São Paulo is a world class city for dining. It draws on the culinary traditions of its immigrants – both from abroad and around Brazil. Good Italian, Japanese, German, Arab, Spanish and Portuguese restaurants abound. Also in evidence are eateries featuring dishes from Bahia (seafood with a West African tinge), Minas Gerais (hearty fare from the farm), the South (all you can eat barbeque), the Northeast (jerked-beef, etc.), the Amazon (freshwater fish with an indigenous twist), and Brazilian contemporary. Here are some of our restaurant picks. (For more on Brazil’s biggest city, see the BrazilMax São Paulo travel guide.)
A Figueira Rubaiyat – Built around a 50 meter-high, 130 year-old tree that gives the restaurant its name, this is where business executives take clients and associates they want to impress. The varied menu features Mediterranean fare, seafood and beef on par with that served at its sister steakhouse Baby Beef Rubaiyat. The Oyster Bar ships in fresh oysters daily from Santa Catarina state. A feijoada buffet is served at lunch on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Excellent wine list.. Rua Haddock Lobo, 1738, Jardins. Telephone: 3063-3888.
Andrade - Head here for a taste of the Brazilian northeast. A rowdy forró band (usual instruments: drum, accordion and triangle) plays from 9 p.m. “Carne de sol” is sun-dried beef – and the mainstay of the menu. Rua Artur de Azevedo, 874, Pinheiros. Telephone 3064-8644.
Arabia - A descendant of Lebanese immigrants, chef and co-owner Leila Mohamed Youssef Kuczynski has applied the kitchen skills she learned as a girl to turn Arabia into São Paulo’s best Arab restaurant. On Saturdays she serves up a sumptuous Moroccan couscous. Rua Haddock Lobo 1397, Jardins. Telephone: 3061-2203.
Barbacoa - For meat-eaters, a visit to a “rodízio” style all-you-can-eat steakhouse or “churrascaria” is obligatory. The tradition originated in the southern Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul, but São Paulo offers a wide selection of such establishments. An ample salad buffet is followed by table service as waiters bring skewers of sausages and beef straight from the grill.. Rua Doutor Renato Paes de Barros, 65, Itaim. Telephone. 3168-5522;
Bolinha - Home of the feijoada, the black bean stew that is Brazil’s national dish. Served daily (as opposed to just on Wednesdays and Saturdays most everywhere else). Avenida Cidade Jardim, 53, Jardim Europa. Telephone: 3061-2010.
Cantaloup – Spacious and fashionable, with an award-winning interior design, Cantaloup offers contemporary international cuisine that can hold its own with anybody. It features one of the most complete wine lists in the country. Rua Manoel Guedes, 474, Itaim. Telephone: 3078.3445.
Capim Santo - Once located in Vila Madalena, this restaurant has moved to an old mansion in the Jardins. Chef Morena Leite prepares Brazilian dishes with a contemporary flair. Rua Ministro Rocha Azevedo, 471, Cerqueira Cesar. Telephone: 3068-8486.
Consulado Mineiro - For a relaxed but genuine taste of Brazil, try this outpost of country cooking from Minas Gerais state. “Hearty” is perhaps the best adjective for this cuisine. Minas Gerais was a colonial hotbed of gold and diamond mining, and its distinctive dishes emerged from a mishmash of Portuguese, African and Native influences. The Consulado Mineiro faces an attractive square that hosts a popular Saturday crafts fair. Praça Benedito Calixto 74, Pinheiros. Telephone 3064-3882.
Die Meister Stube – Set inside the Kolpinghaus, a club frequented by descendants of German immigrants, this establishment offers better German food than you normally get on the continent.. Rua Barão do Triunfo, 1213, Campo Belo. Telephone: 5536-4982.
Fasano - Now located in the hotel of the same name, Fasano is synonymous with fine dining in São Paulo. Everything about the place is designed to impress. Thus it serves two main purposes for the business visitor. First, you can use the upscale Italian establishment as a place to impress clients. Second, you can use it to prove that you’re “in the know” about São Paulo: an invitation to Fasano transmits the message that one knows where take people to impress them. Rua Vittorio Fason 88, Jardins. Telephone: 3896-4000.
Gênova – Genovese-style cuisine in a homespun atmosphere. The owners pay strict personal attention to the menu and ingredients. The constantly updated wine list is partly chosen by customers at regular tastings.; Rua Lisboa, 346, Pinheiros. Telephone: 3064-3438.
Mestiço – The combination may seem odd at first, but the fusion of Thai and Bahian cuisines works well – making this one of the city’s most popular spots. The décor changes regularly but always features contemporary art.; Rua Fernando de Albuquerque, 277, Consulação. Telephone: 3256-3165.
Soteropolitano – A simple place that features the cuisine of Bahia state. Bahian fare tends toward seafood, heavily seasoned in a West African style. The most popular dishes, seafood stews called “mucecas,” are cooked in a heavy palm oil sauce. Rua Fidalga, 340, Vila Madalena. Telephone 3034-4881.
Sushi Yassu – Set in the Asian neighborhood Liberdade, this traditional restaurant, opened in 1972, remains one of the best Japanese places in a town loaded with them. Sushi Yassu offers a full menu, but the best choice is of course the sushi.. Rua Tomás Gonzaga, 98, Liberdade. Telephone: 3209-6622.
