Brazilian churrascaria Fogo de Chão fires up its grills in Gilbert

Valley steak lovers have a new reason to loosen their belts: Fogo de Chão has opened its second Arizona location, this time in Gilbert.

The Brazilian churrascaria, which made its Arizona debut in Scottsdale back in 2008, opened Monday at SanTan Village –just north of Living Spaces, near the northwest corner of Williams Field Road and SanTan Village Parkway.

What’s on the grill

If you haven’t experienced churrasco before, the concept is simple and theatrical: gaucho chefs butcher, hand-carve, and grill high-quality cuts of protein over an open flame, then carve them tableside for guests. The Gilbert location was built to put that spectacle front and center – an open churrasco grill gives diners a direct view of the action.

Signature cuts include bone-in ribeye, lamb chops, and the house specialty picanha (a prized cut from the top sirloin cap), along with splurge-worthy options like a 20-ounce Wagyu New York strip carved tableside on a Himalayan salt block and a dry-aged 32-ounce tomahawk ribeye.

Beyond the meat, the restaurant features a wholesome Market Table, an indoor Bar Fogo area built for all-day happy hour, and private dining spaces available for reservation.

Budget-conscious diners can hit the weekday lunch menu, which starts at $18 per person and includes the Market Table and Feijoada Bar, or swing by Bar Fogo for all-day happy hour with $10 cocktails, $8 South American wines, $6 beers, and a $10 picanha burger.

More locations coming

The Gilbert location is led by general manager Merhawit Keleta, who started with Fogo in 2004 and most recently ran the Scottsdale restaurant, which was just remodeled.

‘‘We’re thrilled to continue our growth in Arizona with our new location in Gilbert,’’ Fogo de Chão CEO Barry McGowan says.

Gilbert won’t be the last stop for Fogo de Chão in Arizona. The company has announced additional locations on the way to Goodyear Civic Square and Arrowhead Towne Center in Peoria/

Fogo is kicking things off in Gilbert with some community goodwill: the restaurant is donating 10% of its first week of sales to St. Anne Friends of the Needy.

Open 11:30 a.m.-9:30 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 11:30 a.m.-10 p.m. Friday-Saturday, and 11:30 a.m.-9 p.m. Sunday.