The former Kona Grill at West Broad Village has been vacant for over four years. (Mike Platania photo)
Left vacant for nearly four years, a restaurant building in Short Pump is set to be revived with a new-to-market tenant.
Brazilian steakhouse chain Fogo de Chão is preparing to open at 11221 W. Broad St. in West Broad Village. It’s taking over a space that has sat dormant since the closure of Kona Grill in 2019.
Founded in the late 1970s, Fogo de Chão serves dishes such as wagyu ancho steak, wagyu New York strip steak and filet mignon, as well as seafood, poultry and pork dishes.
Per its website, entrees at Fogo de Chão’s Northern Virginia locations are priced between $35 to $64, with some cuts of steak reaching up to $150.
Translated from Portuguese, Fogo de Chão means “ground fire,” an apparent homage to the open-flame barbecue technique popular in Brazil.
The company is based in Dallas, Texas, and has 59 locations in the U.S. and more than a dozen international spots, most of which are in Brazil. The Short Pump restaurant would be Fogo de Chão’s first in the Richmond region and third in Virginia, with the other two in Northern Virginia.
Permits recently filed with both Henrico County and the ABC show that Fogo de Chão is taking over the 7,000-square-foot former Kona space.
Fogo de Chão spokespeople declined to say when the Short Pump location will open, but that they are “looking forward to sharing Fogo’s cuisine with this growing community, and bringing the culinary art of churrasco to guests in Richmond.”
Kona Grill operated in the building from 2012 to 2019. It closed amid a legal dispute with its then-landlord, ShopCore Properties, which alleged Kona owed $1.6 million in future rent on a lease that ran until 2024. However, that case never moved forward, and in February, a Henrico Circuit Court judge dismissed the lawsuit due to a lack of activity for more than three years.
ShopCore sold its West Broad Village holdings last year for $94 million.
Short Pump is proving to be a popular entry point for new-to-market steakhouses lately. Just to the west in front of Short Pump Town Center, Perry’s Steakhouse is currently building out its first local location at 11788 W. Broad St. The site was formerly home to Bar Louie.
The former Kona Grill at West Broad Village has been vacant for over four years. (Mike Platania photo)
Left vacant for nearly four years, a restaurant building in Short Pump is set to be revived with a new-to-market tenant.
Brazilian steakhouse chain Fogo de Chão is preparing to open at 11221 W. Broad St. in West Broad Village. It’s taking over a space that has sat dormant since the closure of Kona Grill in 2019.
Founded in the late 1970s, Fogo de Chão serves dishes such as wagyu ancho steak, wagyu New York strip steak and filet mignon, as well as seafood, poultry and pork dishes.
Per its website, entrees at Fogo de Chão’s Northern Virginia locations are priced between $35 to $64, with some cuts of steak reaching up to $150.
Translated from Portuguese, Fogo de Chão means “ground fire,” an apparent homage to the open-flame barbecue technique popular in Brazil.
The company is based in Dallas, Texas, and has 59 locations in the U.S. and more than a dozen international spots, most of which are in Brazil. The Short Pump restaurant would be Fogo de Chão’s first in the Richmond region and third in Virginia, with the other two in Northern Virginia.
Permits recently filed with both Henrico County and the ABC show that Fogo de Chão is taking over the 7,000-square-foot former Kona space.
Fogo de Chão spokespeople declined to say when the Short Pump location will open, but that they are “looking forward to sharing Fogo’s cuisine with this growing community, and bringing the culinary art of churrasco to guests in Richmond.”
Kona Grill operated in the building from 2012 to 2019. It closed amid a legal dispute with its then-landlord, ShopCore Properties, which alleged Kona owed $1.6 million in future rent on a lease that ran until 2024. However, that case never moved forward, and in February, a Henrico Circuit Court judge dismissed the lawsuit due to a lack of activity for more than three years.
ShopCore sold its West Broad Village holdings last year for $94 million.
Short Pump is proving to be a popular entry point for new-to-market steakhouses lately. Just to the west in front of Short Pump Town Center, Perry’s Steakhouse is currently building out its first local location at 11788 W. Broad St. The site was formerly home to Bar Louie.
I for one love when opportunities are pursued to backfill existing spaces. This should be a great spot.
I went to one near Uptown/Turtle Creek in Dallas, EXCELLENT food and service – I hope the experience I had continues in RVA.
I got the meat sweats at Texas de Brazil in 2013. I love this type of concept and look forward to trying Fogo de Chão
Does it really make sense to have yet another steakhouse? How many does that make in this area now? What we really need is a good pizza place, or other Chinese options besides Peter Chang and Chen’s.
Do people here really want to spend $35-150 per entree?
Go to Tony’s on Cox/Three Chopt if you want pizza. There are plenty of good Italian restaurants off the Broad cooridor.
Jeffrey – IMHO you will need to drive to Mary Angela’s on Cary Street for GREAT pizza. For “not bad” pizza, try Capricios on Broad. A short drive from Short Pump would be Little Angela’s pizza on Staples Mill, or Roma’s Pizza on Staples Mill. And NO, I do not want to spend $150 for steak—-but I did enjoy my experience at Fogo.
I hope it’s authentic Churrascaria and no it’s not a steakhouse or a BBQ, there is not a word in English to describe what is actually means. But if you love meat, going to an all you can eat meat restaurant is a unique experience. Don’t get me wrong Texas de Brazil is ok, but the name has nothing to do with Brazil or Brazilian culture. There is a new Brazilian Churrascaria in Ashland called Rio Brazil, they opened not long ago. Been wanting to go there, I miss a good Churrascaria restaurant. We had one on Cox Rd years… Read more »