our hotel concierge recommended fogo de chao as one of the best churrascaria in the city. from the time perspective, i need to admit it was great hint and we are still incredibly grateful for the suggestion (best regards, izabel from cesar park!).
it's an american style place, having dozens of tables and waiters. we did a reservation and reached there by taxi from ipanema. there is no menu. you just pay per person for access to the salat and appetizer bar and all meat cuts, they serve one by one. wine is necessary in order to digest all the ribs, beef, pork, chicken hearts, steaks etc. watch out with the salads - they are delicious and fresh, but you still need lots of space to try variety of meat. some of them are too salty for me (order water in advance), but this is just brasil - once you're there, you have to explore local cuisine as much as you can in my opinion. that's why i found visiting fogo de chao great choice and memorable evening for us. must see and must try!