This bar takes what at most places would be the most banal food - coxinha, roast chicken, polenta,…read moreetc. - and makes it a real delight to eat. Besides that, it has the most complete selection of beers from around the world I've seen in São Paulo. The menu even includes selections of beers if you want to sit down to a beer tasting. Also, they have specials on cases of beer to take home.

Had my first taste of coxinha tonight. I'm definitely a fan! As we wound our way through the maze…read moreon the main level down the stairs to the lower level, I was amazed at how large this place actually is. Just because you see a lot of people, don't be scared away. I'm not a beer drinker, but even I was impressed with the expansive beer selections. Our meat dish and dessert were good, but not out of this world impressive. Overall, go for the beer and the coxinha: and enjoy the company of your friends.

Meu bar favorito en Vila Madalena! It looks like a second…read morehand bookstore on the inside with authors like Bukowski and pictures of young Marlon Brando, drawing rad (but surprisingly not pretentious) people from all over Sao Paulo. Any given night of the week the whole bar/restaurant has people spilled out onto the street with buckets of ice cold original by their side. But don't let the crowd discourage you if you've come for a bite. They can always find seating for you inside after a few minutes. Friday nights are my favorite because they have a guy walking around with huge tray of fresh pastel. They taste amazing. Especially after that second caipirinha.

Mercearia is a cheap local dive bar with a great - and LARGE - crowd. The place is so popular with…read morethe locals that it's packed every night, and people just end up overflowing to the streets (and blocking traffic, but that's beside the point). It's a great place to chill out with some friends, or other local Brazilians in the area :)