalanced for our taste. Toward the end of the meal, Stephanie brought out a complimentary cheesecake slice for my friend’s birthday, complete with a candle on a plate that read “Happy Birthday,” which was a thoughtful and sweet touch. Stephanie was attentive & kind & made sure the celebration felt special from her end, which did not go unnoticed. She also packaged it to go, which we appreciated since we were too full to enjoy it right away. The dessert did take a little while to come out and was a bit too sweet with the caramelized sugar on top, but the gesture itself was kind.

Melissa was very friendly, offered great drink suggestions, & was great at entertaining conversation, which made the experience feel more comfortable & fun. Santo also stopped by to check on us during our meal. He was personable, considerate, and genuinely seemed to care that we had a good experience.

The salad bar, which is included in the Churrasco experience, had a few nice options like smoked salmon, but it leaned heavily on items like caprese tomatoes, roasted artichokes, broccoli, bread, cheese, & other vegetables. It was good, but I was expecting a little more variety.

Overall, the staff was wonderful & the service was consistent, but the Churrasco experience just wasn’t the right fit for us. Next time, I would rather try the indulgent menu with classic plated steaks, appetizers, & a more relaxed dining pace. The team did their best, & I appreciated the hospitality, but with a few improvements around coordination, variety, and communication, the overall experience could feel much...

This was quite the experience and not in a good way. We arrived shortly before our reservation time and we were informed there would be a wait, understandable. However, seating us 20 minutes after the scheduled reservation time was not, especially considering this was a special event which was noted on the reservation. Our drink orders were taken and took a bit to be delivered, again understandable based on how busy they were. But they forgot a drink and after waiting over 10 minutes with no server in sight, they had to be flagged down and the drink requested. After the reminder, it did arrive semi-promptly. But things continued to go downhill from there. It seemed that often we were receiving the end of the stick so to speak and were not offered some of the better selections until half the restaurant cleared out. We almost never saw our server, almost impossible to order additional drinks both alcoholic and non-alcoholic. Even our water glasses were not being refilled, it reached the point where a member of our party went and picked up a pitcher from the station. Ok, not ideal but not the worst, until then we made the egregious mistake of ordering dessert, as it was a birthday celebration. At this time most of the restaurant had cleared out and we waited 10, 15, 30 minutes for it to come out. How does it take that long for two slices of cheesecake and two lava cakes? By the time they were served, the ice cream had significantly melted and the cakes cooled so there was no lava aspect. They did write happy birthday on the plate for the celebrant and stuck a candle on it, but by this time the experience had soured. At least now we can settle up, head out, and enjoy the rest of the evening - or so you would think. Nope! Again a staff member had to be flagged down to bring the check. Once it arrived we informed our server it needed to be split, which to be fair we should have proactively informed them at the beginning of service. Well, our server has no idea how to do that, so we wrote had to write out what each person ordered with the corresponding card number. After we provided the information on how to divide the bill we reasonably assumed we would shortly we settled up. WRONG AGAIN! Keep in mind, the restaurant is almost entirely empty at this point. After waiting over 10 more minutes our group got up and went to the front of the restaurant where the host area and server system was located. It was only at that point that they ran our cards. Somewhere during the 1+ hour of waiting time between ordering dessert and desperately trying to escape the seemingly hostage situation we now found ourselves, the manager came over and presented the birthday party member with a "100 gift card for a future time". My fellow diners, it's not a gift card, it's 2 $50 gift certificates that can't be combined and only applied to certain items. Never at ANY point was there an acknowledgement let alone an apology for any of the issues that had occured. Something that was supposed to be a special occasion became the complete opposite experience. Several people in the group came from over an hour away, have children, and/or have to work the next day - that's not the restaurants problem, but it is reasonable to assume that people have better things to do than wait for what came to feel like an eternity just to pay the bill. None of us will ever be coming back.

All around everything about tonight sucked - our reservation was at 8 pm and after the whole ordeal and finally negotiating our release, which you'd think they would want to have us pay quickly so they can proceed with closing, it was 10:30 pm. Yup, 2.5 hours and an hour of that was literally just waiting for dessert and to pay the bill. I'm beyond disappointed and regret having organized this event. On a positive note, the hostess was very nice and...

As a recent diner at Fogo de Chão Brazilian Steakhouse in Reston Town Center, I'm excited to share my thoughts on what was truly a memorable, albeit mixed, culinary adventure. Being nestled in Reston Town Center, there's always something to do before or after your meal, adding to the overall appeal of the location! From the moment we arrived, the staff was super hospitable, setting a wonderful tone for the rest of the day. Our server promptly greeted us and offered choices of refreshing water and that irresistible plate of Pão de Queijo, which were a perfect start. A huge shout-out to the Gauchos – their continuous, tableside service was not only a feast for the eyes but also a testament to their dedication, making sure our plates were never empty. We truly enjoyed the Churrasco experience, with a wide array of meats constantly arriving. The Chilean Bass entree was a delightful surprise, perfectly cooked and bursting with flavor. The Salad Bar was, as always, a vibrant spread of fresh ingredients, and the custom orders of Pineapple and Papaya added a sweet, refreshing touch to our meal. And if you're looking for a delightful twist on a classic, the Caipirinha is an absolute must-try Mojito alternative – so zesty and refreshing! We also indulged in the Molten cake a la mode, and despite taking a bit long to arrive, it was very scrumptious and a fantastic way to end the meal. However, like any great experience, there are always areas for constructive growth. We noticed some inconsistency with the meats; they ranged from being a bit raw to overcooked, and the seasoning swung from lacking to over-seasoned (primarily salt). For example, the Lamb Chops could benefit from a better sear, which would not only enhance the taste but also really add to the visual experience – that on-plate picture-taking opportunity is a bit lacking when it's all carved directly from a spit. A grill/pan-fry option for some of the steaks and meats could potentially help standardize their doneness and texture. We also felt the sauce options were lacking to make some of the meats more palatable, and while the salad bar had delicious dressings, clearer steak/meat sauces tableside would be a welcome addition. A minor note on the ambiance: the Portuguese music, while lovely, seemed to be at club volume levels in the washrooms but surprisingly lacking in the main dining area. We also visited on Father's Day, and while the festive atmosphere was understandable, the place was overflowing, and the prices seemed gouged for what was essentially the same regular menu. All in all, for a one-time experience, I would definitely recommend the Churrasco for the sheer spectacle and variety. Just be prepared for the fact that the taste and texture of the meat can be a bit "all over the place." With a few refinements, especially in consistency and sauce options, Fogo de Chão could truly elevate an already great...