A Brazilian Churrasco Rodizio experience in the heart of the city

Introduction

Our review takes us from our usual West End stomping grounds, both geographically and gastronomically, as we experience the theatre of Brazilian barbecue for the first time. My companion on my visit to Fazenda was my friend Dave. If I were ever on “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire” and I was stuck on a steak or BBQ question, Dave would be my phone-a-friend, so the perfect choice to enjoy the churrasco experience at Fazenda.

The Setting: From City Steel to Brazilian Fire

On occasions, restaurant bars can feel rather soulless; however, this is emphatically not the case with Fazenda’s street-level bar, Fino. We popped in for a drink before dinner, and Fino proved to be very much a stand-alone destination — judging by our visit, an extremely popular one. The menu boasts an innovative range of cocktails alongside classic serves, beers, wines, and spirits. We went old school with two G&Ts, the perfect prelude to our Brazilian adventure.

After drinks, we made our way up a grand oak staircase to the third floor and the main dining room. The long room offers plush leather dining booths and intimate tables, with the impressive Market Table commanding attention towards the far end. Low-level lighting and dark wood flooring set a sophisticated atmosphere that manages to feel both urban and warmly inviting. On our visit, the restaurant was buzzing with activity, yet excellent acoustics kept noise levels pleasantly manageable — it’s a very comfortable space in which to embark on a churrasco experience.

The Churrasco Experience Explained

For the uninitiated (myself included until this evening), churrasco represents the theatrical heart of Brazilian dining. Churrasco is a Spanish-Portuguese word that refers to Brazilian BBQ meat served on skewers, whilst rodizio refers to the way it’s presented at your table — think of it as edible entertainment with a distinctly South American feel.

At Fazenda, their churrasco offering includes fifteen different cuts paraded to your table by waiters wielding meat-laden skewers. These are carved directly at your table, and this is where the slightly unusual addition to your cutlery selection — an oversized pair of tweezers — comes in remarkably useful for securing your chosen cuts.

The Coaster Chronicles

I should explain the magical coaster system. You’re given this ingenious two-sided disc at the start of your churrasco experience: one side green (meaning “give me more, I’m barely getting started”) and the other red (“I’m so full I couldn’t manage another morsel, though I might possibly squeeze in dessert”). Depending on which side is showing, it signals to passing waiters whether they should stop by and carve more meat or graciously pass you by.

This system is brilliantly simple and should work flawlessly — unless the diner in question happens to be me. In my excitement, I completely forgot to turn over the coaster to indicate I was absolutely stuffed and didn’t want another visit to my table. This obviously confused the poor waiters when I kept declining their offerings, probably much to their frustration that someone couldn’t manage the simplest task of turning a coaster over. Full credit to the staff — they didn’t show their exasperation with my technological inadequacies. Regular readers will not be surprised by my inability to master this straightforward task.

Our Brazilian Feast

Once seated, we scanned the menu, though in truth it was more out of curiosity since we had our hearts set on the Indulgent Churrasco Experience. The menu also features a range of vegetarian and seafood dishes, small plate starters, and additional indulgent options including dry-aged tomahawk steaks and giant prawns — though frankly, after what was to follow, I can’t imagine why anyone would need extras.

Once ordered, our waiter explained we might like to visit the Market Table for a selection of hors d’oeuvres. The Market Table is an absolute oasis of charcuterie — an abundant selection of salads, seasonal sides, sauces, and other savoury delights that could constitute a meal in itself. One regret was that we didn’t do the Market Table justice; there was such a choice, but we sensibly guessed we needed to save room for the feast ahead. How right we were.

We returned to our table, it was soon populated with doughnut-style puffed breads (sorry, I omitted to find out what they were called), crispy fries, an array of sauces and dips, as well as our signature Butter-Bathed Lobster Tail and Queen Scallops — the luxurious upgrade that justified our Indulgent experience.

Then came the main event: the churrasco parade. I’m going to spare you a blow-by-blow description of everything that followed because with five or six cuts of beef, plus lamb, pork, chicken, and sausage all being presented at our table by waiters wielding impressive skewers, it could become rather tedious for you, dear reader, and I’d soon run out of adjectives to describe each perfectly cooked morsel.

What I will say is that it was indeed an experience in every sense. Beyond the excellent cuts of meat, we also tried chicken hearts and roasted pineapple with cinnamon — firsts for both of us, and items I’d happily order again. 

The important thing to note, particularly for those blessed with substantial appetites, is that you’ll absolutely get value for money. The waiters form an almost constant parade, each offering their particular speciality. All too soon, it was time to surrender and turn that confounded coaster to red — unless you’re me, naturally.

So did we manage desserts? Of course, we did. Soon, our table hosted Fazenda’s signature Chocolate Marquise alongside six delightful South American petit fours that provided the perfect sweet finale to our Brazilian odyssey. Considering what went before, we still found room. I was particularly pleased to see my favourite  Pastel de nata (Portuguese custard tart) amongst the selection

What Does It Cost?

Single Cut Churrasco – £39 (both lunch and dinner) Choose your favourite cut: Picanha, Rump, Pork Collar, Lamb Picanha, or Roasted Chicken, including access to the Market Table

Full Churrasco Experience – Lunch £52 / Evening £65 Continuous tableside service of freshly-grilled cuts of succulent prime beef, including signature Picanha, Sirloin, Fillet, and Ribeye, plus lamb, chicken, and pork carved at your table. Complemented by fries, Feijoada, rice, seasonal sides, and the Market Table

Indulgent Churrasco Experience – Lunch £72 / Evening £85 Everything from the Churrasco Experience plus your choice of Butter-Bathed™ Lobster Tail, Roasted Bone Marrow, Queen Scallops, or Baerii Caviar, and a dessert selection

The Verdict

Fazenda elevates the churrasco experience to impressive heights — every aspect of the dining experience is thoroughly on point, from the quality of produce to the attentive service and sophisticated surroundings. Although I was a complete novice to this style of dining,  Dave — whose credentials in matters carnivorous are beyond question — confirmed this was of an exceptionally high standard.

Whilst the City location naturally lends itself to corporate entertaining, it’s worth noting that our evening was populated with an equal mix of business dinners, families, and groups of friends — testament to the restaurant’s broad appeal.

Location: Fazenda, 100 Bishopsgate, London EC2M 1GT Other locations: Leeds, Manchester, Birmingham, Edinburgh & Liverpool