Fogo De Chão Vs. Texas De Brazil: Which Is Better?

There are those days where your body's calling out to you in hunger, and it's demanding that you put something green and leafy into your stomach because, let's face it, you probably don't shovel in as much salad as you should on a weekly basis. It's so easy to opt for the tastier -– albeit unhealthier –- dinner option, especially when you're not in the mood to put together a salad. However, sometimes your body screams, "To heck with all that salad business!" and all you want to do is inhale as much rich, fatty meat as possible. When that mood strikes hot like an iron, there are few places to get that meaty fix satisfied quite like a Brazilian barbecue restaurant.

Anyone who's feasted at a Brazilian steakhouse knows all too well just how much meat is dished out during the course of the meal. One of the coolest aspects of the experience is watching the servers carry huge skewers of glistening proteins to diners' tables and slice pieces off directly onto their plates. Two popular chains that are major players in the Brazilian barbecue game are Fogo de Chão and Texas de Brazil. Both offer similar dining experiences. However, if given the option, which one is more deserving of your money? Fear not, foodie friends, because we're here to help settle that culinary conundrum.

It's nice to know that if you frequent a certain establishment and fork over a lot of your hard–earned cash for great food, the place recognizes that and gives you a little something special for all your business. It would be nice if every place you loved did that, but unfortunately taking the extra step to care for guests isn't always on everyone's radar. However, if you're an enthusiast of either Fogo de Chão or Texas de Brazil, you'll be pleased to know both have membership clubs you can join.

It costs nothing to join the Fogo eClub or the Texas de Brazil eClub, and once you're a member, you can get some pretty sweet deals. The Fogo website doesn't go into much detail as to what members receive, but it promised the "latest news, events, and promotions." Texas de Brazil goes into a little more detail, so before signing up, members already know they instantly receive $20 off a dinner for two and gifts on their birthdays and anniversaries. Both restaurants understand the value of customers and strive to make their lives a little more delicious.

When comparing and contrasting two restaurant chains, you can sometimes determine which one is more popular based on the number of locations each one has. If customers can't stop ranting and raving about a place, chances are there's a whole bunch of them scattered throughout the world due to the demand. Same goes for a spot that no one likes; you wouldn't expect its presence to linger. Now when it comes to Fogo de Chão and Texas de Brazil, both restaurants come close to having the same number of locations. Fogo wins by a small margin.

Fogo de Chão operates 54 restaurants in the U.S. The two states with the most locations are California and Texas, with each state having eight. The company also has a handful of spots in Brazil, Mexico, and the Middle East. Texas de Brazil operates three fewer U.S. restaurants with 51. Florida holds the record for most Texas de Brazil locations with nine total. Interestingly, there are no Texas de Brazil locations anywhere in Brazil, but there are a few in the Middle East, South Korea, and South America. 

There are a ton of reasons to love when the weekend rolls around. First of all, you don't have to worry about that pesky boss from work looming over your shoulder. You also don't need that annoying alarm clock blaring in your ear in the early morning hours. But, those perks pale in comparison to the greatest meal the weekend provides us with: brunch! Brunch is a great way to gather with friends and talk about the previous night's shenanigans while tossing back great food alongside bottomless mimosas and bloody Marys. So, if you're a brunch enthusiast, you'll want to head to Fogo de Chão.

Fogo de Chão has a pretty awesome brunch menu. It costs $44 for the continuous meat-carving tableside churrasco experience, but it has a ton of other options if that's not what you're looking for. You can snag yourself some Chilean sea bass with papaya vinaigrette, a vegetarian cauliflower steak with basil sauce, or a Seafood Tower, just to name a few. And, of course, there are cocktails like the Fogo Bloody Mary and Passion Fruit Mimosa if you're looking to attack brunch the proper way.

A great cocktail, beer, or glass of wine is always great on its own, but if you're able to pair it with a flavor-packed bite of food, it makes the drinking experience that much better. Plus, if you're heading somewhere to indulge in the happy hour offerings, chances are you'll want some kind of food in your stomach to soak up the booze, especially if you plan on hanging around awhile. When it comes to the food available at the bar, Fogo de Chão does a much better job at offering a large menu with some really great cuisine.

If you find yourself at Texas de Brazil, yes, it has food, but you're limited as to what you can order. It serves lobster bisque, meat and cheese charcuterie, and a few meats like chicken breast, sausage, and sirloin. Fogo de Chão really kicks things up several notches with a large menu that includes braised beef sliders, Brazilian empanadas, lobster and shrimp tacos, crispy parmesan polenta fries, and a selection of churrasco meat boards as well. You likely won't find yourself hunting for more food after a stint at Fogo's happy hour, and that's a good thing.

While a simple glass of wine or a beer may taste great, you can really dazzle the palate once you enter into the world of cocktails. You can mix and match so many different flavor profiles and ingredients to truly create a powerhouse of an elixir sure to wake up your mouth and leave you wishing you had the skills to concoct it yourself at home. Now, if you're someone who really places importance on cocktail variety at restaurants, you'll definitely want to choose Fogo de Chão over Texas de Brazil. Fogo has a bunch of great South American cocktails ready to ride shotgun next to the meaty feast you're eating.

If you're seeking something classic and don't want to venture too deeply into unknown territory, you can always order yourself a Manhattan, an old fashioned, or a martini. You get a tasty drink without any curveball ingredients thrown at you. But, if you're looking for something unique, you have plenty of choices. Try the Caramelized Pineapple Old Fashioned with muddled caramelized pineapple, orange, and Luxardo cherries. Or, test your spice tolerance with the Mango Habanero Caipirinha with cachaça (a rum-like liquor), limes, mango, and habanero peppers. There's something for everyone on the list, so go ahead and explore.

Taking the family out to eat nowadays is rarely a super affordable event. Food prices are rising, which means your favorite restaurants are likely increasing the cost of the dishes on their menu, which results in you forking over even more money. No one loves feeling like a night out at a restaurant drained their wallet, but it can happen quite easily. So, both Fogo de Chão and Texas de Brazil offer customers a discounted price when it comes to kids, which is great for families who want to treat themselves but are worried about the cost. But, Fogo de Chão is the restaurant that will save a family more money in the end.

Now, the deal at Texas de Brazil isn't a terrible one, but it does fall behind Fogo de Chão, depending on the age of your kids. Children under 2 years old get to eat for free at Texas de Brazil, any child between the ages of 3 and 5 is charged $5, and kids ages 6 to 12 dine for half off. At Fogo de Chão, the churrasco tableside experience is complimentary for all kids ages 6 and under, and those who are between 7 and 12 years old eat with a 50% discount added.

Now, most people who walk through the doors at both Fogo de Chão and Texas de Brazil have meat on their mind. However, as amazing as all those protein options look, it's never a bad idea to get a little green in your diet. Luckily, you don't need to concern yourself with a lack of veggies at either of these places. They both offer an extensive selection of nutrient-packed foods so you won't leave feeling like you just disappointed your cardiologist.

Fogo de Chão offers customers what's called The Market Table with foods "inspired by the markets of Brazil." Specialty salads include roasted apple and butternut squash, quinoa tabbouleh, and citrus chicken. A customer on Yelp said, "Salads were delicious ... its [sic] tempting to just make a meal out of this." It also has various charcuterie options and an array of antipasti like roasted artichokes, pickled onions, and marinated mushrooms. The Salad Area at Texas de Brazil has a spread of healthy options like steamed asparagus with orange vinaigrette, onion ceviche, roasted jalapeños, and couscous salad. So, rest assured that whichever restaurant you end up at will certainly supply you with doctor-approved goodies.

When you hop in the car and begin the adventure to a steakhouse, you know what kind of dining experience you're in for. You'll come face to face with tons of rich, umami–packed food that offers those glistening run-down-your-chin juices and hearty forkfuls of protein that coat your palate like a warm blanket. But, after a while, you might find yourself in need of a totally different flavor profile to balance out that saturated taste living in your mouth. This is where dessert swoops in like a sugary superhero to round out your meal like a champion. Texas de Brazil reigns supreme when it comes to the sweet stuff.

Now, the desserts at Fogo de Chão are nothing to scoff at. It has options like Açai Cheesecake, Chocolate Molten Cake, and Key Lime Pie. But it doesn't offer as many choices as Texas de Brazil. There, you can snag yourself treats like Brazilian Flan, Pecan Pie, Coconut Chess Pie, Bananas Foster Pie, and a Chocolate Mousse Cake that one Yelp reviewer emphatically stated was "amazing." There's nothing quite like biting into something overly sweet after a hoopla of meat, so go ahead and treat yourself. Just don't tell your dentist.

If you want to have a proper meal, then it's imperative you include a selection of side dishes to accompany the entrée's journey into your belly. A side dish can even crank an entrée's taste up several notches if the flavors are all balanced correctly, and that means good eating all around. Now, if you go to a restaurant with the intention of ordering a slew of side dishes to feast on, both Fogo de Chão and Texas de Brazil offer diners the same number of options.

There are some similarities between the two menus, which is to be expected. Both spots offer garlic mashed potatoes, sweet bananas, and a cheese bread that one Yelp reviewer wrote was "to die for and I would consider being on the 6 o'clock news for these delectable breads." But, Fogo de Chão also strays in its own direction with options like polenta, black bean stew, and seasonal soups. Texas de Brazil offers items like jasmine rice, sautéed mushrooms with wine, lobster bisque, and potatoes au gratin. All of these dishes are amazing accompaniments to an already epic dining experience.

Meat, meat, and more meat. That's exactly what you can expect at a Brazilian steakhouse. It's literally an unending parade of decadent skewers arriving at your table while servers slice glistening pieces onto your plate until your stomach is bursting at the seams. Both Fogo de Chão and Texas de Brazil offer a wide selection of proteins, but if you're looking for the biggest selection possible, you'll want a table at Fogo de Chão. With 17 different cuts of steak, chicken, lamb, and pork, plus several seafood options, the carnivore in you will feel like it attained nirvana.

Fogo de Chão offers cuts like picanha, which Steak School calls the queen of meats, as well as filet mignon, both beef and pork ribs, bacon-wrapped chicken, spicy pork sausage, and lamb picanha. Plus, for an upcharge you can add the coveted Wagyu ribeye and Wagyu New York strip. One Yelp reviewer who visited Fogo de Chão said, "My life is forever changed and I will never be the same. Everything was so GOOD. I swear I dreamt of meat for at least 4 days following the dinner. ... I think I ate a thousand pieces of it by the end of the night." There's so much meat that visions of proteins might twirl through your head while you sleep. You've been warned.

Anyone can throw a piece of meat onto a flame until the outside turns black and the inside cooks through. That doesn't take any skill. However, that lack of care will likely result in an aggressively unappetizing piece of food deserving of no one's time. If you want people clamoring over a great cut off steak, chicken, or pork, you need to put an immense amount of love and passion into the cooking process. And, anyone who's eaten at either Fogo de Chão or Texas de Brazil knows there's a whole lotta passion dripping off all that meat.

The style at Texas de Brazil is what's known as churrasco. This term refers to a tradition in southern Brazil when cowboys would whip up massive feats of meat and veggies over a fire and brought by hand to the dining table and carved directly onto the plates. Fogo de Chão also offers the churrasco experience. All of its meats are USDA choice or above, and once they arrive at the restaurant, they're aged for 21 days to concentrate the flavors. The cooking process starts super early every morning in preparation for the day's customers. Special lump charcoal is used for temperature regulation, and the gauchos use their highly trained senses to ensure every cut of meat leaves the grill in a state of perfection.

As fun as going out to eat with friends and family is, it can definitely do some damage to your wallet. If you plan a nice evening out at a restaurant, chances are you're not going in with the intention of ordering the absolute cheapest stuff on the menu. You want to enjoy yourself and indulge in cuisine you normally don't have, and that comes at a cost. Now, as you can imagine, an epic meal at Texas de Brazil or Fogo de Chão isn't cheap, especially considering how much food you're offered during your stay. And though prices vary by location, Fogo de Chão will most likely run you up a higher bill when all is said and done.

At Texas de Brazil, if you're an adult who doesn't qualify for the discounts offered to children, you'll be shelling out just under $60 per person for the endless-meat churrasco experience. If you hit the salad bar and skip the heavy protein, it'll cost you just over $30. At Fogo de Chão, however, expect to fork over $75 per person for the churrasco experience, and if you're tempted to dabble in the Wagyu options, get ready to leave with that wallet a whole lot lighter. That doesn't exactly fly with everyone. One Yelp patron had this to say: "Two words: Overhyped and overpriced."

So, where will you be spending your money the next time the urge for Brazilian barbecue strikes like a piping hot skewer? It's never an easy decision when you're faced with two places that both have pros and cons, but you always want to make sure you lock in the decision that'll have you and your group smiling wide when it's all over. Obviously, there will be those who live and die by one or the other, and their minds won't change one bit. But if you're looking to us for advice, then it's Fogo de Chão that wins the Brazilian barbecue race.

Yes, Fogo is more expensive overall, which right away will turn some people off. However, the list of meats is larger, which means you get to indulge in more rich flavors throughout the night. If you end up arriving early and posting up at the bar, you're treated to a larger selection of cocktails and food, which will more than help pass the time. You can also hit Fogo on the weekends for brunch, which is a huge plus for those who love that experience. And, if you have kids who want a Brazilian barbecue experience, you'll certainly enjoy the better discounts thrown their way. In the end, it sounds like it's time to go-go to Fogo.