I briefly mentioned in my São Paulo trip report that I enjoyed some great coffee, but want to provide further details about where to get a great cappuccino in one of the great cities of the world.
Great Coffee In São Paulo, Brazil
The coffee shop is called Por um Punhado de Dólares, literally a “fistful of dollars,” and is located in the Consolação district in central São Paulo.
Por um Punhado de Dólares
R. Nestor Pestana, 115
Consolação, São Paulo – SP, 01303-010, Brazil
+55 11 93731-3954
10:00AM – 9:00PM (daily)
What attracted me to this place was the big, bright red La Marzocco coffee machine visible from the street. Add to that the minimalist decor and I knew it had to be a winner.
The menu:
The guys working behind the counter were extremely friendly and when they learned I was from Los Angles were very excited to let me try their coffee. A cappuccino was 12 Brazilian Real for a large cup, equivalent to about $2.30…a tremendous deal for a nice cup of coffee.
But the espresso itself? Rich, earthy, and chocolatey.
I only stayed for coffee, but beer, sandwiches, pastries, and other appetizers are available (in Brazil, liquor licenses are easily dispensed and just about every coffee shops also is a bar).
I enjoyed the coffee so much I decided to take home a bag of espresso beans for my machine at home…please pardon the rather crude packaging, which I suppose (if I am being charitable) is part of the hipster “charm” of the place.
In any case, I’ve been enjoying the coffee very much this week at home – it makes a strong espresso with strong nodes of chocolate, which I love.
CONCLUSION
Maybe I missed some of them, but I did not see the concentration of coffee shops in Sao Paulo like I did in cities like Santiago or Buenos Aires, but perhaps I was not looking hard enough. In any case, I greatly enjoyed Por um Punhado de Dólares and know you will find great coffee there.
Where is your favorite coffee in Sao Paulo?
I’m laughing at the Four Seasons logo in the Cappuccino foam. Good thing they pulled out of Brazil, lol.
Thanks! Already put it on my list. Also, if you ever go back to Buenos Aires in the future, I recommend you try “Full City Coffee House”. One of the best from that city. They use Colombia coffee beans.
Matthew: Brazil is not famous for just a coffee shop like you see in Italy. Sao Paulo is famous for great bakeries and pastry shops where amazing coffee is served. You sit, grab a pastry and enjoy coffee.
However, here is a guide with great options of coffee shops: (in Portuguese)
https://www.guiadasemana.com.br/restaurantes/galeria/cafeterias-imperdiveis-em-sao-paulo
Also, although Colombia has done a great marketing about their coffee, Brazil is by far the largest coffee producer in the world with some amazing coffee regions like Minas Gerais. In have friends that are coffee producers and the top Italian names like illy, Lavazza, Kimbo, etc… are all their customers.