Fogo de Chão, the 45-year-old Brazilian restaurant chain known for its upscale churrasco-style dining, opened its 11th Southern California recently at 1551 Ocean Ave, where Del Frisco's Grille used to be.
The new outlet joins other Fogo de Chão locations across the Los Angeles metropolitan area, Orange County and San Diego.
If you’re unfamiliar with rodízio-style dining, you’re in for a treat. Think of it as “meat on repeat,” servers bring skewered meats table to table, slicing directly onto your plate. On the table, at each cover, is a coaster that’s painted red on one side and green on the other. As long as the green side is showing, servers will continue carving meat at the table, everything from sausage to steak and picanha to pork ribs. When you fancy a breather, perhaps to loosen your belt buckle, simply turn the coaster over to display the red side. The meal is a fixed price and ultimately equates to all you can eat. It’s a dance of discipline and decadence, a meaty marathon where the only limit is the size of your appetite.
Rodízio-style dining originated in southern Brazil in the early to mid-20th century, particularly in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, where South American cowboys, called gauchos, developed the tradition. Eventually restaurateurs in the region began offering all-you-can-eat meat service and chains like Fogo de Chão, founded in 1979 in Porto Alegre, began taking the concept worldwide. The term "rodízio" literally means "rotation" in Portuguese and equivalents can be found all over the world, from the UK to the UAE.
Vitor Melchior, West Coast Area Director for Fogo de Chão says that Santa Monica had long been on the list of locations where the chain had wanted to expand. “With all the growth in other areas and the opportunity that came with this beautiful location, we couldn’t say no,” Melchior says, adding, “We’ve always had so many customers and loyal guests telling us we should come to this market. We’re really excited to be in this vibrant, bustling area, there’s so much foot traffic, so many tourists and so much potential.”
Melchior says that they’re prepared to be patient and put in the effort to help lift the vibe of the neighborhood.
“I think this area deserves to be elevated. We’re surrounded by beautiful hotels and other successful restaurants and I know we’re right in the heart of all that energy and movement. We’re not afraid of the challenge. I believe we’ve created a more enclosed, private experience here, a beautiful design the team developed.
“It features a pergola-style layout with sliding glass windows that allow us to offer a comfortable, elevated dining experience without losing the view. Even with everything happening just outside on the street, our guests can still enjoy a calm, memorable atmosphere,” Melchior says.
The restaurant was designed in collaboration with Innovation & Design in Architecture and it features an enclosed patio with oceanfront views and a large dining room built around an open churrasco grill, where gaucho chefs butcher, hand-carve and grill a variety of meats over open flames. The interior layout offers guests a 360-degree view of the cooking process and during the summer season, the roof of the patio can be rolled back.
Fogo de Chão’s menu highlights traditional Brazilian churrasco-style dining with fire-roasted meats seasoned to create a distinctive, salty crust. The restaurant also serves blistered seafood dishes and a variety of small plates.
Much like Meat on Ocean, which is less than 100 meters up the road, the wine list is equally as important as the quality of meat served. Melchior says that while offering a selection from all over the world, the focus remains very much on South American wines, with bold and robust cabernet sauvignons, zinfandels, merlots and more.
There are private dining areas for small to medium sized groups, plus 15 seats at the bar, which offers cocktails, wines and shareable items such as queijo assado, lamb lollipops and a picanha burger along with an all-day happy hour. The restaurant offers a total of 193 covers in the 7,200 sq ft space, with the bar nicely positioned towards the center of the room.
There are also fish options available on the menu and the Market Table that offers seasonal recipes, specialty salads, antipasto and other, less carnivore-concentrated items.
Fogo de Chão is at 1551 Ocean Ave and is open Mon–Thu 3pm–10pm, Fri 3pm–10:30pm, Sat 2pm–10:30pm and Sun 2pm–9pm.
