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$$$ | Moema |
This restaurant's name comes from one of the most traditional Italian neighborhoods in São Paulo, and no one argues that Bráz doesn't have the right. Each of the nearly 20 varieties of pies is delicious, from the traditional margherita to the house specialty, pizza Bráz, with tomato sauce, zucchini, and mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses.
Rua Graúna 125, São Paulo, São Paulo, 04514–000, Brazil
Known For
- Pizzas with medium thickness and high, bubbly crusts
- Good chopp (draft beer)
- Traditional and specialized pizzas, including Castelões, with mozzarella and its exclusive calabresa
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No lunch, Credit cards accepted
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$$$$ | Pinheiros |
During and after the Saturday crafts and antiques fair in Praça Benedito Calixto, it may take an hour to get a table at this homey restaurant. Among the shareable, traditional mineiro (from Minas Gerais State) dishes are the mandioca com carne de sol (cassava with salted meat) appetizer and the tutu (pork loin with beans, pasta, cabbage, and rice) entrée.
Praça Benedito Calixto 74, São Paulo, São Paulo, 05414–000, Brazil
Known For
- An extensive cachaça menu with rare, premium, and homemade brands
- Excellent service
- Feijoada served every day
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Mon., Credit cards accepted
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$$$$ | Bela Vista/Bixiga |
This busy little cantina is well-loved for both its cuisine as well as its location on an unforgettable restaurant-lined strip of Rua Avanhandava, where you may find yourself admiring the cobblestones on the street as you wait for a table. The menu has many terrific pasta options, such as the cannelloni with palm hearts and a four-cheese sauce.
Rua Avanhandava 81, São Paulo, São Paulo, 01306–001, Brazil
Known For
- Generous dishes that serve two
- Incredible buffet with cheeses, olives, sausages, and much more
- Traditional family-style Italian decor
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Reservations not accepted, Credit cards accepted
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$$$$ | Pinheiros |
Arguably the best Japanese restaurant in a town famous for them, Jun Sakamoto stands out for serving fish of the highest quality and for employing the most skillful of sushi chefs to slice them. You're best served if you let the waiters wearing futuristic earpieces guide you through the menu based on what's freshest the day you visit.
Rua Lisboa 55, São Paulo, São Paulo, 05413–000, Brazil
Known For
- Haute gastronomy
- The freshest ingredients
- Top-notch service
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No lunch. Closed Sun., Credit cards accepted
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$$$$ | Itaim Bibi |
Contemporary cuisine, attentive service, and a luxurious, secret-garden charm help Kaá maintain its status as one of São Paulo's leading fine-dining establishments. The crayfish au gratin in endive cream is a top choice among the appetizers; appealing entrées include rack of lamb ribs and beer-cooked duck.
Av. Pres. Juscelino Kubitschek 279, São Paulo, São Paulo, 04543–010, Brazil
Known For
- Gorgeous design, including fountains, a sunken bar, and a rain forest–like wall
- Mature and well-to-do clientele
- Signature orchid martini
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No dinner Sun.
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Recommended Fodor’s Video
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$$$$ | Moema |
Contemporary Japanese plates with international influences are the draw at Kinoshita, where foie gras might accompany a Kobe beef hamburger or truffles might enliven salmon roe and shellfish. The freshness of the ingredients available on any given day determines the fare of chef Tsuyoshi Murakami, one of São Paulo's culinary superstars.
Rua Jacques Félix 405, São Paulo, São Paulo, 04509–000, Brazil
Known For
- Geishas serve guests in the Krug Room (available only for groups of 6 to 12)
- Omakase (tasting menus) of seven or nine courses, plus dessert
- Krug Room, one of the few in the world that serves its namesake French champagne
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun., Reservations essential
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$$$ | Jardins |
With world-class chef-proprietor Helena Rizzo at the helm, Maní has made its way to the top of the restaurant charts in São Paulo. A sophisticated take on Brazilian country cuisine meshed with modern cooking techniques, dishes like chicken and rice with okra might not sound like much, but one bite will be enough to explain why local and visiting foodies beat a path to Maní's door.
Rua Joaquim Antunes 210, São Paulo, São Paulo, 05415-010, Brazil
Known For
- Tasting menu
- Beautifully colorful dishes
- Simple, seasonal ingredients from small local farms
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Mon. No dinner Sun.
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$$ | |
This far-flung restaurant is an exceptional take on the classic boteco, run by the young, charismatic chef Rodrigo Olveira. Try his Northeastern Brazilian classics like escondidinho, a rich little meat-and-manioc pie, and don't miss the homemade torresmo, crunchy morsels of pork rind.
Av. Nossa Senhora do Loreto 1100, São Paulo, São Paulo, 02219-001, Brazil
Known For
- Weekend specials, like the stuffed ribs with pineapple, manioc, and honey sauce (served on Saturday and holidays)
- Exceptional service
- Tapioca, particularly the dried beef, cream, and sweet chili
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No dinner Sun.
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$$$ | Liberdade |
São Paulo's latest foray in Korean barbecue , Mi-Gá has grills built into its tables and wait staff well versed in how to use them, in case it's your first time. Try the popular bulgogi: beef marinated in soy sauce and spices served with a variety of sides.
Rua Americo de Campos 128, São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
Known For
- Korean barbecue that's true to the original
- Excellent service
- A wide variety of delicious sides
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Tues.
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$$ | Jardins |
An animated, gay-friendly crowd chatters at this restaurant with Italian, Brazilian, French, and mixed cuisine, as contemporary pop music plays in the background. Although Ritz serves some of the best hamburgers in the city, another popular dish is bife à milanesa (breaded beef cutlet) with creamed spinach and french fries or salad.
Alameda Franca 1088, São Paulo, São Paulo, 01422–001, Brazil
Known For
- Bolinho de arroz (rice croquettes) with relish made in-house
- Warm and welcoming atmosphere
- Top-notch service
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Credit cards accepted
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$$$$ | Higienópolis |
Owner Roberto Loscalzo transformed a 1903 mansion into a remarkable dining space; expansive yet intimate, grandiose yet welcoming. At one end of the room chefs pull Napoli-style pizzas from the three mouths of a two-story brick oven that looms over diners like a cathedral organ.
Rua Dona Veridiana 661, São Paulo, São Paulo, 01238–010, Brazil
Known For
- Napoli in Beirut (goat cheese and za'atar)
- Napoli in Brasile (sun-dried meat and Catupiry, a creamy Brazilian cheese)
- Sister branches in the Jardins and Perdizes neighborhoods
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No lunch, Credit cards accepted
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$$$ | Jardins |
Part of a chain of Lebanese semifast-food outlets, Almanara is perfect for a quick lunch of hummus, tabbouleh, grilled chicken, and rice. A full-blown restaurant also on the premises offers up Lebanese specialties rodízio style, meaning you're served continuously until you can ingest no more.
Rua Oscar Freire 523, São Paulo, São Paulo, 01426–001, Brazil
Known For
- Food that is quick and delicious
- Lebanese favorites, like falafel, and chicken with rice and almonds
- Artisanal ingredients
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Credit cards accepted
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$$$$ | Jardins |
Because São Paulo isn't on the ocean, most restaurants here don't base their reputations on seafood, but Amadeus is an exception. Appetizers such as fresh oysters and salmon and endive with mustard, and entrées like shrimp in cognac sauce make it a challenge to find better fruits of the sea elsewhere in town.
Rua Haddock Lobo 807, São Paulo, São Paulo, 01414–001, Brazil
Known For
- A good option for a business lunch
- Excellent selection of wines
- A wide variety of shrimp dishes
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No dinner Sun., Credit cards accepted
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$$$$ | Jardins |
For almost 20 years Arábia has served traditional Lebanese cuisine at this beautiful high-ceilinged restaurant. Simple dishes such as hummus and stuffed grape leaves are executed with aplomb, and the lamb melts in your mouth.
Rua Haddock Lobo 1397, São Paulo, São Paulo, 01414–003, Brazil
Known For
- Dishes you can share, like meat-stuffed artichokes
- Executive lunch menu (an appetizer, cold dish, meat dish, drink, dessert, and coffee)
- Ataife (a type of crepe filled with pistachios or cream)
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Credit cards accepted
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$$$$ | Itaim Bibi |
The family that owns and runs this restaurant serves meat from its ranch in Mato Grosso do Sul State. Charcoal-grilled fare—baby boar (request at least two hours in advance of your visit), steak, chicken, salmon, and more—is served at the buffet, and options abound at the salad bar. Wednesday and Saturday are feijoada nights, and on Friday the emphasis is on seafood.
Av. Brigadeiro Faria Lima 2954, São Paulo, São Paulo, 01452–000, Brazil
Known For
- Sensational steaks
- Exceptional dessert buffet
- Top-notch service
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Credit cards accepted
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$$ | Itaim Bibi |
With the look of an old-style saloon, Bar do Juarez has won awards for its draft beers and buffet of petiscos (small tapas-like dishes), but picanha (rump cap of beef) is this gastropub's calling card. Served raw on a mini-grill, the platter is perfect for small groups and gives individuals direct control over how their meat is done.
Av. Pres. Juscelino Kubitschek 1164, São Paulo, São Paulo, 04543–000, Brazil
Known For
- Bow-tied waiters
- A-plus attentive service
- Sister locations in Moema, Pinheiros, and Brooklin neighborhoods
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No lunch weekdays
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$$$$ | Itaim Bibi |
Cantaloup's converted warehouse has two dining areas: oversize photos decorate the walls of the slightly formal room, while a fountain and plants make the second area feel more casual. Try the veal cutlet with blinis of yucca or the stuffed shrimp with clams.
Rua Manoel Guedes 474, São Paulo, São Paulo, 04536–070, Brazil
Known For
- Macerated strawberries in port wine sauce
- A particularly velvety crème brûlée with ice cream
- Top-notch service
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No dinner Sun. No lunch Sat., Credit cards accepted
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$$$$ | Bixiga |
Wine casks and bottles adorn the walls at this typical Bixiga cantina, located on a street so charmingly human-scaled you'll hardly believe you're still in São Paulo. You won't be alone if you order the ever-popular fusilli—either ao sugo (with tomato sauce) or ao frutos do mar (with seafood)—or the traditional baby goat's leg with potatoes and tomatoes.
Rua 13 de Maio 634, São Paulo, São Paulo, 01327–002, Brazil
Known For
- Fresh, handmade pasta
- Superb service
- Traditional Italian music played by duos weaving around the dining room tables
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Credit cards accepted
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$$$$ | Higienópolis |
TV host, author, and chef Carla Pernambuco introduces Brazilian elements to a multicultural array of recipes at her popular restaurant. The four-cheese polenta and the red-rice risotto with lobster are among the many well-calibrated dishes served here.
Rua Sergipe 753, São Paulo, São Paulo, 01243–000, Brazil
Known For
- Sophisticated decor
- Signature guava jam soufflé with melted-cheese sauce
- Older clientele
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No dinner Sun. Closed Mon.
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$$$$ | Jardins |
Regularly named among the best restaurants in South America and the world, celebrity chef Alex Atala's D.O.M. is synonymous with exclusivity in São Paulo's gastronomic circles—its popularity is limited only by a self-imposed cap on the number of customers served. The focus is on Brazilian fare with added flair, such as filhote (Amazonian catfish) with tapioca in tucupi (manioc root) sauce and sweet potato in a Béarnaise made from maté, a South American tea.
Rua Barão de Capanema 549, São Paulo, São Paulo, 01411–011, Brazil
Known For
- Sky-high prices
- Tasting menu (four or eight courses)
- Spectacular plating
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun. No lunch Sat., Reservations essential
