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$$$$ | Pinheiros |
During and after the Saturday crafts and antiques fair in Praça Benedito Calixto, it may take an hour to get a table at this homey restaurant. Among the shareable, traditional mineiro (from Minas Gerais State) dishes are the mandioca com carne de sol (cassava with salted meat) appetizer and the tutu (pork loin with beans, pasta, cabbage, and rice) entrée.
Praça Benedito Calixto 74, São Paulo, São Paulo, 05414–000, Brazil
Known For
- An extensive cachaça menu with rare, premium, and homemade brands
- Excellent service
- Feijoada served every day
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Mon., Credit cards accepted
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$$$$ | Bela Vista/Bixiga |
This busy little cantina is well-loved for both its cuisine as well as its location on an unforgettable restaurant-lined strip of Rua Avanhandava, where you may find yourself admiring the cobblestones on the street as you wait for a table. The menu has many terrific pasta options, such as the cannelloni with palm hearts and a four-cheese sauce.
Rua Avanhandava 81, São Paulo, São Paulo, 01306–001, Brazil
Known For
- Generous dishes that serve two
- Incredible buffet with cheeses, olives, sausages, and much more
- Traditional family-style Italian decor
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Reservations not accepted, Credit cards accepted
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$$$$ | Pinheiros |
Arguably the best Japanese restaurant in a town famous for them, Jun Sakamoto stands out for serving fish of the highest quality and for employing the most skillful of sushi chefs to slice them. You're best served if you let the waiters wearing futuristic earpieces guide you through the menu based on what's freshest the day you visit.
Rua Lisboa 55, São Paulo, São Paulo, 05413–000, Brazil
Known For
- Haute gastronomy
- The freshest ingredients
- Top-notch service
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No lunch. Closed Sun., Credit cards accepted
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$$$$ | Itaim Bibi |
Contemporary cuisine, attentive service, and a luxurious, secret-garden charm help Kaá maintain its status as one of São Paulo's leading fine-dining establishments. The crayfish au gratin in endive cream is a top choice among the appetizers; appealing entrées include rack of lamb ribs and beer-cooked duck.
Av. Pres. Juscelino Kubitschek 279, São Paulo, São Paulo, 04543–010, Brazil
Known For
- Gorgeous design, including fountains, a sunken bar, and a rain forest–like wall
- Mature and well-to-do clientele
- Signature orchid martini
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No dinner Sun.
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$$$$ | Moema |
Contemporary Japanese plates with international influences are the draw at Kinoshita, where foie gras might accompany a Kobe beef hamburger or truffles might enliven salmon roe and shellfish. The freshness of the ingredients available on any given day determines the fare of chef Tsuyoshi Murakami, one of São Paulo's culinary superstars.
Rua Jacques Félix 405, São Paulo, São Paulo, 04509–000, Brazil
Known For
- Geishas serve guests in the Krug Room (available only for groups of 6 to 12)
- Omakase (tasting menus) of seven or nine courses, plus dessert
- Krug Room, one of the few in the world that serves its namesake French champagne
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun., Reservations essential
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Recommended Fodor’s Video
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$$$$ | Higienópolis |
Owner Roberto Loscalzo transformed a 1903 mansion into a remarkable dining space; expansive yet intimate, grandiose yet welcoming. At one end of the room chefs pull Napoli-style pizzas from the three mouths of a two-story brick oven that looms over diners like a cathedral organ.
Rua Dona Veridiana 661, São Paulo, São Paulo, 01238–010, Brazil
Known For
- Napoli in Beirut (goat cheese and za'atar)
- Napoli in Brasile (sun-dried meat and Catupiry, a creamy Brazilian cheese)
- Sister branches in the Jardins and Perdizes neighborhoods
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No lunch, Credit cards accepted
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$$$$ | Jardins |
Because São Paulo isn't on the ocean, most restaurants here don't base their reputations on seafood, but Amadeus is an exception. Appetizers such as fresh oysters and salmon and endive with mustard, and entrées like shrimp in cognac sauce make it a challenge to find better fruits of the sea elsewhere in town.
Rua Haddock Lobo 807, São Paulo, São Paulo, 01414–001, Brazil
Known For
- A good option for a business lunch
- Excellent selection of wines
- A wide variety of shrimp dishes
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No dinner Sun., Credit cards accepted
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$$$$ | Jardins |
For almost 20 years Arábia has served traditional Lebanese cuisine at this beautiful high-ceilinged restaurant. Simple dishes such as hummus and stuffed grape leaves are executed with aplomb, and the lamb melts in your mouth.
Rua Haddock Lobo 1397, São Paulo, São Paulo, 01414–003, Brazil
Known For
- Dishes you can share, like meat-stuffed artichokes
- Executive lunch menu (an appetizer, cold dish, meat dish, drink, dessert, and coffee)
- Ataife (a type of crepe filled with pistachios or cream)
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Credit cards accepted
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$$$$ | Itaim Bibi |
The family that owns and runs this restaurant serves meat from its ranch in Mato Grosso do Sul State. Charcoal-grilled fare—baby boar (request at least two hours in advance of your visit), steak, chicken, salmon, and more—is served at the buffet, and options abound at the salad bar. Wednesday and Saturday are feijoada nights, and on Friday the emphasis is on seafood.
Av. Brigadeiro Faria Lima 2954, São Paulo, São Paulo, 01452–000, Brazil
Known For
- Sensational steaks
- Exceptional dessert buffet
- Top-notch service
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Credit cards accepted
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$$$$ | Itaim Bibi |
Cantaloup's converted warehouse has two dining areas: oversize photos decorate the walls of the slightly formal room, while a fountain and plants make the second area feel more casual. Try the veal cutlet with blinis of yucca or the stuffed shrimp with clams.
Rua Manoel Guedes 474, São Paulo, São Paulo, 04536–070, Brazil
Known For
- Macerated strawberries in port wine sauce
- A particularly velvety crème brûlée with ice cream
- Top-notch service
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No dinner Sun. No lunch Sat., Credit cards accepted
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$$$$ | Bixiga |
Wine casks and bottles adorn the walls at this typical Bixiga cantina, located on a street so charmingly human-scaled you'll hardly believe you're still in São Paulo. You won't be alone if you order the ever-popular fusilli—either ao sugo (with tomato sauce) or ao frutos do mar (with seafood)—or the traditional baby goat's leg with potatoes and tomatoes.
Rua 13 de Maio 634, São Paulo, São Paulo, 01327–002, Brazil
Known For
- Fresh, handmade pasta
- Superb service
- Traditional Italian music played by duos weaving around the dining room tables
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Credit cards accepted
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$$$$ | Higienópolis |
TV host, author, and chef Carla Pernambuco introduces Brazilian elements to a multicultural array of recipes at her popular restaurant. The four-cheese polenta and the red-rice risotto with lobster are among the many well-calibrated dishes served here.
Rua Sergipe 753, São Paulo, São Paulo, 01243–000, Brazil
Known For
- Sophisticated decor
- Signature guava jam soufflé with melted-cheese sauce
- Older clientele
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No dinner Sun. Closed Mon.
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$$$$ | Jardins |
Regularly named among the best restaurants in South America and the world, celebrity chef Alex Atala's D.O.M. is synonymous with exclusivity in São Paulo's gastronomic circles—its popularity is limited only by a self-imposed cap on the number of customers served. The focus is on Brazilian fare with added flair, such as filhote (Amazonian catfish) with tapioca in tucupi (manioc root) sauce and sweet potato in a Béarnaise made from maté, a South American tea.
Rua Barão de Capanema 549, São Paulo, São Paulo, 01411–011, Brazil
Known For
- Sky-high prices
- Tasting menu (four or eight courses)
- Spectacular plating
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun. No lunch Sat., Reservations essential
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$$$$ | Moema |
Good and simple Italian food is what you'll find at this traditional spot. Choose from a great variety of pastas, salads, and meat dishes.
Alameda dos Arapanés 955, São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
Known For
- Talharina a Don Pepe (pasta with meat, broccoli, and garlic)
- Several types of bruschetta, from traditional tomato to gorgonzola
- Top-notch service
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Credit cards accepted
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$$$$ | Moema |
A snug bistro on as secluded a street as you're apt to find in São Paulo's hip southern neighborhoods, Enoteca triples as a wineshop, restaurant, and live-music venue. The kitchen's specialty is a risotto with wine-braised beef, whose plain appearance belies its exceptional flavor.
Rua Professor Atílio Innocenti 811, São Paulo, São Paulo, 04538–000, Brazil
Known For
- A wide array of wines from places like France, Spain, and Italy
- Live tango, jazz, and flamenco music Wednesday--Saturday nights
- Seasonal dishes made with organic ingredients
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun. No lunch
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$$$$ | Jardins |
A family-owned Northern Italian classic tucked away behind the elegantly modern lobby of the hotel of the same name, this restaurant is as famous for its superior cuisine as for its exorbitant prices. In the kitchen, a 20-strong brigade of chefs, butchers, and bakers commanded by Luca Gozzani sends out exquisite, sinfully rich dishes like agnollottis of Angola chicken on heart-of-mozzarella cream.
Rua Vittorio Fasano 88, São Paulo, São Paulo, 01414–020, Brazil
Known For
- Luxurious decor (marble, mahogany, mirrors, and a breathtaking skylight)
- Tasting menu, including five classic pastas from different regions of Italy
- High quality service
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun. No lunch, Reservations essential, Credit cards accepted
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$$$$ | Itaim Bibi |
A pioneer in bringing French cuisine to São Paulo, Freddy opened originally in 1935. Despite moving from its original location, Freddy has managed to retain the feel of an upscale Parisian bistro, thanks to a number of small touches as well as some larger ones, like the grand chandeliers hanging from its ceiling, and traditional French dishes like coq au vin.
Rua Pedroso Alvarenga 1170, São Paulo, São Paulo, 04536-020, Brazil
Known For
- Duck with Madeira sauce and apple puree
- Upscale Parisian decor
- Cassoulet with white beans, lamb, duck, and garlic sausage
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No dinner Sun. No lunch Sat., Credit cards accepted
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$$$$ | Higienópolis |
The classic neon sign that adorns this restaurant's exterior cues diners about what to expect inside: traditional Italian cuisine. No surprises here, but dishes such as the unchanging and unmatchable polpettone alla parmigiana, a huge meatball with mozzarella and tomato sauce, inspire devotion among the local clientele.
Rua Doutor Martinico Prado 463, São Paulo, São Paulo, 01224–010, Brazil
Known For
- Italian pasta and meat dishes
- Wide selection of pizzas
- Warm, family atmosphere
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Credit cards accepted
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$$$$ | Itaim Bibi |
This Italo-French restaurant with a partially enclosed garden isn't just a place for businesspeople and impresarios to see and be seen; it also has some of the best food in town. Among chef Giancarlo Bolla's recommended dishes are the linguine with fresh mussels and prawn sauce, the eggplant Parmesan, and the filet mignon rosini (served with foie gras and saffron risotto).
Av. 9 de Julho 5925, São Paulo, São Paulo, 01406–200, Brazil
Known For
- Piano bar
- Decor in the style of an Italian villa
- Excellent service
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Mon., Credit cards accepted
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$$$$ | 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
