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Restaurants in coastal towns tend to be of the rustic beach-café sort, and predictably serve lots of seafood. For a change of taste, visit Ubatuba and these three neighborhoods in or near São Sebastião—Maresias, Boiçucanga, and Camburi—where you can find good pizzerias and Japanese restaurants. In Campos do Jordão, a popular paulistano mountain retreat, you can find a Brazilian version of Swiss fondue (both the chocolate and the cheese varieties are delicious). In Serra Negra, you'll find typical countryside food, including lots of fresh meat and farm produce, as well as a vast range of local sweets, artisanal beers, and wine.
A well-known chocolate shop and café, Chocolates Montanhês is the perfect stop after a meal, or to stock up on chocolate lollipops and slabs. Don't forget to try the extra-creamy hot chocolate. There is a smaller store located in Praça São Benedito as well.
A small ice-cream parlor, Gelato Donato is a good destination for dessert and a coffee after a meal. The ice cream is made in Serra Negra using locally sourced ingredients, and the typically Brazilian flavors, such as the strange-sounding but delicious guava and cheese, change often.
A great variety of dishes is served at this downtown restaurant next to an art gallery and at the center of the weekend hustle and bustle of the artisan fair. The picanha brasileira (barbecued steak) with fries and farofa is recommended.
Located at the heart of Serra Negra, Serrana is a bakery that serves breakfast, light snacks, and also meals, as well as sharing platters. Grab a pao na chapa com saida de requeijão (grilled bread with Brazilian cream cheese) and coffee for breakfast here on a Sunday morning and sit at one of the tables outside to watch the hordes of motorcycling aficionados—they flock to Serra Negra on weekends from other cities on their amazing touring bikes.
This popular, centrally located padaria (bakery) offers a range of healthy sandwiches and drinks, as well as an excellent deli selection. You can either have your breakfast or light meal here, or take it away like many locals do.
