28 editor picks in São Paulo.
28 brazilian places in São Paulo we have eaten in, sorted by editor score. All cuisines in São Paulo | Brazilian across every city.
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
TipFounder Seu Ze Almeida opened the original house in 1973; his son Rodrigo Oliveira now also runs Balaio IMS and a Vila Leopoldina branch.
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.
TipBook by WhatsApp; the room is small and fills for both lunch and dinner seatings on weekends.
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.
TipLeite also runs the smaller Casa Capim Santo inside the Instituto Tomie Ohtake in Pinheiros for a more casual version of the menu.
Balaio IMS, on the ground floor of the Instituto Moreira Salles on Avenida Paulista, is chef Rodrigo Oliveira's Bib Gourmand room in Sao Paulo.
OrderDadinhos de tapioca, the Mocoto classic Oliveira carries over here
TipThe fifth-floor Balaio cafe serves naturally leavened breads and cakes if the ground-floor restaurant is full.
Bar da Dona Onça has run at the foot of Oscar Niemeyer's Copan building since 2008, chef Janaina Torres' popular Brazilian kitchen in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
TipThe bar occupies rooms 27 and 29 of Oscar Niemeyer's Edificio Copan; its pressure-cooker cozidos draw on recipes from across Brazil.
Tordesilhas has run in Jardins since 1990 under chef Mara Salles, plating regional Brazilian dishes with feijoada served on Saturdays in Sao Paulo.
OrderBolinho de pirarucu or the shrimp bobo
TipThe full feijoada only runs on Saturdays; other days stick to the wider regional Brazilian menu.
Taboa Cozinha Artesanal, chef Carla Costa's Michelin Bib Gourmand room, shares Rua Medeiros de Albuquerque in Vila Madalena with Corrutela, Sao Paulo.
TipBook by WhatsApp; the small dining room also runs a private-event and delivery menu alongside table service.
De Segunda in Itaim Bibi is chef couple Gabriel Coelho and Júlia Tricate's short-menu room, both former Brazilian TV cooking champions, in Sao Paulo.
OrderStinco de leitao, deboned suckling pig shank with corn vinaigrette
TipCoelho won Mestre do Sabor in 2019 and Tricate won The Taste Brasil; both worked under Felipe Bronze before opening this room.
AE! Cozinha is a Rua Aurea dining room in Sao Paulo's Vila Mariana with a seasonal menu, a creamy pastel starter and desserts led by chef Walkyria.
OrderThe creamy fried pastel starter and the pappardelle with braised beef ragu.
TipThe room is spacious and full of natural light; the seasonal menu changes with the produce, so ask what is new before ordering.
Cuia is chef Bel Coelho's all-day room inside the Copan building in central Sao Paulo, sharing its space with the Livraria Megafauna bookshop.
OrderThe squid tempura with tapioca and caju ponzu, and the grilled filet mignon Oswaldo Aranha.
TipSeating runs between the bookshelves or in the open-air section; pao de queijo and baiao de dois work for a lighter visit.
Fitó is a whitewashed Pinheiros house in Sao Paulo where chef Cafira Foz's all-female kitchen cooks northeast Brazilian dishes and cocktails.
OrderThe pacoca, shredded sun-dried beef with baiao de dois and plantains, and the pirangi dessert.
TipDecor echoes inland northeastern houses; the bar side runs its own cocktail list under bar manager Renata Adoracion.
Manioca JK is Helena Rizzo's casual room on the third floor of the JK Iguatemi mall in Sao Paulo, a plant-filled space serving dishes carried over from Mani.
OrderFish in banana leaf with plantain puree, butter-bean salad and Brazil nut farofa.
TipStart with the fish crudo with jabuticaba tiger's milk and crispy quinoa; the mall location means it opens seven days a week.
Casa Rios is chef Rodrigo Aguiar's ember-and-smoke kitchen inside a plant-covered Pinheiros house in Sao Paulo, west of the city's downtown centre.
OrderThe beans, pork and kale plate, or the fusilli with Berkshire pork cheek shin and Tahiti lime.
TipA set lunch menu runs on Friday afternoons alongside the a la carte; Saturday and Sunday are a la carte from midday.
A Baianeira serves chef Manuelle Ferraz's Minas and Bahia borderland cooking two floors below MASP on Avenida Paulista, a sister to the Barra Funda room.
OrderThe pao de queijo starter and the baiao de dois with braised meat.
TipStart with the pao de queijo, a recipe the chef has cooked since she started out; daily specials run alongside the baiao de dois.
Evvai in Pinheiros serves a single tasting menu, Oriundi, fusing Brazilian and Italian technique under chef Luiz Filipe Souza in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
OrderMoqueca branca with squid and pupunha palm heart
TipThe tasting menu changes with every edition but the scallop course, Bomba de vieira, is a permanent fixture on the menu.
Tuju occupies a three-storey Pinheiros townhouse near the Museu da Casa Brasileira, where chef Ivan Ralston builds a seasonal menu from Sao Paulo produce.
OrderSeasonal tasting menu built around the current climate cycle
TipThe three floors separate functions: canapes and cellar on the ground floor, the open-kitchen dining room above, and a panoramic bar on top.
D.O.M. in Jardins, Sao Paulo, is Alex Atala's tribute to native Brazilian ingredients, a menu he has built since 1999 around Amazonian produce.
OrderTasting menu built around native Amazonian ingredients
TipAtala opened D.O.M. in 1999 and was a pioneer of putting Amazonian ingredients like pupunha and priprioca on a fine-dining menu.
Maní has served organic, contemporary Brazilian food from chefs Helena Rizzo and Willem Vandeven since 2006 in a white house in Pinheiros, Sao Paulo.
OrderMoqueca de pescado with rice terrine, pirao and farofa, or the tasting menu by Rizzo and Vandeven
TipTasting menus, a three-course option, the chefs' menu and a dessert menu, are served to the whole table and taken until an hour before closing.
Bar Brahma has run since 1948 on the corner of Ipiranga and Sao Joao in downtown Sao Paulo, pouring draft chope under nightly live samba and MPB.
TipAn artistic cover charge applies once the band starts: it varies by performer, so ask at the door.
Bar Balcão has poured drinks along its 25 metre zigzag counter in Cerqueira Cesar, Sao Paulo, since 1994, with jazz on the stereo and sandwiches at the bar.
TipSeating runs along the shared zigzag counter, so expect to talk to strangers; there are a few small tables on the mezzanine.
Veloso Bar has run its fourteen-table Vila Mariana boteco since 2005, known across Sao Paulo for a coxinha stuffed with catupiry and a caipirinha menu.
TipExpect a wait for a table on the sidewalk: the coxinha is the reason regulars queue on weekends.
Frango Bar has run since 1987 in a 19th century house in Freguesia do O, Sao Paulo, pairing 400-plus beer labels with grilled chicken and coxinha.
TipThe grilled chicken comes with fried polenta, farofa and salad: add a coxinha with catupiry from the petiscos list.
Bar da Dona Onça has poured drinks at the foot of Oscar Niemeyer's Copan building in central Sao Paulo since 2008, run by chef Janaina Torres.
TipGo for the stew of the day rather than the printed menu: the cozidos rotate by region and season.
Bar do Léo has run its Republica boteco on Rua Aurora in Sao Paulo since 1940, pouring draft chope beside made-to-order sandwiches at the counter.
TipIt closes early by boteco standards: go for a late lunch chope rather than a nightcap.
Sujinho has grilled its oversized bisteca in Consolacao, Sao Paulo, since the 1960s, staying open until 04:00 for the late crowd after the bars close.
OrderThe bisteca, an oversized grilled steak meant to be shared between two.
TipOne bisteca easily feeds two: split it and start with the cabbage and onion portions from the entradas list.
Emporio Nordestino serves carne de sol and baiao de dois from a 19th-century casarao in Freguesia do O, Sao Paulo, far from downtown's food strips.
TipOrder the carne de sol with green beans and cassava puree, one of the most requested plates, and save room for the jackfruit or cashew sweets.
Bar do Léo has run its Republica boteco on Rua Aurora in Sao Paulo since 1940, pouring draft chope alongside made-to-order sandwiches and quick plates.
OrderSanduiches feitos na hora e pratos rapidos (made-to-order sandwiches and quick plates)
Aroma e Sabor runs a second-generation pay-by-weight buffet above Rua Sao Bento in Sao Paulo, its rooftop looking out on the Mosteiro de Sao Bento.
OrderSelf-service by weight: salads, hot dishes, home-style cooking
Private tour · 3 hours
Discover the magic of São Paulo at night and indulge in a delectable dinner at a traditional Brazilian steakhouse.
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 · 2.5 - 5 hours
How did São Paulo become Brazil’s food capital? Walk its historic heart while tasting local life: 1 meal, 1 cake, 1 soft drink, 1 coffee or tea at handpicked venues wi...
