Fogo De Chao Restaurant - Brazilian BBQ in Atlanta (Duluth: prices, food)

[nrgpill]

skip Nori Nori. I suggest Shoya in Doraville if you're thinking Japanese. Fogo is a decent chain restaurant but too much sodium in the food for my liking.

[nrgpill]

forget the Shoya recommendation - I just reread the thread and saw "kids" being mentioned. Carry on...

[atlantagreg30127]

Fogo is a good choice and yes, expensive, but the food and service quality are very very good.

I'm not sure if the wife if different than the standard mom, but, for a birthday I think the average wife/mom would greatly appreciate the hiring of a baby sitter so that the husband and her can go to a nice(r) place without having the kids crawling around like it's Chuck-E-Cheese and having to worry about that.

Fogo... $100. Babysitter... $30. A relaxing quiet meal for a birthday... "priceless".

[brent6969]

Originally Posted by ATLTJL

I agree that Atlanta has some very nice places, but you do know that Fogo De Chao is a chain, right?

It's not an overly stuffy environment at all, but I don't think I'd two 19 month old boys unless they were impeccably behaved....and even then probably not. There are lots of servers walking around carrying huge pieces of meat on what are basically gigantic skewers and they cut it with very sharp knives that they carry. Toddlers accidentally getting underfoot at this restaurant, not a good thing!

Fogo de Chao is extremely expensive. You won't get out of there for under $50 each even for lunch. You can order sides, and will probably want to. You have to order drinks, then you have taxes and tip.

The good news is, with all the money you'll save by not bringing your kids (I don't know, but I doubt they have a children's menu), you can hire a babysitter. Everyone else in the restaurant will thank you for it.

It is in very select cities though, Have been there a number of times, it is amazing. Plus the people watching, it is definitely not a "stale" scene.

[ATLTJL]

I guess I'm the only person who is not impressed by Fogo De Chao. I know I'm in the minority, one of my best friends is a huge Zagats reading foodie, and it's his favorite restaurant.

I'm a big meat eater, and even I think it's a little gross to see servers walking around with what look like gigantic cow legs on huge swords, complete with bowls beneath them to catch the blood. It just seems a little barbaric to me, I feel like a cave man or something with hunters parading around what they killed that day.

But that's not the main reason I don't like it. My problem is since it's all you can eat, I eat too much. And I don't like to fill up on a lot of greens when they have good quality all you can eat meat. So I end up eating pretty much an entire meal of different meats, and eating all that I can. I never feel well after eating at Fogo De Chao. Maybe I just don't have good willpower, or maybe I'm just cheap and need to feel like I got my money's worth.

I just feel like I could spend the same amount of money at a top notch steakhouse and get a cut of meat just as good, probably better, with a nice variety of sides. And I wouldn't have to use a set of tweezers to catch chunks of meat falling off a carcass. That's just my personal opinion, I see why most people love it.

Incidentally, I've eaten a lot of sushi in Atlanta, and contrary to popular belief, the best sushi is not found at MF. The best I have had is at Bluepointe. And you don't have to have a full meal there, you can sit at the bar and order off the sushi menu. It's the best I have ever had, not only in Atlanta, but anywhere. I don't know how they make it so good.

[rcsteiner]

I think Fogo De Chao is very good for what it is (I've eaten at their restaurants in both Atlanta and Minneapolis), but it isn't the only Brazilian steakhouse in Atlanta, either. I've found Sal Grosso in the Smyrna/Marietta area to be a very good restaurant as well:

Home page

Of course, you can overstuff yourself at both places. I tend to take a generous helping from the salad bar and eat it along with the meat. It's also a good thing not to hurry. They won't run out!

[nrgpill]

I have my doubts neither MF or Bluepointe can do a fatty tuna right. But anyway..... It's not like Fogo uses wagyu beef and bring out every cut for you to inspect before cooking. No steak lover in their right mind is going to choose Fogo over NY Prime. But it is a good place for corporate events and for carnivorous families.

Originally Posted by ATLTJL

I guess I'm the only person who is not impressed by Fogo De Chao. I know I'm in the minority, one of my best friends is a huge Zagats reading foodie, and it's his favorite restaurant.

I'm a big meat eater, and even I think it's a little gross to see servers walking around with what look like gigantic cow legs on huge swords, complete with bowls beneath them to catch the blood. It just seems a little barbaric to me, I feel like a cave man or something with hunters parading around what they killed that day.

But that's not the main reason I don't like it. My problem is since it's all you can eat, I eat too much. And I don't like to fill up on a lot of greens when they have good quality all you can eat meat. So I end up eating pretty much an entire meal of different meats, and eating all that I can. I never feel well after eating at Fogo De Chao. Maybe I just don't have good willpower, or maybe I'm just cheap and need to feel like I got my money's worth.

I just feel like I could spend the same amount of money at a top notch steakhouse and get a cut of meat just as good, probably better, with a nice variety of sides. And I wouldn't have to use a set of tweezers to catch chunks of meat falling off a carcass. That's just my personal opinion, I see why most people love it.

Incidentally, I've eaten a lot of sushi in Atlanta, and contrary to popular belief, the best sushi is not found at MF. The best I have had is at Bluepointe. And you don't have to have a full meal there, you can sit at the bar and order off the sushi menu. It's the best I have ever had, not only in Atlanta, but anywhere. I don't know how they make it so good.

[GRS86]

Great place to go for a birthday, or to celebrate an anniversary!!

[vince217]

This might be a little late post but here is my two cents:

Fogo de Chao is not good for kids... too hectic, and you do have to get up to get to the sides buffet (i myself have two young kids, and it is tough when me or my wife has to leave the table and one of us has to mind 2 children!!!). That being said, I like going with my wife for LUNCH only. As far as I know, it is the same menu for lunch and dinner, you only pay $20 more for dinner.

As for sushi... I tend to shun buffet sushi places in general as the sushi / sashimi seems mass produced. There are a couple of good japanese restaurants in and around the metro atlanta area.

Mr Panda, have you tried Mori House? Its by the corner of Ptree Industrial Blvd and Suwanee Dam Rd. Not too far from you and I think they are one of the better japanese restaurants in the Suwanee area.

[mrpanda]

Hey Vince,
Thanks for letting me know about Mori house. My birthday is coming up in 10 days so i will ask my wife to take me there.

I was not impressed with NoriNori for lunch as the interior was nice but the sushi was average in my opinion. Not worth the price.

There is one Korean restuarant we went to for dinner on the same day and My Gosh the place was so damn good and it was jam packed. My standards when it comes to good Korean food is the highest and I have to put "Jang Soo Jang" in Duluth in the top 3 best Korean resturants in Atlanta along with "Honey Pig"

Did I ever mention this before ? .. "I LOVE ATLANTA" Especially the northside!!!!!! These areas are the best four in the northside in my opinion: Suwanee, Alpharetta, S. Foryth, and Johns Creek.

Originally Posted by vince217

This might be a little late post but here is my two cents:

Fogo de Chao is not good for kids... too hectic, and you do have to get up to get to the sides buffet (i myself have two young kids, and it is tough when me or my wife has to leave the table and one of us has to mind 2 children!!!). That being said, I like going with my wife for LUNCH only. As far as I know, it is the same menu for lunch and dinner, you only pay $20 more for dinner.

As for sushi... I tend to shun buffet sushi places in general as the sushi / sashimi seems mass produced. There are a couple of good japanese restaurants in and around the metro atlanta area.

Mr Panda, have you tried Mori House? Its by the corner of Ptree Industrial Blvd and Suwanee Dam Rd. Not too far from you and I think they are one of the better japanese restaurants in the Suwanee area.