Quick Answer: Fogo de Chão serves lunch Monday through Friday, typically from 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM (some locations run until 3:00 PM). On Saturdays and Sundays, lunch is replaced by a Weekend Brazilian Brunch, also from about 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM.
Here’s the honest truth: dinner at a Brazilian steakhouse can feel like a splurge you plan for weeks. Lunch is the sneaky-good move nobody talks about enough — same fire-roasted meats, same tableside carving, smaller bill.
What Time Does Fogo de Chão Open for Lunch?
Most Fogo de Chão locations open their doors for lunch at 11:00 AM or 11:30 AM on weekdays. A handful of high-traffic urban spots, like the Legacy West location in Plano, Texas, open lunch service at 11am and run it through 3pm Monday through Friday.
That extra hour compared to a typical lunch window (many restaurants cut off lunch by 2 PM) is a nice perk if your schedule runs a little late. Still, timing shifts by city, so a quick call or website check saves you a wasted trip.
What Are Fogo de Chão’s Lunch Hours Each Day?
Weekday lunch hours stay fairly consistent Monday through Friday, while the weekend swaps lunch for the brunch format entirely. Here’s the day-by-day breakdown:
| Day | Service Type | Typical Hours |
| Monday | Weekday Lunch | 11:00 AM – 2:00 PM |
| Tuesday | Weekday Lunch | 11:00 AM – 2:00 PM |
| Wednesday | Weekday Lunch | 11:00 AM – 2:00 PM |
| Thursday | Weekday Lunch | 11:00 AM – 2:00 PM |
| Friday | Weekday Lunch | 11:00 AM – 3:00 PM (varies by location) |
| Saturday | Weekend Brazilian Brunch | 11:00 AM – 2:00 PM |
| Sunday | Weekend Brazilian Brunch | 11:00 AM – 2:00 PM |
This pattern shows up consistently across locations. The Legacy West restaurant, for example, lists Monday through Friday lunch from 11am to 3pm and Saturday-Sunday Brazilian Brunch from 11am to 2pm.
A word of caution here: hour listings on third-party sites and even Google can lag behind reality, especially around holidays. Your local restaurant’s own page or a quick phone call is always the safer bet before you head out.
How Much Does Fogo de Chão Lunch Cost?
Fogo de Chão’s weekday lunch runs cheaper than dinner, largely thanks to a program called Gaucho Lunch, which lets you skip the full churrasco price if you just want the salad bar or a single cut of meat. A local news report noted weekday lunch starting at $18 for the market table and feijoada bar, with the option to add a single fire-roasted meat or the full churrasco experience.
Here’s a general pricing table pulled from published menu data (prices vary by city and update over time, so treat these as ballpark figures):
| Lunch Option | What You Get | Approximate Price |
| Gaucho Lunch – Market Table Only | Salad bar, soup, feijoada, sides | $14 – $18 |
| Gaucho Lunch – One Grilled Meat | Market table + one meat cut, unlimited servings | $23 – $27 |
| Full Churrasco Lunch Experience | Market table + all rotating meats, tableside carving | $35 – $40 |
| Cauliflower Steak (vegetarian option) | Roasted whole cauliflower, plant-forward plate | $14 – $15 |
What’s on the Fogo de Chão Lunch Menu?
The lunch menu features the same signature meats as dinner — picanha, filet mignon, lamb, and more — just served through the more flexible Gaucho Lunch format instead of a full unlimited rodízio at every price tier. If you care about calories, the numbers might surprise you (in both directions).
Based on Fogo’s own published nutrition sheet, here’s how popular items stack up:
| Item | Approx. Calories | Notes |
| Picanha (Top Sirloin) | 440 | Signature cut, lean and tender |
| Fraldinha (Bottom Sirloin) | 380 | Lower-calorie beef option |
| Cordeiro (Lamb Steak) | 590 | Richer, higher-fat cut |
| Filet Mignon plate (8 oz, with sides) | 1,610 | Includes mashed potatoes and chimichurri |
| Pan-Seared Salmon plate (8 oz) | 1,400 | Includes sides |
| Cauliflower Steak plate | 1,070 | Vegetarian, parmesan crust |
Does Fogo de Chão Have a Brunch Buffet on Weekends?
Yes — but it’s not called a buffet in the traditional sense. On Saturdays and Sundays, Fogo de Chão swaps the lunch menu for a Weekend Brazilian Brunch that pairs its usual fire-roasted meats with brunch-style additions like omelets and waffles.
Fogo made this brunch upgrade official a few years back, and it’s stuck around as a weekend staple nationwide. The company introduced a made-to-order omelet station and a Belgian waffle station as part of the Full Churrasco Brazilian Brunch experience.
Here’s what typically shows up on the Weekend Brazilian Brunch buffet-style spread:
| Category | Items Included |
| Market Table (Buffet) | Seasonal salads, fresh vegetables, imported cheeses, cured meats, soups |
| Made-to-Order Stations | Custom omelet station; Belgian waffle station with maple, cinnamon, vanilla |
| Fire-Roasted Meats | Picanha, ribeye, filet mignon, lamb chops, and other rotating cuts |
| Signature Brunch Dishes | Braised Beef Rib Hash; Pão de Queijo Egg Bake; Seasonal Sunday Roast |
| Desserts | Bolo de Fubá (sweet cornmeal cake with caramelized banana crème); seasonal fruit and yogurt parfaits |
| Beverage Bar | Caipirinhas, Passion Fruit Mimosas, Brazilian-spiced Bloody Mary |
Is Fogo de Chão Lunch Worth It Compared to Dinner?
Short answer: yes, if you’re after the churrasco experience without the dinner price tag. The lunch full churrasco format typically runs noticeably below dinner pricing while delivering the same tableside meat service.
Dinner’s Full Churrasco Experience has been priced meaningfully higher than the lunch version at the same restaurants, based on published menu comparisons. You’re getting the identical gaucho-carved meats, the same Market Table, and the same theatrical service — just at a midday discount. The trade-off is a slightly tighter window (roughly three hours instead of dinner’s five-plus hour service block), so pacing yourself matters more.
If you’re deciding between the two, ask yourself one question: are you there for a business lunch or a leisurely night out? Lunch suits the former far better.
Do Kids Eat Free at Fogo de Chão Lunch?
Yes. Fogo de Chão has a standing kids’ policy that applies during lunch as well as dinner. According to a local news report, children under age 6 eat free, while kids ages 7 to 12 get the full churrasco experience at half price.
That’s a genuinely useful detail for families weighing whether a steakhouse lunch fits the budget. Combined with the lower weekday lunch pricing tiers, a family visit can end up costing far less than most people assume going in.
Tips for a Better Fogo de Chão Lunch Visit
A few small moves make a real difference in how smooth your lunch goes. None of these require extra money — just a little planning.
- Book ahead on Thursdays and Fridays. Business lunch crowds fill tables fast, and walk-ins risk a wait.
- Ask your server about Gaucho Lunch tiers. Not every location prints all three pricing options clearly on the menu.
- Pace yourself at the Market Table. It’s tempting to fill up on salads and cheese before the meat even arrives.
- Check hours by phone for holidays. Lunch service is one of the first things restaurants trim on slow holiday weekdays.
- Bring the kids on a weekday. The free-under-6 and half-price 7-12 policy stretches further at lunch prices than dinner prices.
How to Find Fogo de Chão Lunch Hours Near You?
The fastest way is a quick Google search of your city plus “Fogo de Chão hours,” since the restaurant’s Google Business listings tend to reflect real-time changes faster than third-party sites. Fogo’s own location pages on fogodechao.com are the second-best source, since they’re maintained directly by the company.
Third-party listing sites like Yelp are useful for cross-checking, but they occasionally lag behind actual changes — one Manhattan location’s Yelp page, for instance, still listed hours running from 11:30 am to 10:30 pm on weekdays, which reflects total operating hours rather than the lunch-specific window. Always cross-reference before locking in plans, especially for a special occasion.
Read more:
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Peter Piper Pizza Lunch Buffet Hours 2026: Days, Times & Prices
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Fogo de Chão serve lunch every day?
No. Lunch runs Monday through Friday. Saturdays and Sundays switch to the Weekend Brazilian Brunch format instead.
Is the lunch menu smaller than dinner?
It’s more flexible, not necessarily smaller. You can choose just the Market Table, add one meat, or go full churrasco — dinner typically offers the full churrasco format only.
Can I get the full churrasco experience at lunch?
Yes, most locations offer it at a lower weekday price point compared to dinner.
Do prices vary by city?
Yes, significantly. Urban flagship locations in cities like New York and Los Angeles tend to run higher than suburban locations.
Final Thoughts
Fogo de Chão’s lunch hours give you a genuinely smart way to enjoy churrasco-style dining without committing to a full dinner budget or a multi-hour meal. Between the flexible Gaucho Lunch pricing tiers, the family-friendly kids’ policy, and the weekend brunch upgrade, there’s a version of this experience that fits almost any midday plan. Just double-check your specific location’s hours before you go — they’re consistent enough to plan around, but never guaranteed to the minute.
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