The polished side of Avenida Paulista: Michelin-starred rooms, hotel brunches, Italian dining rooms and a bakery that never closes.
Tanit brings Catalan cooking to Oscar Freire, chef Oscar Bosch's tapas and rice dishes for a Mediterranean menu in Cerqueira Cesar, Sao Paulo.
OrderArroz de pato (duck rice) or the prawn fideua
TipBosch worked at El Bulli and El Celler de Can Roca before moving to Brazil in 2009 and opening Tanit.
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.
Giulietta Carni grills thick Italian cuts over wood and coals next to sister room Nino Cucina, an industrial-look meat house in Sao Paulo's Jardim Europa.
TipThe open kitchen behind an iron door sits next to Nino Cucina, the same group's original pasta-focused restaurant.
Zena Cucina has cooked Ligurian recipes in Jardins since 2009, chef Carlos Bertolazzi's gnocchi-focused menu earning a repeat Bib Gourmand in Sao Paulo.
OrderGnocchi al pesto genovese, the house specialty
TipThe name is the Ligurian dialect word for Genoa, and the whole menu leans on that region's olive oil and pesto cooking.
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
BookSeveral weeks; book directly with the restaurant ahead
TipAtala opened D.O.M. in 1999 and was a pioneer of putting Amazonian ingredients like pupunha and priprioca on a fine-dining menu.
Kanoe is an Edomae sushi counter in Jardins from the Omotebako group, where chef Tadashi Shiraishi ages fish in house for the omakase in Sao Paulo.
OrderOmakase built around house-matured (jukusei) fish
BookPaid in full at booking; several weeks out ahead
TipReservations are charged in full when booked and diners must list allergies and restrictions in advance for the whole party.
Murakami in Jardins runs an omakase built by chef Tsuyoshi Murakami, who trained in Tokyo, New York and Barcelona before opening this Sao Paulo room.
OrderMurakami Experience or Sushi Experience omakase menu
BookOne to two weeks; book directly with the restaurant ahead
TipThe chef sets two menus, Murakami Experience and Sushi Experience, that change with seasonal ingredients rather than staying fixed.
Picchi opened in 2007 and moved to the Regent Park on Oscar Freire in 2014. Chef Pier Paolo Picchi has held a Michelin star here since 2017 in Sao Paulo.
OrderTasting menu of family recipes reworked with Brazilian produce
BookOne to two weeks; book directly with the restaurant ahead
TipThree tasting menus run alongside the a la carte list: a 12-course, a 6-course classic, and a 4-course pasta-only option.
Kuro seats ten diners in Cerqueira Cesar for an omakase grilled over binchotan charcoal, with the Shiro cocktail bar attached upstairs in Sao Paulo.
OrderOmakase built around binchotan-charcoal grilling
BookTwo seatings a night; book ahead directly ahead
TipOnly two nightly seatings run, at 19:00 and 21:15, so the ten counter seats sell out fast.
Fame Osteria hides behind an iron door between a gym and an ice cream shop. Chef Marco Renzetti cooks a single nightly tasting menu in Sao Paulo.
OrderAgnolotti Mantovani and Arroz de polvo com tutano
BookBook ahead; a deposit is charged at booking ahead
TipOnly four counter seats face the open kitchen, and the tasting menu starts at the same time for every guest, so arrive on time.
Barú Marisquería is a grill-focused seafood room on Rua Augusta in Sao Paulo, run by Colombian-born chef Dagoberto Torres since it first opened.
OrderThe oyster and shrimp tostadas, a ceviche, or the catch of the day grilled with octopus or squid.
TipSet inside the Villa San Pietro property; the cocktail list is built to pair with the grilled fish and ceviche dishes.
Grotta Cucina is a cave-themed two-floor Italian dining room in Sao Paulo's Jardins, its walls built to echo the Grotte di Castellana near Bari.
OrderThe Sinfonia D'Anatra pappardelle filled with duck, and the Parigi gnocchi with parmigiano and truffle butter.
TipThe candlelit rooms across two floors are built to look like a limestone cave; book ahead if you want a table on the lower floor.
Piselli is a Piedmont-leaning Italian restaurant in Sao Paulo's Jardins, one of three local branches run under owner Juscelino Pereira's brand.
OrderThe burrata calda al tartufo baked in focaccia, and the tortelloni with mozzarella di bufala.
TipEvery plate is finished with three peas, a nod to the restaurant's name; the ossobuco alla milanese is the heavier order.
Bella Paulista opened on Rua Haddock Lobo in Sao Paulo in 2002 and now runs around the clock, mixing a bakery, deli, wine cellar and pizzeria under one roof.
Worth the queueBreakfast buffet with croissants and cold cuts
Galeria dos Pães, a family bakery opened on Rua Estados Unidos in Sao Paulo's Jardins in 1999, bakes around the clock and runs its own emporio.
Worth the queueFresh-baked artisan bread loaves
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.
DrinkDraft beer and the caju-amigo cocktail
FoodSandwiches, including bresaola with mango chutney
TipSeating runs along the shared zigzag counter, so expect to talk to strangers; there are a few small tables on the mezzanine.
Chef Mauricio Lopes teaches five fish preparations, baked, crusted, en papillote and in coconut milk, in this single evening class at the Wilma Kovesi school, founded in 1985.
Les Deux Magots brought the Paris cafe's brunch to Jardim Paulista, Sao Paulo, serving eggs, breads, French cheeses and house jam on weekend mornings.
OrderWeekend brunch of scrambled eggs, Basque salad, a bread basket, cold cuts, Comte and Saint Paulin
mug.sp, a converted mansion with a garden in Jardim Paulista, Sao Paulo, serves natural-fermentation bread and organic eggs as all-day brunch.
OrderNatural-fermentation bread with organic eggs
Must Restaurant runs a poolside Sunday brunch at the Tivoli Mofarrej hotel in Sao Paulo, more than 30 dishes with a welcome drink and a DJ on the terrace.
OrderSunday brunch of more than 30 dishes, from breakfast plates to mains and desserts, with a welcome drink
Bella Paulista opened on Rua Haddock Lobo in Sao Paulo in 2002 and now runs around the clock, mixing a bakery, deli, wine cellar and pizzeria under one roof.
OrderThe overnight breakfast buffet, served alongside pizza and burgers around the clock.
TipThe breakfast buffet runs all day and night: it is the move at 03:00 as much as it is at 08:00.
Skye Bar sits on the Hotel Unique rooftop in Jardim Paulista, Sao Paulo, its lounge and reddish pool overlooking Ibirapuera Park after a nightly DJ set.
TipThere is no cover for the lounge itself, so come for a drink even without a dinner reservation.
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