I was so excited to learn that Fogo de Chão was opening in Bellevue, so when they reached out to see if I’d be interested in attending their soft opening, I jumped at the chance. I mean, who could turn down an invitation to steak heaven!
In case you are not familiar with Fogo de Chão, it is a Brazillian steakhouse also known as a churrascaria. They specialize in the Southern Brazillian grilling technique churrasco and serve up a wide variety of meats cooked over an open fire. There are specialized servers, also known as Gauchos, who are responsible for seasoning, cooking, and serving the meat to guests.
The interior is very contemporary which fits in perfectly with the Downtown Bellevue location. There’s a large bar with plenty of cocktail options. It’s the perfect spot to grab a drink and chat with friends while waiting for your table.
Can I just sidebar and say that I’m really looking forward to the completion of the Lincoln Square expansion! There are a ton of really great restaurants moving in, including Taylor Shellfish, Japonessa, and a food hall with multiple stalls. It will definitely give me a reason to venture out to Bellevue more often on the weekends.
On the way to our table, the first thing I noticed was the stunning array of fresh veggies, fruits, cheeses and cured meats available on the Market Table.
The Market Table at Fogo de Chão has pretty much everything your heart could desire. Not pictured is their Feijoada, which is a traditional rice and beans dish. It is sooo good! It’s actually one of my favorite dishes to get when I eat at Fogo. The Market Table works buffet style so you can refresh your plate with all these goodies as many times as you like. However, if you come for the steak, don’t let yourself indulge too much or else you’ll be too full for the main attraction! I’d also like to mention that if you are a vegetarian or not into endless servings of grilled meat, you can purchase a Market Table only option which is $15 for lunch and $26.95 for dinner and weekends.
Part of what makes dining at Fogo de Chão in Bellevue such a fun experience is the interaction you have with the Gauchos. Each table is equipped with circular cards that are colored green and red. If you flip your card to green the Gauchos will stop by and basically serve you an endless supply of meat. If you want to take a break, simply flip it over to red. My advice would be to make sure you remember to flip your card to red when you have a good amount of food on your plate. That way you can enjoy freshly grilled steak, chicken, pork, and lamb. If you let the cuts of meat pile up, they tend to get cold and don’t taste as delicious as when they are hot off the grill.
Below is all the #meatporn for your viewing enjoyment.
We sampled the rib eye, pork ribs with lime, pork chops, leg of lamb, beef ribs, picanha, and bacon wrapped fillet. However there were so many more cuts of meat to sample, we were just too full to fit anything else in our stomachs. If you’d like to see the full list you can view their menu here. I think my favorites were the picanha, which is their signature cut, the bacon wrapped fillet, and the pork ribs with fresh lime. They were all tender, juicy and seasoned nicely. Oh! I don’t want to forget to mention that each table is also served with fried polenta, plantains, and Brazilian cheese bread (aka Pao de Queijo). You will have dreams about the cheese bread for days after you dine here, trust me on that!
We couldn’t end our meal without a sweet treat.
This New York Cheesecake with strawberry topping was bomb! Like seriously, for a chain restaurant sometimes desserts can be hit or miss but this one knocked it out of the park.
Overall, dinner at Fogo de Chão at the Lincoln Square expansion in Bellevue was very enjoyable. From the ambiance to the service to the food, everything was well executed. Just in case you are interested in the pricing, Lunch for the full experience is $34.95, Sunday Brunch is $37.95, and Dinner is $49.95 (dessert and drinks sold separately).
Cheers,
Sonya
Neighborhood: Bellevue
Price: $$$
