Fogo de Chão Brings Brazilian Churrasco Experience to the Strip at The Venetian

^{Fogo de Chão’s new two-story restaurant at The Venetian’s Grand Canal Shops is the Brazilian steakhouse brand’s location on the Strip in Las Vegas. (Photo: Vanessa Alves-Johnson / Casinos.com)}

LAS VEGAS – Brazilian steakhouse Fogo de Chão has opened a swanky new location inside the Venetian Resort Las Vegas, bringing its traditional churrascaria dining experience to the busy Strip.

The restaurant officially opened on March 2 inside the Grand Canal Shoppes. I attended their VIP post-opening celebration to savor some of their signature dishes and experience the brand’s signature tableside meat service.

This new venue is the second location in Las Vegas, joining its first location restaurant off Flamingo Road in the Hughes Center. It’s not too far from the Strip, but having one right inside a casino makes it even more convenient to try all the delicious Brazilian dishes and meats.

My mom’s family is from São Paulo, so I’m the “resident Brazilian” at Casinos.com. That said, I was especially curious to see how the restaurant’s take on Brazilian food measured up to my own cooking for the first time.

All About Fogo’s Churrascaria Experience 

Founded in 1979 in Porto Alegre, Brazil, Fogo de Chão specializes in the traditional churrascaria dining style. This involves gaucho chefs who continuously bring fire-kissed meats on metal skewers directly to the table for you to sample. 

Throughout the meal, servers run around the dining room offering a steady rotation of premium meats, including wagyu served on a Himalayan salt block, filet mignon, lamb chops, and bacon-wrapped chicken. But the best option is always beef picanha, one of Brazil’s most popular cuts taken from the top of the sirloin.

The new Venetian restaurant features a large, two-story dining space with an upscale design unique to this location. 

If you want the full experience, you can enjoy the rodizio-style service for $77 a person. Don’t let the price scare you – it offers an all-you-can-eat format with access to the restaurant’s Market Table, featuring a buffet-style lineup of fresh salads, fruits, and vegetables.

“Fogo is all about the experience, we always want to offer what’s new and what’s next,” general manager Joao Gomes told Casinos.com. “We have two bars, two market tables, two grills, two kitchens, two everything.”

Your meal also includes access to their feijoada bar, where you can try Brazil’s famous black bean stew, served with accompaniments such as farofa and toasted cassava.

The downstairs bar at Fogo de Chao, where you can enjoy their happy hour menu all day every day. (Photo: Vanessa Alves-Johnson / Casinos.com)

For visitors looking for something quicker (and cheaper), the restaurant offers an all-day happy hour at the bar with appetizers priced $8-15.

Staff members recommend the lamb lollipops, queijo assado, and picanha burgers as some great options to try if you visit Bar Fogo.

Here Comes the Caipirinha Cart!

While the endless meats are the star of the show, the drinks get just as much of a spotlight at the Venetian location. 

Since happy hour is all day here, you can get $15 cocktails, $12 wines, and $8 beers whenever you want! They also have a full drink menu, including signature cocktails, an endless list of wine options, and zero-proof options for anyone who doesn't want to drink. On top of that, you can even try Brazilian drinks like limonada or Guarana soda for the full experience.

If you’re of drinking age, you can’t leave without trying a caipirinha. It’s basically the country’s national cocktail made with cachaça, a sugarcane liquor.

At the Venetian location, the cocktail is a big part of the dining experience thanks to a tableside caipirinha cart, where servers prepare the drinks fresh in front of guests.

Clear the way, caipirinha cart incoming! (Photo: Vanessa Alves-Johnson / Casinos.com)

I got to try their passion fruit and strawberry hibiscus caipirinhas, which I could rave about all day. I have a bottle of Leblon sitting on my bar at home that will probably continue to collect dust, because I’d rather drink one from Fogo de Chão. 

The citrusy drinks are refreshing and pair well with the rich grilled meats. They’re also a great palate cleanser, since the flavor exhaustion can set in after eating so much savory meat.

This place really pushes the limits of your appetite. The meats come around one after another, and even the smallest pieces fill you up quickly. Who could say no to a smiling server with filet mignon ready to serve you, even when you know dessert is on the horizon?

Venetian Becoming Destination for Diverse Tastes

For General Manager Joao Gomes, the opportunity to be part of the new location was a no-brainer. Gomes started as a gaucho chef at its off-Strip restaurant in 2017 and said he jumped at the chance to lead the new location at the Venetian.

The casino-resort has dozens of restaurants inside the Grand Canal Shops and the surrounding resort complex for every taste. You can find Greek food at Estiatorio Milos, Japanese food at Wakuda, and Spanish meats at Bazaar Meat. The Via Via Food Hall also offers many great grab-and-go options for visitors seeking a wide range of culinary choices.

“Compared to the other options on the Strip, the Venetian is becoming a food destination for the new generation of people coming for the experience instead of the old-school Las Vegas,” Gomes said.

Another major advantage is the restaurant’s connection to the Venetian Convention & Expo Center, one of the largest convention centers in Las Vegas. The convention center spans roughly 1.8 million square feet and regularly hosts massive, international conferences such as the Global Gaming Expo.

“Having in-house conventions has a big impact on us,” Gomes said. “We see more movement during the weekdays during conventions than on weekends.”

According to Gomes, weekdays can be busier than weekends due to in-house conventions. Many diners are familiar with the brand and have visited the new location while staying at or visiting the property.

Fogo de Chão has restaurants in South America, Mexico, the Middle East, and Puerto Rico. 

“It was a great opening,” he said. “We have regulars from the other location because they want to see us here [at The Venetian]. And we also have people from across the country who come for conventions, see that we’re here, and stop in because they already know the brand.”

Restaurants come and go in Las Vegas, but I hope Fogo de Chao gets the love it deserves. The restaurant experience and the morale of the employees really showed Brazilian hospitality, which I know and love. 

As a Brazilian, I can fully say I approve of this place. The next time you’re at Venetian, take a load off and grab a caipirinha at Fogo before you hit the casino floor.