SAN FRANCISCO—High-end Brazilian Steakhouse Fogo de Chão has announced its plans to open its first restaurant in San Francisco. The steakhouse features skewers of meats items that include lamb and chicken, as well as sirloins and rib eyes, Filet Minot, and seafood options. It also offers an all-you-can-eat lunch and dinner buffet. In the company’s own words Fogo displays “a spread inspired by the grand kitchen tables on the farms of Southern Brazil.”

The new restaurant will make its home on 3rd and Howard, nearby other upscale eateries like the Chinese-cuisine Fang Restaurant and Benu, which serves pricey new American fare.

Mexican restaurant Chevy's closed its doors last week.
The former home of Chevy’s will serve as the space of Fogo De Chão’s San Francisco expansion.

The site will be the former location of Chevy’s, a Mexican restaurant that closed its doors back in late March due to issues with its lease. Opened back in 2000, the Chevy’s location had seen a decline in success over the past few years that eventually prompted its closure. The chain currently still maintains several restaurants in the surrounding Bay Area, including a location in South San Francisco.

Fogo was founded in 1979 in Porto Alegre, Brazil by two sets of brothers. Since its 1997 premiere in the states, the company overall has proved a hit with both the public and food critics, scoring top ratings on sites like Zagat and Yelp.

The company filed registration to go public in April and debuted last Friday morning with individual stocks priced at $20. By the end of the day, Fogo saw its stock value rise 29 percent, a result that left CEO Lawrence Johnson “very pleased.”

Fogo de Chão is based in Dallas and has over 20 locations in the United States, with 10 more in Brazil and several in Mexico and the Caribbean region.

News on the opening date of the San Francisco location has yet to be announced to the public.

By Pamela Rios