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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.
Sit in either the beautiful garden or the dining room with a fireplace at Embu's most famous restaurant, and then choose between Brazilian regional dishes such as the house specialty, moqueca de badejo (spicy fish-and-coconut-milk stew), and German classics such as eisbein (pickled and roasted pork shank). There is live music on weekends, but note that it stops at 10:30 on the dot, regardless of how much patrons might be enjoying themselves.
