hello fellow travelers!
my son and his girlfriend are on a 4 1/2 month trip in south america. they have been camping and staying in couchsurfers members homes, and eating cheap. his birthday is tomorrow and they will be arriving in sao paulo. i'm hoping to treat them to a nice restaurant or mid-range hotel as a treat. they do not have fancy clothes with them.

any suggestions?
thanks in advance!

Golden Tulip Park Plaza is usually a quite reasonably priced hotel. It's in the Jardins [Gardens] area. I've also stayed at Maksoud Plaza a "fading glory" style hotel and a place in Itam Bibi that had a kitchen attached.

There are so many excellent restaurants in Sao Paulo it is hard to know what to suggest. I like the buffets a lot as you get to try many different things, also that might be more casual for young travellers. There's a good but casual Brazilian buffet restaurant in the Garden area, it's a regional restaurant with food from the state of Minas Gerais. À Mineira, Alameda Joaquim Eugênio de Lima, 697 - Jardim Paulista.

thanks for the suggestions! i've also heard about the spot and brazz. and of course la figuiera rubaiyat. everyone says that's expensive, but i can't find a menu with prices...any comments?

I haven't been there, but from all accounts Figueira Rubaiyat is one of the best restaurants in São Paulo. It will be very expensive, particularly as the Real is doing rather well against most currencies. My view is that it would not be a good choice for young backpackers with unsuitable clothes, they would probably feel deeply uncomfortable and out of their depth.

i'd also heard of Figueira but, yes, too pricey. they ended up going to Pizza Braz. the message jesse sent me said that "it was amazing; fried zucchini, artichoke and calabrese pizza, three different sections in one." they ate and drank well and it cost 130 reals or about $82US. just what i'd expect to spend for a night on the town at a casual place in any major city. the other suggestions i received were Gero and The Spot, for anyone else reading this thread