Also: Sao Paulo food guide
Mortadella at the Mercadão, izakayas in Liberdade, pizza in Bixiga.
Free cancellation on most tours, with live prices on the partner's site.
São Paulo eats like the immigrant city it is. Italians who arrived with the coffee boom left pizza, cantinas and the Bixiga festas; Japanese families who came after 1908 made Liberdade a quarter of izakayas and sweet shops; Syrian and Lebanese traders put esfiha and kibe on every corner; and migrants from the Northeast brought the sertão cooking, carne de sol included, that Mocotó has served in the North Zone since 1973. The daily rhythm runs through the padaria, where a pão na chapa and a pingado start the morning, the prato feito lunch counter and the boteco. The Mercado Municipal, open since 1933, still sells its towering mortadella sandwich, and Ponto Chic has been making the bauru since the 1930s. At the top end, D.O.M. and a generation of Michelin-starred rooms build tasting menus from Amazonian and other native Brazilian ingredients, while Pinheiros and Vila Madalena run the city's cocktail and natural-wine bars. The city is best eaten neighbourhood by neighbourhood, with a reservation for dinner and an appetite for a late one.
Day trip · 4 hours
Visit the key gastronomic sites of Sao Paulo. See lively local markets and be immersed in the culture of Brazil through the foods and flavors that make it so unique. H...
Guided tour · 2 hours
Discover the only urban winery in São Paulo. Take an exclusive tour, learn about winemaking, and enjoy a 6-course dinner paired with award-winning house wines.
Private tour · 2 hours
Can wine reveal São Paulo’s soul? Taste 4 to 6 wines with pairings from Praça Franklin Roosevelt to Praça da República, tracing immigration and culture. Flexible optio...
The plates that define eating in São Paulo.
Bar do Mane's mortadella sandwich in Sao Paulo's Mercado Municipal piles about 350g of sliced mortadella on pao frances, a market symbol since the 1970s.
Where Bar do Mané
Where to eat Sanduiche de mortadela in São Paulo →Ponto Chic's Bauru layers roast beef, melted cheese, tomato and pickled cucumber in a hollowed pao frances, invented at this Sao Paulo diner in the 1930s.
Where Ponto Chic
Where to eat Bauru in São Paulo →Bar e Lanches Estadao slices roast pork leg to order for its pernil sandwich, a 24-hour Centro fixture once named Sao Paulo's best sandwich by Veja magazine.
Where Bar e Lanches Estadão
Where to eat Sanduiche de pernil in São Paulo →Rotisserie Bologna's coxinha wraps shredded chicken and melted catupiry in a teardrop dough shell, a Rua Augusta staple since 1951 in Sao Paulo.
Where Rotisserie Bologna
Where to eat Coxinha in São Paulo →Casa do Pastel fries its beef and cheese pastel to order at a Tatuape counter that never closes, the brand's first unit, opened on Rua Tuiuti in 1981.
Where Casa do Pastel, Pastel da Maria
Where to eat Pastel de feira in São Paulo →Casa Garabed has baked its lamb and pine nut esfiha in Sao Paulo's Santana district since 1951, one of the open-faced pastries Arab immigrants brought to the city.
Where Casa Garabed, Almanara, Brasserie Victória
Where to eat Esfiha in São Paulo →Tordesilhas plates its black bean and pork stew every Saturday, keeping Sao Paulo's own habit of tying feijoada to a fixed day of the week alive.
Where Tordesilhas, Bar Brahma
Where to eat Feijoada in São Paulo →Bar Brahma breads a filet mignon and gratins it under tomato sauce and cheese for its filé à parmegiana, a Brazilian dish that took hold in Sao Paulo's cantinas from 1950.
Where Bar Brahma
Where to eat Filé à parmegiana in São Paulo →Virado à paulista stacks beans, pork, kale, rice, fried egg and banana on one plate, a bandeirante-era meal the state of Sao Paulo named cultural heritage in 2018.
Where to eat Virado à paulista in São Paulo →Pao de queijo, Minas Gerais' tapioca and cheese roll, turns up on Sao Paulo tables from padaria counters to A Baianeira, where it opens the meal as a starter.
Where A Baianeira
Where to eat Pao de queijo in São Paulo →Churros piped into hot oil, rolled in sugar and cinnamon and often filled with doce de leite are sold hot from carts at Sao Paulo fairs, squares and cinemas.
Where to eat Churros in São Paulo →A handful of the places we send friends to when they are in São Paulo.
A Casa do Porco in República turns nose-to-tail pork from its own farm into a bar menu in Sao Paulo, keeping tables every day for walk-ins in arrival order.
OrderPorco San Zé, the house pork slow-roasted for six hours
Mocoto has served sertaneja cooking from the Almeida family since 1973 in Vila Medeiros, now run by chef Rodrigo Oliveira in Sao Paulo, a Bib Gourmand pick.
OrderDadinhos de tapioca, fried tapioca and cheese cubes
Jiquitaia in Paraíso is run by Marcelo Correa Bastos and Nina Bastos, a regional Brazilian kitchen with a Michelin Bib Gourmand seal in Sao Paulo.
Corrutela in Vila Madalena builds its weekly menu around what small producers bring in, a Michelin Bib Gourmand kitchen in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
Komah has served contemporary Korean cooking in Barra Funda since 2016, pairing classic dishes with a cosmopolitan menu in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
Capim Santo, chef Morena Leite's Brazilian kitchen on Faria Lima, has a Michelin Bib Gourmand seal for its all-day menu in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
The densest eating district in the city: tasting-menu rooms, cocktail bars, a municipal market, wine bars and specialty coffee counters.
Best for: Fine dining, Cocktail bars, Wine bars, Markets
Hilly streets of botecos, graffiti alleys and late bars, with specialty coffee and a vegan lunch scene between the nightlife.
Best for: Bars, Coffee, Vegan
The polished side of Avenida Paulista: Michelin-starred rooms, hotel brunches, Italian dining rooms and a bakery that never closes.
Best for: Fine dining, Brunch, Italian
The old centre around the Mercadão, the Copan building and Praça da República, where mortadella sandwiches, the bauru and historic bars live.
Best for: Sandwiches, Historic bars, Markets
Low-rise streets west of the centre where young chefs, wine bars, coffee roasters and a craft brewery have opened in old shopfronts.
Best for: Wine bars, Coffee, New openings
Also: santa-cecilia
The all-night corridor between Paulista and the centre: 24-hour snack bars, coffee bars open past midnight and the city's queer nightlife.
Best for: Late-night, Snack bars, Nightlife
Sanduiche de mortadela
Bar do Mane's mortadella sandwich in Sao Paulo's Mercado Municipal piles about 350g of sliced mortadella on pao frances, a market symbol since the 1970s
Bauru
Ponto Chic's Bauru layers roast beef, melted cheese, tomato and pickled cucumber in a hollowed pao frances, invented at this Sao Paulo diner in the 1930s
Sanduiche de pernil
Bar e Lanches Estadao slices roast pork leg to order for its pernil sandwich, a 24-hour Centro fixture once named Sao Paulo's best sandwich by Veja magazine
Coxinha
Rotisserie Bologna's coxinha wraps shredded chicken and melted catupiry in a teardrop dough shell, a Rua Augusta staple since 1951 in Sao Paulo
Pastel de feira
Casa do Pastel fries its beef and cheese pastel to order at a Tatuape counter that never closes, the brand's first unit, opened on Rua Tuiuti in 1981
Vila Madalena
Hilly streets of botecos, graffiti alleys and late bars, with specialty coffee and a vegan lunch scene between the nightlife
Jardins
The polished side of Avenida Paulista: Michelin-starred rooms, hotel brunches, Italian dining rooms and a bakery that never closes
Liberdade
The Japanese-Brazilian quarter since 1912: red lanterns, a weekend street fair, izakayas, Korean kitchens and Japanese sweet shops
Bela Vista (Bixiga)
The old Italian quarter of Bixiga below Avenida Paulista, home of the Achiropita festa every August, pizzerias and cantinas
A sample of São Paulo hotels from our booking partner, who list 3,592 here. Live prices and availability open on their site.
Hotel Concorde São Paulo
With a stay at Hotel Concorde So Paulo in Sao Paulo (Bela Vista), you'll be a 1-minute drive from Paulista ...
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Hotel Internacional São Paulo
With a stay at Hotel Internacional So Paulo, you'll be centrally located in Sao Paulo, within a 10-minute w...
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Nacional Inn São Paulo
A stay at Nacional Inn So Paulo places you in the heart of Sao Paulo, a 1-minute drive from Rua 25 de Marco...
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São Paulo Global Hostel
Located in Sao Paulo (Jardins), So Paulo Global Hostel is within a 10-minute drive of Ibirapuera Park and P...
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Hotel Sao Jorge
Located in Sao Paulo (Santa Ifigenia), Hotel Sao Jorge is a 3-minute walk from Galeria do Rock and 6 minute...
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Hotel São Paulo Inn
A stay at Hotel So Paulo Inn places you in the heart of Sao Paulo, a 1-minute drive from Rua 25 de Marco an...
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Metro Hostel São Paulo
Located in Sao Paulo (Santana), Metro Hostel So Paulo is within a 5-minute drive of Avenida Cruzeiro do Sul...
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Ibis Sao Paulo Congonhas
With a stay at Ibis Sao Paulo Congonhas in Sao Paulo (Vila Congonhas), you'll be a 3-minute drive from Shop...
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Selina Madalena Sao Paulo
A stay at Selina Madalena Sao Paulo places you in the heart of Sao Paulo, a 1-minute drive from Batman Alle...
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ibis budget Sao Paulo Paraiso
With a stay at ibis budget Sao Paulo Paraiso in Sao Paulo, you'll be within a 10-minute walk of Hospital e ...
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Selina Aurora São Paulo
A stay at Selina Aurora So Paulo places you in the heart of Sao Paulo, steps from Republic Square and 3 min...
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Mercure Sao Paulo Nacoes Unidas
With a stay at Mercure Sao Paulo Nacoes Unidas in Sao Paulo (Chcara Santo Antnio), you'll be within a 5-min...
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Also compare: Booking.com in São Paulo · Expedia in São Paulo
Stays are listed by our booking partners, not editor picks. We earn a commission if you book, at no cost to you.
Every restaurant, cafe, market and bar we cover in São Paulo, pinned. Click a pin for the page.
Peak food season: Year-round. August brings the Achiropita festa in Bixiga, September and October the San Gennaro festa in Mooca, and June and July the festa junina season of pamonha and quentão.
Local dining hours: Lunch 12:00-15:00, dinner from 20:00 until 23:00 or later. Padarias open from about 06:00 and botecos run into the small hours.
Tipping: Most restaurants add a 10% service charge (taxa de serviço) to the bill. It is optional, but customary to pay; extra tipping is not expected.
São Paulo's signature dishes include Sanduiche de mortadela, Bauru, Sanduiche de pernil, Coxinha, Pastel de feira. See our signature dishes chapter for where to eat each.
TableJourney editors map São Paulo by district. Pinheiros, Vila Madalena, Jardins, Centro are among the strongest for food, each with its own guide.
Editor picks in São Paulo include Evvai, Tuju, D.O.M., plus the full fine dining chapter on TableJourney.
TableJourney covers 5 editor-picked food tours in São Paulo, with what each shows you and how much to budget.
TableJourney's São Paulo dietary chapter covers vegan, vegetarian, gluten_free, halal, kosher venues, each editor-picked with what to order and how to ask.
