A new Brazilian steakhouse is firing up its grills in West Covina. Fogo de Chão opens its newest restaurant on Monday at 2625 E. Eastland Center Drive, marking the chain's 13th Southern California location and bringing gaucho-style churrasco dining to the East San Gabriel Valley.
The opening comes from a nearly 50-year-old chain that started in Brazil, according to the San Gabriel Valley Tribune. As reported by Long Beach Press-Telegram, Fogo de Chão is a Brazilian-born chain known for elevated churrasco dining, and gaucho chefs there prepare high-quality cuts by butchering, hand carving and grilling them over an open flame. The Press-Telegram also notes the company is roughly 45 years old, while the Tribune describes it as a chain approaching its 50th year — the Tribune's figure matches its own founding date of 1979, as confirmed by WhatNow.
The West Covina restaurant will feature an open churrasco grill where gaucho chefs prepare and carve fire-roasted meats, per the same WhatNow report. Churrasco itself originated in South America, where gauchos grilled meats during social gatherings, the Press-Telegram notes. Diners can expect picanha, filet mignon, ribeye and lamb, among other cuts carved tableside.
A Market Table, Bar Fogo and a Charitable Kickoff
Beyond the grill, the new location will offer a Market Table, an indoor Bar Fogo, salads and small plates, the Tribune reports. Bar Fogo offers cocktails, South American wines and small plates. Fogo de Chão's own West Covina location page lists an all-day happy hour running Monday through Thursday featuring $6 beers, $8 South American wines and $10 Brazilian-inspired cocktails. The company's page adds that the restaurant will serve lunch, dinner, weekend brunch and group dining, along with full-service catering, takeout and delivery.
Opening week carries a charitable angle: Fogo de Chão will donate 10% of its first week's sales to Shepherd's Pantry, an organization that provides food, resources and services to people in need, according to WhatNow. The donation ties the restaurant's launch directly to the East San Gabriel Valley community it's joining.
Southern California Expansion Continues
The West Covina opening extends a run of recent Southern California growth for the chain, which has more than a dozen local restaurants, including locations in Rancho Cucamonga, Santa Monica, Pasadena, Thousand Oaks, Huntington Beach, Irvine and Beverly Hills, per the Press-Telegram. The company's own locations page currently marks the Rancho Cucamonga restaurant as now open. The chain's California footprint also includes Brea, El Segundo, Emeryville, Los Angeles, Roseville, San Diego, San Francisco, San Jose and Woodland Hills, per that same listing.
Fogo de Chão's chief executive framed the West Covina debut as part of a broader regional push, telling the Tribune, “We're thrilled to continue to grow in Southern California with our new location in West Covina.” The company operates more than 100 restaurants worldwide, according to WhatNow, underscoring how the West Covina spot fits into a much larger international footprint for the churrasco chain.
