By Cris Berger
A lifetime wouldn’t be enough to know all the good (!) restaurants in São Paulo. So let’s give up on this idea. Still, it is possible to do check in in several of them. To celebrate my debut As a São Paulo contributor to You Must Go, I selected some gastronomic addresses that are worth being on your list. Ready? Well, as I’m working on my 14th book in the collection “101 Places to Discover” through the neighborhoods of Pinheiros and Vila Madalena, I will share with you what I have tried and, definitely, approved.
For relaxed days, go Corn. For the excited ones, Suri. Sunday pizza? Innovate, escape the classic pizzerias and discover the Conde’s Grocery Store. Arabic? Well, SP has the second largest Lebanese population in the world; Therefore, the matter is serious: prove the You do. Do you want to eat a sandwich, but healthy? Head towards the Vapor! The option is to drink craft beer and eat gourmet hot dogs, put it in your GPS Brew Dog. The best (Okay, one of the best) mille-feuille in SP? Confeitaria Dama. And with these options you will be well served for a few days.
Corn
Maíz is funky, no-frills and delicious. He is all of that and can be cute. It’s size S, there are a few tables, about 3 or 4, all close together. And there is a counter where you can see the kitchen and the rotating oven where the chickens are roasted. The proposal is to serve Colombian street food. On the menu, arepas and tacos reign supreme, but what you REALLY can’t miss is the Creole papas. Ahhh! Those potatoes that are crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, crazy! Maíz is on Matheus Grou Street. After lunch, it’s worth taking a stroll around Desmobília and Estúdio Gloria, both with highly desirable vintage furniture and objects.
Rua Mateus Grou, 472,
Tel.: 11 3034.6551
Suri Ceviche Bar
Maíz and Suri are from Colombian Dagoberto Torres. If at Maíz the thing is to eat with your hands and smear yourself, at Suri things are a little more behaved, but no less cheerful. My sugestion? Don’t miss out on the cover charge, which is great and serves a variety of chips with guacamole and spicy sauce. Order the tiraditos (very finely cut fish, raw and well seasoned) and follow with the ceviches (fish and seafood marinated in lemon with Andean spices). There are hot dishes, but the best part is sharing the orders and, in doing so, prolonging the meal and the conversation. In my opinion, the counter is the best place to sit and see the contagious energy of the kitchen. In time: the ceviches are fabulous!
Rua Matheus Grou, 488,
Tel.: 11 3034.1763
Conde’s Grocery Store
She’s nothing new in town. On the contrary, it has already come of age and has existed for over 21 years. Yes, it started as a grocery store and over time became a restaurant. I often say that you enter and stand with your neck up looking at the dozens of furniture that take over the ceiling. The setting is playful, it looks like a circus, colorful and lively. On the menu, which is excellent, there is also a pizza category! In other words, in the city famous for having the best pizzerias in Brazil, and some say they are as good as those in Italy, Mercearia also serves lovely round ones without that traditional atmosphere and long queues.
Rua Joaquim Antunes, 217
Tel.: 11 3081.7204
You do
Book the sofas in the second room, where you can sit crossing your legs, without shoes, in the style of Arab tents in the Wadi Rum desert in Jordan. It may seem commonplace to ask for bread, humus, dry curd and mhammara, but the truth is that this is a very special common place. The bread, which is freshly made and arrives warm at the table, is levitating! Ah, you can see his preparation through the side window of the corridor that connects the two spaces: it’s worth it! The pastries are equally sublime. You can just stop at this starter, but if you feel hungry and curious too, order the delicate falafel and top it off with an Arabic sweet!
Rua Girassol, 523
Tel.: 11 3032. 5939
Vapor
And when you feel like trying out a well-prepared sandwich, the kind that only professionals can bite into, but you don’t want to lose your style, go off your diet and overdo it? For these cases there is Vapor. Nothing, nothing is fried there. They don’t even use a griddle, the cooking is done by steam and, as a result, the end result is much healthier. The best? It’s just as tasty. The menu is stuck on a clipboard, the tables don’t have tablecloths, just a paper placemat, and inside the restaurant there’s a thick tree trunk and next to it the explanation: steam rules here.
Rua Fradique Coutinho, 1464
Tel.: 11 3811.9718
Brew Dog
Yes, you can go and flirt: the bar is busy, lively and the beers help everyone become more friendly. And what beers! There are only special and handmade labels. The collection is impressive and you will certainly see new beers on your CV as an expert in icy blondes. Not to mention the great house draft beers, Brew Dogs, available on tap. To go with it, there are gourmet hot dogs and get this: with the option of vegetarian sausage! Otherwise, drink, eat, have fun and return home by taxi.
Rua Coropé, 41
Tel.: 11 3032.4007
Confeitaria Dama
From the first bite to the last, the light flavor remains the same. You have just eaten that “Senhora Mil Folhas” and your taste does not seem too sweet, nor does your stomach feel heavy. Eating two is easy and even recommended. The delicate cream filling and crispy dough are the ultimate delight! Alongside them, there are other stars that must be tested. Anyone who makes a spectacular mille-feuille understands the craft of sweetening palates.
R. Ferreira de Araújo, 376
Tel.: 11 5182.5088
Photos: Disclosure
