Brazilian friends wanted to take me to a place during my visit to São Paulo that would give me a…read morechance to sample some unique Brazilian flavours and they chose Micaela, partly due to its location (walking distance from my hotel) and due to our needing a place that would be open on Monday. Neither had been here before, but both had heard good things, so they figured it would be worth a shot. How right they were! The restaurant is cute and charming inside, with a rustic sort of feel. The waiters--none of whom appear to speak English, though I cannot be sure of that since my friends handled all the interactions with staff--were friendly and helpful. The menu is extremely varied and includes many ingredients from all over Brazil, including exotic fishes from the north of the country, spices from the Amazon, and all sorts of things that none of us knew what they were. We opted to share two starters, one called Aquarelas do Brasil (after the famous song of the same name) and the other "pintxos" of tapioca and shimeji mushrooms (mushrooms wrapped in tapioca pastry and fried). The Aquarelas dish turned out to be delivered on a plate resembling a painter's palette, with four little servings of things to be spread on thin pieces of a special bread that they make in-house (each serving a different colour, thus adding to the theme evoked by the dish's name). The tapioca-wrapped mushrooms was the better-tasting of the two dishes, though we enjoyed them both very much. For the main course, I had a dish that consisted of beef, farofa, a fried noodle sort of thing on top and a tomato-and-onion salsa on the side, together with rice. It had excellent flavours, though the fried noodle-y thing on top made it a bit difficult to eat. We also had caiprinhas or caipiroskas, one of the latter made with red fruits instead of lime--there is a sizeable list of options for these cocktails on the menu--and they even gave us a taste of a special cachaça made with a Brazilian relative of the betel leaf. We really didn't need dessert after all this, but we decided to share one among the three of us, choosing one made with toasted coconut, white chocolate caramel and something called puxurí that none of us was familiar with, so one of the waiters brought some out to show us. Turns out it's a spice from northern Brazil that is redolent of cinnamon and vanilla, and they gave me a piece to use at home. The dessert was excellent, as was the rest of the meal, and the price was pretty reasonable given all that we had ordered (R$140 each).

The food is amazing here. Definitely get the Galhinado. That chicken and rice dish was the…read morehighlight of my meals there. The chicken was cooked perfectly and had a smokey flavor that was very pleasant. The dessert with cupuazu was really good too.. reminded me of a combination of butterscotch and dried longan fruit.

This is another "por quilo" restaurant in Avenida Paulista area with a combination of good…read morelocation, high quality and variety in a pleasant atmosphere. There is only lunch service and depending on the time, it can be crowded with people standing on long lines. The buffet includes a salad bar, hot dishes and dessert corner and the options change daily. Pricewise there are cheaper restaurants of the same style in the area, but you get what you pay for: ingredients such as gravlax salmon, sea food and a good selection of cheese and cured meats are constant in the buffet. You can expect good service from very attentive waiters and the girls in the cashier will receive you with a big smile on your face and it does make a huge difference in the end. And to finish your lunch experience, help yourself with free of charge hot beverages which includes tea, coffee and hot cocoa. And make sure to try to chocolate dipped cookies.

This was our favourite meal of the trip and we had some amazing ones. We were famished and so…read moreordered a lot of food, which was much more than we could handle. We ordered: -Guacamole with banana chips: this was a nice appy to start the meal, coming with very nicely seasoned guac and dehydrated banana chips. Great way to start the meal. Large portion. -Two different types of vegan quiche that were both decadent, rich and well-spiced. Great creamy texture and quite filling -Black risotto - one of the best risottos I've ever had. Very creamy, with lots of vegan mozzarella, mushrooms, pumpkin seeds, and plenty of microgreens on top. Absolutely divine. -Baião de dois (vegan). I hadn't tried one of these before, and man was it incredible. The main dish was a rice-based dish with vegan sausage, firm tofu, and veggies with a very complex flavour and wonderful textures. On the side was an incredible garlic-sauteed kale, fried banana, and a sort of polenta-like mash with hearts of palm/jackfruit(? - look up) that was sensational. Our server spoke no English, so we communicated via Google Translate. He was so kind, hospitable and friendly--told us he loved serving us at the end. Can't say enough good things about this place. You must try out Banana Verde.

Was able to snag a table at around 8 on a Sunday night. The restaurant is mostly vegetarian/vegan…read more The atmosphere felt like we were in a jungle cafe somewhere. It is very open and airy. What we ordered: the menu is pretty extensive, but we narrowed it down to the plantain chips and guacamole, hummus, and the asparagus vegan pasta. Everything was amazing, but my favorite was the hummus. Especially with the roasted carrots on top. These 3 dishes were perfect to split between two people. The service was great. They accept credit card and it was a fair price for the quality of the food.

Beautiful setting in Jardin, one of Sao Paulo's nicest communities. Open and airy with folding…read moredoors that are opened in nice weather with seating all inside and covered they offer a wide variety of foods with breakfast served until noon. The food is fresh and tasty and the coffees are smooth and perfectly made.

I loved the way this open air cafe made me feel like I was on holiday…read more I visited twice whilst in São Paulo, once for breakfast, another time for lunch and enjoyed them equally. Their fresh sucos (as ever, my strong suggestion is that you try the abacaxi) are an excellent way to start the day and you can't beat the people watching both inside the restaurant and outside on Rua Oscar Freire. Like many establishments in this area, Santo Grão offers valet parking if you want to ditch your car hassle free. Me? I prefer walking there! Santo Grão is definitely a player on the brunch scene in São Paulo and its relaxed atmosphere makes you want to stay and chat long after you've nibbled your last bite of omelette.