Stumbled upon this place while in Sao Paulo for a business trip. This guy is super friendly and…read morehilarious! Nonetheless a hilarious moment when you run into someone look like Bin Laden. It doesn't happen often.

More to it than meets the eye. When you first walk in, it's…read morea teeny tiny place. Then you walk around the corner and your suddenly up on a balcony with a huge floor (with its own bar in there). We went there with low expectations. The place turned out to be great. They had a superb 80s band playing some great hits for the night. The waitresses were also in top of their game and keep the caprinhas flowing. Their 'system' was a bit weird. When you enter they require to see your ID. They then enter you into a system and assign you a swipe card. You need the swipe card to buy things. No cash is exchanged until you are leaving the bar. At that point you go to a cashier. Everyone must hand I their card and pay the fee (pro tip: if you are a couple, put some drinks on each card, as otherwise you will be stuck with an admission fee on the zero balance card), then you get a token to leave, which is carefully examined by the bouncers. Strange, but pleasantly surprised by the night.

This is a great spot to watch a soccer match and grab some higher end bar food. I had the chefs…read moreburger and it was delicious - the cheese gooey so it fell apart pretty quickly. It was hard to find a spot to sit so take a lap and you will probably find something. They cleaned up really quickly.

I had a feijoada lite for lunch here on a Sunday. Service was fast and the food was really good…read more They also have a full feijoada and other typical Brazilian dishes here. I couldn't finish it so I had the leftovers packed. Despite not speaking English, they managed to do a good job with service. The ambience is sort of hole-in-the-wall and the interior is very very dated. The only problem I had was that they do not have AC and it was kinda hot. Perhaps it is better for dinner. Card payments are accepted here.

Now, it is important to say that is a very local bar, for me it was a unique experience and will…read morealways be so. Good homemade taste, but mostly simple site and nothing luxurious. You could easily overlook this low-key boteco, unless it's a Saturday afternoon, and you are looking somewhere that there is no crowds spill out the door around. Be prepared to wait for a table outside, or head inside to grab a table in a space adorned with football team strips. Don't miss the famed baião de dois - a north-eastern buttery rice dish studded with jerky... Again, be careful with your "bar environment" expectation. :D

It's the best bar in Roosevelt Square, the drinks are very good and the price is excellent! If you…read morelike a lot the caipirinha I invite you to try the pitcher! The food is nice and also has a good price. Friday and Saturday the have alive music not only Brazilian. It's a very good bar to meet with the people who live near by.

Old jazzbar (one floor up - be prepared to pay a cover fee for listening to music) turned into…read morehipster heaven. The service is bad (if they forget your order and/or you're not happy with the food, they won't compensate you for it in any way). BUT there is a way to enjoy this bar to the fullest: Take a seat at the big red bar at the bottom and order Pisco Passions and the Royal sandwich (a original recipe from Riviera's old days).

Sigh. I really, really wanted to like this place. The logo! The smart website! Alex Atala! We…read morearrived and were sort of taken aback by the hermetic look to the lobby bar. It's huge and showy, sure, but there was no music, the cocktails took quite a while to make (but I guess this is the side-effect of "mixology"), and I could never wrap my head around the stock ticker-like announcement of the upcoming music act on top of the wood accent wall. Where's the lovely green from the branding and website? Surely you can mine the retro logo a bit more with the decor as well, without being kitschy. Instead, Riviera is like a corporate office park's answer to high-end dining and drinking. Being a huge fan of Dalva e Dito for its gastronomy and for its ambiance, this was, then, a huge letdown. We sampled the oysters, which were delicious. We also had the fine steak tartare and the queijo na brasa, which approximated the delicious originals served at the beaches of Pernambuco. The fried chicken was not quite above boteco chicken, I'm sad to say. Drinks throughout dinner were consistently delicious, and everyone seemed to enjoy the live music. Although again, the recorded announcement preceding it further lays on that stiff, synthetic feeling to the place. I think this place aimed to be a heavyweight contender, with its all-star roster. But ultimately, it comes off as a profitable side project, with sub-par cuisine rubbed to a shiny and expensive veneer by the owners' fame.

Gorgeous restaurant! You wouldn't expect the stunning and breathtaking views from the exterior but…read moreonce inside, I couldn't help but marvel at the huge tree, wood beams, beautiful decor, immense wine cooler and liquor wall. I fully appreciated the blanket and heaters that were brought over as it was a chilly evening, yet we were still "indoors" but not. Service was impeccable, with every member of the staff ensuring our experience was top notch and food met our expectations. I chose the slowly roasted beef ribs rice and was not expecting savory goodness that arrived! The beef ribs melted in my mouth and the rice was so incredibly flavorful - I would order this over and over again! Of all the restaurants I've been to, Figueira Rubaiyat has by far the one of the most extensive wine list I've seen, featuring many different wines from around the world, including Brazil of course! There is also a gift shop that should not be missed because of the very unique items that are found here - and a place I'll need to visit next time I'm in the area again! The entire experience is one that should not be missed. Every detail and every bite was absolute perfection!

This was by far one of the best restaurants and steakhouses I've been to in a long time. I…read moreabsolutely loved the tomahawk steak we had--it was marbled to perfection, deep-seared and rendered just right, and unbelievably delicious. I was literally still dreaming about it the next day; the food was really that good. Another standout dish was the braised short rib with sticky rice, a Brazilian specialty that was mouthwateringly delicious, with the beef and rice combo melting in your mouth. The toppings and sides were excellent as well. This was at an upscale restaurant, and the bill came out to half of what we would normally pay in the states. Food like this would cost at least two to three hundred dollars in California! For the price we are paying and the quality we are receiving, this is absolutely outrageous. I'd really like to see São Paulo's state government clean up its act and do more for the city, because there's no reason it shouldn't be a top tourist destination. I'm not much of a foodie, so it's nice having friends who are. You can just trust their recommendations and go along for the ride!!