São Paulo is a lovely city in so many ways, but perhaps most of all in its diversity of food and drink, all delicious and all cheap by U.S. and Western European standards. I had a gastronomical and mixological treat and all within 24 hours.
24 Hours In São Paulo: An Insider’s Guide
I was so thankful to have my friend along for this journey, who practically lives in Sao Paulo on the weekend even though he officially lives in the USA. The day began in the evening. Although we arrived in the morning, both of us spent most of the day in our rooms getting work done.
From the Grand Hyatt Sao Paulo, we took a taxi across town to Bar da Dona Onça where we would have dinner.
The menu is varied, but I had to try a steak in Brazil and I was absolutely elated that I did. Despite the sauce (usually a huge detractor but pleasant here) the steak was cooked a prefect medium rare, tender, juicy, and the pasta a nice accompaniment. How much? About $13.
This was my first time trying a Caipirinha (cachaça, sugar, lime), a cocktail I am now fond of. We also tried Bolinhos de espinafre (spinach dumplings)as an appetizer, which were very tasty.
As we walked outside after dinner, I admired Edifício Copan (Copan Building), which houses the restaurant on the ground floor.
The following morning, we returned to the same neighborhood in central Sao Paulo for coffee at Por um Punhado de Dólares, literally a “fistful of dollars.” The coffee was superb and I even took a bag home with me.
Then the walking tour began. I had no prior orientation of Sao Paulo, but greatly enjoyed the varied mix of architecture that construct the skyline of the city center.
At one point, we passed through a bustling street market. I was advised to keep my phone in my pocket, but note that the streets were jammed (and this was a Friday – weekends are apparently much worse). I love the murals throughout the city.
We stopped at the Mercado Municipal de São Paulo (most refer to it as Mercadão or big market) and had a walk inside. Warning: you will be offered samples of fruit. Just say no. While I’m not calling every fruit dealer a crook, the scam is that you try a sample and then are charged a massive amount of money after enjoying it. Just look, don’t touch. The touts are very aggressive.
There are also a number of little restaurants inside which look delicious and have printed menus with prices.
It’s also a great place to stock up on spices and herbs.
Next, we stopped at the São Paulo Cathedral (See Cathedral) which has a stunning Neo-Gothic edifice and resembles many of the ancient cathedrals in Europe. But this is not an ancient building; construction began in 1913 and did not finish until 1954, with the towers not completed until 1967. Prior to the present cathedral, a church on the site dated back to 1589.
Outside the cathedral was a street preacher screaming at the top of his lungs to a crowd that had formed around him:
A statue of Jesuit priest José de Anchieta had very strong imperialistic overtones (which I include because I don’t think it will last…)
We continued our walk, enjoying more great architecture on our way to Liberdade, the Japanese district of São Paulo.
Liberdade is home to the largest population of ethnic Japanese outside of Japan. Once known as Campo da Forca (Field of the Gallows), it was the area reserved for the execution of slaves and convicts (did you know that slavery did not end in Brazil until 1888, becoming the last country in the western world to do so?). Death was considered the only avenue to Liberdade (liberty) for the slaves.
The Japanese began to arrive in 1912. I loved pedestrian traffic lights and lantern-like street lights. I also loved the little gardens and even the Haikai stationery store (it felt like I was in Tokyo!).
My friend stopped for some caldo de cana (sugarcane juice) at the outskirts of the district.
We continued onto Bar Boca de Ouro by Uber, located in the Pinheiros district. We arrived at 2:00pm, just as it was opening for the day. For next few hours we just sat and talked, enjoying a leisurely lunch and delicious cocktails. While speakeasy may not be the right term, there is no sign on the door, just a number (1121). The small bar inside is intimate and cozy, but head downstairs to a recently-opened garden.
I don’t think you can go wrong with a single cocktail on the menu here. For lunch I had sanduíche de copa lombo desfiado com picles de cebola roxa (shredded tenderloin with red onion pickles) and it was a fabulous sandwich. My friend tried the Acelga picante (spicy cabbage, sautéed in sesame oil, with Korean pepper and scallions).
If you stop here, I particularly recommend the Chaparral cocktail which includes coffee liqueur and Paratudo Raízes Amargas (bitter roots)
Just to sit under the trees and enjoy the gentle afternoon breeze was so relaxing.
Next up, we took an Uber to Ibirapuera Park. First we stopped at O Monumento às Bandeiras (Monument to the Bandeiras). Constructed in 1921 by Italian-Brazilian sculptor Victor Brecheret, it marks the entrance of Ibirapuera Park.
Ibirapuera is the most visited park in South America and spans 158 hectares. It is a beautiful park that takes elements of Central Park in New York, more formal English gardens, a bit of Japanese influence, and a distinctly Brazilian touch.
From the park, we walked back toward the Pinheiros district for our dinner at Lupe Bar y Taqueria.
The guacamole and tacos here were simply amazing. We arrived at 7:00pm when it opened and had the restaurants to ourselves (Brazilians eat late). All tacos were delicious, but the fish tacos were particularly delicious.
And that was that. We returned to the Grand Hyatt and I hopped in an Uber to go back to the airport for my flight to Houston.
But it was an amazing 24 hours that helped me to fall in love with the beautiful Brazilian city of São Paulo. I look forward to returning. I’d do the same itinerary over again in a heartbeat.
I’ll take your recommendation and visit Bar Boca de Ouro next time I’m there. It looks like a nice little place.
You crammed in a ton in a short time. I’d never really considered São Paulo before but it looks a lot more interesting than I’d thought. Didn’t feel like staying another day or two?
I did! I would have preferred a week. But my wife and kids were waiting. Next time I hope to bring them along.
It’s a tough town though. Years ago I walked past a bunch of street thugs auctioning off a police car in one of the bairros. And there were still two policemen inside it.
LOL
Such a crap shoot, in my experience, going to the international airport. Sometimes takes 1.5 hrs, sometimes 3.5 hrs.
And in my case, it took only about 40 minutes on a Friday night at 8:30pm to return to GRU.
Matthew: What a fantastic 24 hours and what a fascinating review. Sao Paulo is my town. I lived there for 15 years after I moved from the country side of Brazil to work there. It is not as fascinating as Rio de Janeiro, it is crowded, the traffic is insane, there is no beach and the sky can be too gray but the tour you did there is exactly why so many people love the place. You cannot find a better mix of gastronomy anywhere in the world. As for people concerned about safety, it is all about being smart. As any large city in the world you cannot play stupid that people will target you. Next time you go, let me know and I will give some of the most amazing places to try meat and other Brazilian dishes but also the best Italian, Lebanese, Portuguese and Japanese food you can have outside those countries. Last, the prices you got there are the reality in small places like you visited. Now, if you go to fancy restaurants in the Jardins district you will find amazing places but prices will not be cheap. They literally increase their prices in Brazilian Reais to USD. Not as fast and the currency has devalued but still not that cheap.
I can’t wait to return!
Thanks for this absolutely brilliant guide! Please post more of these and less of the ‘Spirit Airlines fights on-board’
Spirit Airlines fights on board get wayyyyy more clicks than this article though. I’d guess at least 40-50 times more.
*bingo*
I love Brazil. Haven’t been since 2013 when it was INSANELY expensive. Glad to hear our dollar is stronger than it was then. Next time in São Paulo check out the Hotel Unique for a drink and have lunch at Figueroa Rubiyat
I remember my first trip there in 2009 it was also insanely expensive…things are much better these days for U.S. travelers.
Guacamole and tacos? I’m laughing inside. Who comes to Brazil for Guacamole and tacos? Glad you found some that tasted good, but Mexican cuisine is not a forte here.
I seek out Mexican food in every city in the world – I’m going to do a separate post just on these tacos!
LOL!!! I was going to say the same thing but since I know Matthew eats Mexican food even in Asia I just kept quiet. But agree with you that nobody eats Mexican food in Brazil.
São Paulo is certainly one of the world’s great cities, and sadly almost entirely ignored by North American and European tourists. Of course, its not as spectacular as Rio de Janeiro – which hardly has an equal anywhere in the world – but São Paulo has the best food and restaurant culture in South America by a large margin (in my opinion second only to Mexico City in all of the Americas, though the food and drink in SP is much more diverse) and is a lovely place to explore and walk around. The weather is nice when North America and Europe are cold, it’s relatively inexpensive, doesn’t suffer from tourist-fatigue, has lots of non-stop flights from most everywhere, and no jet-lag for North American travelers.
And in my case, it was a great escape from the hot summer of Southern California.
Any suggestions on hunting up the smaller places, particularly if you only speak a bit of Spanish and no Portuguese?
You need to know someone that lives there and knows it. The best places as you can imagine are usually off the beaten path, owned by small families that work at the restaurant and it will not be recommended by the concierge of any hotel.
Unfortunately about what I’d figured. Worth asking, though. What about language? I can scrape by in Spanish but have no experience in Portuguese.
Looks beautiful but Carlos and I are very confused why you went from LA to Brazil to eat Mexican food. To each his own I guess.
Amazing, I wish I had been more organised when I visited SP a couple of years ago (it was only a short visit between a trip to BsAs and catching a TAP A330neo back to Europe on an award ticket)- my planning was so bad that I has thought I was going to stay there three days when I only had two! Hopefully will return this Christmas though.
Howver, I have to echo the comments on the hotel post- location is super important in a city where traffic jams are world famous. I stayed in Jardins/Av. Paulista and it was ideal. I got myself a somewhat basic but rather spacious suite in the Mercure Grand Plaza for sonething like €75 a night, Definitely not at the cutting edge of luxury or hipsterness, but a perfectly decent base from which to explore the city.
*had thought
My hotel travel has been drastically reduced this year, so I really need to stay at Hyatts as much as I can. I’ve passed the 30 nights to re-qualify for Globalist, but it is unlikely I will hit 60 (for the suite upgrades) and if I do, I need to make it a point to stay in every single Hyatt I possibly can.
But I totally admit that the Uber ride was annoying and traffic was horrific except for my journey back to the airport.
Ah, that makes sense!
Danke Matthew oder wie wir in DE sagen Matthias!
Ich habe nächstes Jahr geplant Sao Paolo zu besuchen. Diese Reportage ist ziemlich gut. Hoffe ich kann sie auch alle besuchen.
Liebe Grüsse aus DE!