The canonical version and where to order it.
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.
Pao de queijo began in 18th-century Minas Gerais, where cassava starch stood in for wheat flour that colonial farming could not reliably grow, and later took on cheese and eggs once dairy farming and Afro-Brazilian cooks combined the two staples after slavery ended. Made from polvilho, a cassava starch, rather than wheat flour, it is naturally free of gluten, a fact Sao Paulo bakeries now use to sell it beyond its Minas origins. It is not native to Sao Paulo and this guide makes no such claim, but the city adopted it wholesale: on breakfast counters and at A Baianeira, whose Minas-born chef opens the meal with a pao de queijo starter.
1 editor pick for Pao de queijo in São Paulo, ranked by editorial score. All São Paulo signature dishes · Pao de queijo across every city.
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.
Pao de queijo makes more sense with someone from São Paulo explaining it. These are the classes and tours we have checked, with booking links.
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...
