-
$$ | Pinheiros |
Humble-looking Degas owes its more than 50 years in existence to word-of-mouth among the residents of São Paulo's western neighborhoods. Its famed filet mignon Parmigiana has gained near-legendary status, attracting foodies from across the city.
Rua Teodoro Sampaio 568, São Paulo, São Paulo, 05406–000, Brazil
Known For
- Dishes that easily feed two (or more)
- Pizzas at dinner time
- Business crowds at lunch, families in the evening
-
$$$$ | Moema |
Good and simple Italian food is what you'll find at this traditional spot. Choose from a great variety of pastas, salads, and meat dishes.
Alameda dos Arapanés 955, São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
Known For
- Talharina a Don Pepe (pasta with meat, broccoli, and garlic)
- Several types of bruschetta, from traditional tomato to gorgonzola
- Top-notch service
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Credit cards accepted
-
$$$ | Moema |
Mineiro dishes are the specialties at this modest eatery with plain wooden tables. The classic cuisine is served as a buffet only: more than 50 stone pots hold dishes like feijão tropeiro (beans with manioc flour) and frango com quiabo (chicken with okra).
Av. Chibarás 399, São Paulo, São Paulo, 04076–000, Brazil
Known For
- Regional decor from Minas Gerais
- Family-friendly
- Post-lunch coffee with cinnamon and rapadura, a brown sugar sweet
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No dinner, Credit cards accepted
-
$$$$ | Moema |
A snug bistro on as secluded a street as you're apt to find in São Paulo's hip southern neighborhoods, Enoteca triples as a wineshop, restaurant, and live-music venue. The kitchen's specialty is a risotto with wine-braised beef, whose plain appearance belies its exceptional flavor.
Rua Professor Atílio Innocenti 811, São Paulo, São Paulo, 04538–000, Brazil
Known For
- A wide array of wines from places like France, Spain, and Italy
- Live tango, jazz, and flamenco music Wednesday--Saturday nights
- Seasonal dishes made with organic ingredients
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun. No lunch
-
$$$ | Morumbi |
The beautiful people hang out in the bar of this highly regarded churrascaria. The thinly sliced picanha (similar to rump steak) is excellent; it goes well with a house salad (hearts of palm and shredded, fried potatoes), onion rings, and creamed spinach.
Av. Roque Petroni Jr. 1089, São Paulo, São Paulo, 04707–900, Brazil
Known For
- Its version of the traditional pão de queijo (cheese bread)
- Birobiro rice, with bacon and chives
- A wide variety of cuts of meat
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Credit cards accepted
-
Recommended Fodor’s Video
-
-
$ | Centro |
Quests for quick, cheap, and good food should start near São Paulo's origins at this greasy spoon that's open 24 hours a day. Estadão's recipe for staying in business for more than four decades is its succulent pernil (roast pork) sandwich, a staple of the local street-food scene.
Viaduto 9 de Julho 193, São Paulo, São Paulo, 01050–060, Brazil
Known For
- Eclectic clientele
- Cheap late-night eats
- Generous portions
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Reservations not accepted
-
$$$$ | Jardins |
A family-owned Northern Italian classic tucked away behind the elegantly modern lobby of the hotel of the same name, this restaurant is as famous for its superior cuisine as for its exorbitant prices. In the kitchen, a 20-strong brigade of chefs, butchers, and bakers commanded by Luca Gozzani sends out exquisite, sinfully rich dishes like agnollottis of Angola chicken on heart-of-mozzarella cream.
Rua Vittorio Fasano 88, São Paulo, São Paulo, 01414–020, Brazil
Known For
- Luxurious decor (marble, mahogany, mirrors, and a breathtaking skylight)
- Tasting menu, including five classic pastas from different regions of Italy
- High quality service
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun. No lunch, Reservations essential, Credit cards accepted
-
$$$$ | Itaim Bibi |
A pioneer in bringing French cuisine to São Paulo, Freddy opened originally in 1935. Despite moving from its original location, Freddy has managed to retain the feel of an upscale Parisian bistro, thanks to a number of small touches as well as some larger ones, like the grand chandeliers hanging from its ceiling, and traditional French dishes like coq au vin.
Rua Pedroso Alvarenga 1170, São Paulo, São Paulo, 04536-020, Brazil
Known For
- Duck with Madeira sauce and apple puree
- Upscale Parisian decor
- Cassoulet with white beans, lamb, duck, and garlic sausage
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No dinner Sun. No lunch Sat., Credit cards accepted
-
$ | Jardim Paulista |
Paulistanos of all types and ages flock to this luncheonette on the stylish Rua Oscar Freire for its beirute sandwiches, filled with ham and cheese, tuna, or chicken, and for its draft beer and fruit juices in flavors such as acerola (Antilles cherry), passion fruit, and papaya.
Rua Oscar Freire 588, São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
Known For
- Whimsical decor
- Rabo de peixe (ice cold draft beer)
- Capricho (ice cream with farofa and chocolate sauce)
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Credit cards accepted
-
$$$$ | Higienópolis |
The classic neon sign that adorns this restaurant's exterior cues diners about what to expect inside: traditional Italian cuisine. No surprises here, but dishes such as the unchanging and unmatchable polpettone alla parmigiana, a huge meatball with mozzarella and tomato sauce, inspire devotion among the local clientele.
Rua Doutor Martinico Prado 463, São Paulo, São Paulo, 01224–010, Brazil
Known For
- Italian pasta and meat dishes
- Wide selection of pizzas
- Warm, family atmosphere
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Credit cards accepted
-
-
$$$ | Liberdade |
Camper cooking meets Korean at this Liberdade mainstay serving bul go gui (Korean barbecue that blends raw meat, spices, sauces, and veggies) over small, do-it-yourself gas stoves. You can prepare other Korean dishes, and there are Chinese options, including several involving tofu.
Rua Galvão Bueno 43, São Paulo, São Paulo, 01506–000, Brazil
Known For
- Large portions (one order feeds two)
- Lively atmosphere
- Reasonable prices
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Wed.
-
$$$ | Centro |
Facing a little Centro flower market, this romantic Parisian-style bistro has been around for five decades and has witnessed more than its share of wedding proposals. Surrounded by wood-paneled walls decorated with art that nods at famous French artists, you can dine on such delights as gigot d'agneau aux soissons (roast leg of lamb in its own juices, served with white beans), canard à l'orange (roast duck in an orange sauce), and cherry strudel.
Largo do Arouche 346, São Paulo, São Paulo, 01219–019, Brazil
Known For
- French favorites like foie gras
- Cozy atmosphere
- Excellent service
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Mon. No dinner Sun., Credit cards accepted
-
$$$$ | Itaim Bibi |
This Italo-French restaurant with a partially enclosed garden isn't just a place for businesspeople and impresarios to see and be seen; it also has some of the best food in town. Among chef Giancarlo Bolla's recommended dishes are the linguine with fresh mussels and prawn sauce, the eggplant Parmesan, and the filet mignon rosini (served with foie gras and saffron risotto).
Av. 9 de Julho 5925, São Paulo, São Paulo, 01406–200, Brazil
Known For
- Piano bar
- Decor in the style of an Italian villa
- Excellent service
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Mon., Credit cards accepted
-
$$$$ | Consolação |
An ideal place for an intimate dinner, this small bistro has a good wine selection and an upstairs bar furnished with mismatched sofas and armchairs. The menu changes daily; a favorite is the classic coq au vin, but you can also fill up on entrées such as beef tenderloin, pasta, soups, and quiches.
Rua Fernando de Albuquerque 267, São Paulo, São Paulo, 01309–030, Brazil
Known For
- Moroccan couscous
- Frogs' legs that taste like a Tangier-style chicken wings
- Trendy crowd
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No lunch on weekdays, Credit cards accepted
-
$$ | Bixiga |
Generous portions at reasonable prices and live music—that's the Lazzarella way. The cantina, a classic Italian joint founded in 1970, is hardly extravagant, but the rich flavors of a meal here and the Neapolitan stylings of the crooners circling among the red-and-white checkered tabletops are memorable. The signature house lasagna dish, made old-style with ground beef and mozzarella in a Bolognese sauce, is meal enough for two. All the pastas here are worth a try.
Rua 13 de Maio 589, São Paulo, São Paulo, 01327–000, Brazil
Known For
- Dishes for two
- Traditional lasagna
- Excellent service
-
-
$$$$ | Consolação |
Even the fabulous people have to hang at the bar before being shown to a table in this large, sleek dining room; but especially for vegetarians, dishes such as the tofu and vegetable curry make the wait worthwhile. The decidedly eclectic menu includes Italian, Brazilian, Bahian, and even Thai cuisine.
Rua Fernando de Albuquerque 277, São Paulo, São Paulo, 01309–030, Brazil
Known For
- Free-range chicken and other ecologically responsible ingredients
- Terrace bar
- Lunch-specific menu
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Reservations essential, Credit cards accepted
-
$$$$ | Itaim Bibi |
Low-key, dependable, and well loved, Nagayama consistently serves excellent sushi and sashimi. The chefs like to experiment: the California uramaki Philadelphia has rice, cream cheese, grilled salmon, roe, cucumber, and spring onions rolled together.
Rua Bandeira Paulista 369, São Paulo, São Paulo, 04532–011, Brazil
Known For
- Sleek design
- The highest quality ingredients
- Excellent service
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun., Credit cards accepted
-
$ | Bela Vista/Bixiga |
At one of São Paulo's few pizzerias where you can order by the slice, the options for toppings range from pepperoni and other traditional favorites to shimeji mushrooms, kale, and other innovative ingredients.
Rua Augusta 1463, São Paulo, São Paulo, 01305–100, Brazil
Known For
- Late-night 4 am closing times on Friday and Saturday
- Dessert pizzas, like chocolate with strawberries, bananas, or coconut
- Pizza by the slice
-
$$$ | Vila Madalena |
This restaurant looks like something Spanish architect Gaudí might have designed had he spent his later years in the tropics, but the pizzas couldn't be more Italian and straightforward. Try a pie with mozzarella and toasted garlic.
Rua Purpurina 507/517, São Paulo, São Paulo, 05435–030, Brazil
Known For
- Excellent wine menu
- Special rotating dishes on Thursday, including fettuccine al pesto and bruschetta napolitana
- Pizza-making courses
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No lunch, Credit cards accepted
-
$$ | Vila Madalena |
Pé de Manga's name and charm come from the massive mango tree surrounded by tables on the shaded patio, where appetizers like mini acarajé and main dishes named after celebrities—think Mel Gibson and Will Smith—are served. A two-story covered seating area lends the whole affair a Robinson Crusoe touch.
Rua Arapiraca 152, São Paulo, São Paulo, 05443–020, Brazil
Known For
- Feijoada buffet on Saturday
- Popular for business lunches
- Shimeji and shiitake mushroom bruschetta
