Among the best perks of my job is the opportunity to indulge my passion for perusing foreign…read moregrocery stores. I love combing the aisles for snacks, soaps, salts and other lovely non-liquid items that I can consume immediately or take back in my carry-on luggage. Quitanda is São Paulo's to Whole Foods. I was a fan before even stepping inside having sampled their fresh-pressed juices (especially the abacaxi com hortelã!) at a friend's place. Pay attention to the exotic (if you're not from Brazil) fruit selection at Quitanda - I found two of the biggest passion fruits I've ever seen there (and I used one to make maracujá #infusedwater - so good!) I was also impressed with the array of soap and picked up a local honey scented one to take home. This Pinheiros grocery store is definitely worth a nosey if you're curious what healthy Paulistas feast on.

My favorite place to buy groceries, Quitanda has bucked the trend of filling the center of the…read moresupermarket with crap and hiding the fresh food on the sides. Going there you can't help but leave with bags full of fresh produce which is beautifully displayed front and center in the store. At lunch they serve a healthy buffet which is a bit over priced, but I can overlook that, because I am the type who would rather buy one of their sushi to go plates and go eat it in the park. They have a great selection of frozen foods for celiacs and vegans in the back next to the organic foods. The bakery is pretty good, and the juices are awesome. It's the closest thing I've found to Trader Joe's in Brazil.

Come here to shop for groceries, gifts, or food to eat there or take with you. This place is two…read morelevels and contains various vendors spread throughout the vicinity. The day I went, it seemed calm - not a lot of people, no hustle or bustle like other markets I have been to in other parts of the world, but there were still many great shops to take a look at. Fresh fruits and produce can be found on the lower level. Had I not already gone shopping at the supermarket that was across the street from where I was staying, I would have came here for fruit! Dried products like beans, grains, herbs, oils, sauces and cheeses, small meats like salami or ham also found on the first floor. There is a flower shop that had uniquely arranged dried and fresh plants and flowers - perfect for gift giving or sprucing up your own space! I wish I had bought some pimenta aziete. Meats, seafood, and restaurants are on the upper level. There are multiple open staircases in the building to get up and down. I had lunch at a pizza (the pizza was really good - calabresa) place with a beer. Dined inside by the restaurant front, but you can really sit anywhere with your food. After being inside, I packed up what I couldn't finish and was about to head out when I decided to stop at the beer / wine shop where I had a beer there. Leaving out of the building, I almost bought something else, lol but I was so full. I walked outside and it was really nice! I liked the picnic tables with umbrellas for shade outside. It would have been nice to eat there. I sat down at one of the tables for maybe 10-20 minutes before taking off to go back home. I wasn't sure if it was going to rain because I hadn't taken my umbrella with me that time. Walking here from staying in Pinheiros was fine - not hard to get to at all though I had no idea what to look for. I'm glad I had the chance to find it and now I know what to look for next time! Hopefully they get more foot traffic on other days / times.

Food and food and food. No better place to get your fruits and veggies. Sometimes it isn't the…read morecheapest when your local supermarket is having a special but its going to be a lot cheaper than your Pao de Acucar and fresher too. Fairly small compared to the Municipal Mercado de Sao Paulo but it still has pretty much everything you need to cook a hearty meal. Another reason to come here is the Mocoto Cafe serving lunch and other treats.

Great grocery store! Really big but can be a bit crowded. I love the deli section, it's affordable…read moreand delicious. There's 2 floors but I found all my groceries and household goods on the first floor so can't say what's upstairs.

Food was mediocre, unflavorful and salty. Service wasnt…read moregood, when I made reservation in person, a girl walked me around to choice our table that night. She assured that table will be available for us. We got there that evening someone else was in that table and we were asked tonsit in a 13"x 13" table, I wasn't happy. I asked to moved our table, omg speaking of communication was bad. I get it Brazilian vs English. The person who help me then spoke English fluently and server also. Ambiance was loud for a fine dining, we hardly can speak to each other.

Katz is one of the many typical restaurants trying to put their spin on a gourmet burger in São…read morePaulo. There are now at least five supposedly gourmet burger places in Itaim and so far Katz is squarely in the middle of the pack in my book. The burger was pretty solid, good flavor and good ingredients. They have a fun mix of American soda pop including dr pepper and cherry 7up as well as a nice beer selection. They serve the ubiquitous SP batatas rusticas (home fries with rosemary and sea salt) but also serve crinkle cut fries for a twist. Overall I was pleased with my food but not blown away. The problems in the business, which they could still work out, as it's been open for under a month, are in the logistics. The concept is that you order at the counter, then wait for your buzzer to go off when your food is ready. They pack all orders in a to go bag whether you plan to eat there or take the food away so there are no utensils provided and all dos is eaten in paper wrappers or trays. I found this part a bit obnoxious and wasteful. The bag, which they staple shut, is tall and narrow when it should be wide and low so that you can easily see what's inside and make sure your order is correct before leaving the counter. The burgers are wrapped in wax paper but not in a way such that you can unwrap just half of it and use the paper to keep the burger together as you eat it with your hands making for a pretty messy experience. The fries came in a box but not with a lid. Almost everyone threw the bag away. It seems like a waste of trees to me. They also were not that fats and we ended up having to ask about our order which was up at the counter only the buzzer had not gone off. I hope they can work out the kinks before the burger craze dies out.

Great burger selection. Fries are kinda overpriced and the coke is currently just 290ml. Still…read moreworth it.