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Eating & Drinking in São Paulo
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Santo Grão
This is an essential stop in the fashionable Rua Oscar Freire. Go for the excellent coffee and people-watch from the tables outside, or for a light meal made up of sandwiches, salads, or dishes with a slightly Asian flavor.
Arabia
São Paulo received a large number of Lebanese immigrants in the early 20th century, and the best place to try their food is at this restaurant. It is one of the best restaurants in the city, having won awards for its fine cuisine which actually covers much of the Arab world, from hummus and Lebanese fattoush to Moroccan rice.
JUN SAKAMOTO - Rua Lisboa 55
With a "Japantown", São Paulo has quite a number of Japanese restaurants, but this one stands out from all the others. In fact, there are those who say this is one of the best Japanese restaurants in the world. The dining area is small but it's a classy place where a sophisticated clientele knows they'll be served extraordinary sushi and other Japanese flavors such as an outstanding prawn tempura. Those lucky enough to get seats at the bar can watch the chef at work (you must book this in advance by asking for a seat on the "balcão").
Shimo
This Japanese restaurant interestingly mixes the flavors of Japan with those of Peru and Brazil. The décor is just as original, with walls painted in various colors. The ground floor has a sushi bar while downstairs serves as a sake lounge.
D.O.M.
Think of this as South America's El Bulli. It's considered to be one of the world's best restaurants and serves contemporary Brazilian cuisine. The creative dishes use Brazilian ingredients like Amazonian fruits, and you can try them with the tasting menu which also blends French and Italian cooking. To complete the experience go for the exceptional fruit sorbets and also take a look at the coffee menu. You'll have all of that in a dining room with ceilings high enough for tropical palms, a classy space to match the world-renowned cuisne.
Kosushi
Both the interior design and the sashimi innovations have made this Japanese restaurant one of the hippest choices in the city for two decades. There's a branch inside a shopping mall, but the main restaurant is located on Rua Viradouro 139.
A Figueira Rubaiyat
Another favorite barbecue restaurant, this one has a relaxed ambience and the superb meat dishes make it easy to understand why everyone loves the place. It intelligently combines Brazilian and Italian dishes made with beef produced in its own farm, cooked in woodfired ovens. Have that tender picanha under the huge fig tree in the terrace that gives the restaurant its name, and try one of the bottles of ice-cold beer.
Chakras
This restaurant offers refined contemporary cuisine in an Asian-inspired space. Once a week it presents film screenings, and regularly hosts art exhibits and theatre performances. There's an excellent atmosphere everywhere.
Charlô
São Paulo's skyscrapers are right in front of you as you dine at this restaurant in the city's horse racing club, serving an always-changing menu inspired by French cuisine. Using seasonal ingredients, it consists of pastas, fish, and meat dishes.
Fogo de Chão
If you're vegetarian, stay away from this place. It's a meat-lover's paradise serving an authentic Brazilian barbecue in a trio of branches in the city (there are others in the U.S.). You'll see many "churrascarias" (barbecue restaurants) in São Paulo, but what has made this one stand out is the quality of the meats, served rodizio-style -- they're paraded around the dining area and sliced at your table. There's a good selection of wines to wash it all down.
Churrascaria Rodeio
It's been around for over half a century, so it knows a thing or two about its specialty -- grilled meat. It is served in different rooms, often filled with local celebrities. They know this is where they'll get several cuts of beef cooked to perfection, and not a place to worry about calories.
Spot
The word "hot" could be added to the name of this restaurant, as it is a hotspot for the city's fashionable crowds. It serves Euro-Asian fusion food in a simply-designed space.
GERO - Rua Haddock Lobo 1.629, Jardins
Ever since it opened in the Jardins neighborhood in 1995 this has been one of São Paulo's top dining choices. It serves classic Italian risottos, pastas, and meat and fish dishes in a space with an interior design that remains up-to-date after over a decade. A lighter version called Gero Caffe is found inside the Iguatemi Shopping Mall, but is a surprisingly sophisticated place, having gone through a makeover in 2008 to mark its 10th anniversary. Palm trees stand in the middle of the dining area where you can also have some fine Italian dishes.
FASANO - Rua Vittorio Fasano 88
It's always had a great buzz since it opened in 1982, but since it moved to the Fasano Hotel and given a stylish look, it's become even hotter. The excellence of the cuisine has remained the same, inspired by the flavors of Italy. If you have time for only one restaurant in the city, this should be it.
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