Fogo de Chão's Next Level: steakhouse first, rooftop second

Everyone knows Fogo de Chão for what happens downstairs: the parade of gaucho chefs, the skewers that keep coming until you surrender. What almost nobody knows is that the downtown location keeps a rooftop lounge above University Street, called Next Level. I found it by accident while waiting for a table, went up out of curiosity, and stayed two hours.

The lounge

Where the restaurant downstairs is all momentum, the rooftop is a place to sit still: lounge seating under the glowing signage, Brazilian-leaning cocktails, and canyon views into the downtown core. And the detail that matters — you don’t need a dinner reservation to come up. The first thing I did was ask.

How to do it

My order is a caipirinha and the bar bites, skipping the full meat marathon entirely. I’ve also come up after dinner, at the exact moment you cannot look at another skewer, and can report the rooftop is the correct place to recover. Both ways work.

Best time to go: weekday evenings after work, or after dinner for a nightcap.

Photo courtesy of Fogo de Chão.