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7
7 Places to Eat in . . . São Paolo, Brazil
The carioca culture of Rio de Janiero is great for music, barhopping, and beach-going,
but when Brazilian gourmets want to indulge themselves, where do they head? São
Paolo. In this affluent, booming, multicultural metropolis, restaurant-going is practi-
cally a religious pursuit. Paulistas deeply respect all the rituals of dining out—expect to
dress up for dinner, to eat fashionably late (10pm is on the early side), and to wait for
a table (most of São Paolo's best spots don't take reservations).
Navigating the São Paolo sprawl can be confounding, and the traffic is horren-
dous, so organize your time here by neighborhoods. Amid the skyscrapers of the
Avenida Paulista district, the refined, sleek Antiquarius (Alameda Lorena 1884;
& 55/11/3082-3015; www.antiquarius.com.br) consistently wins raves for its classi-
cal Portuguese cuisine, including dishes rarely served outside Portugal—like cata-
plana de peixes e frutos do mar, a rich seafood stew with bacon and sausage, served
in a traditional lidded pot; or açorda , a clay-pot casserole of crab, shrimp, and mus-
sels—along with a definitive bacalhau (cod). Many of the city's best high-end restau-
rants are Italian; one standout is Massimo (Alameda Santos 1826; & 55/11/
3284-0311 ), with a menu that's practically a geography lesson in Italian regional
cuisines: The changing menu may include oven-
roasted lamb with vegetables, tomato, and white-
wine sauce; trout filet served with olive oil and
basil; or a lean suckling pig with roast potatoes; all
with wine pairings to match.
It's hard not to fall in love with the lush green
suburbs to the southwest, known collectively as
Jardins, where you'll find the city's most stunning
restaurant setting: Figueira Rubaiyat (Rua
Haddock Lobo 1738; & 55/11/3063-3888; www.
rubaiyat.com.br), a glass-ceilinged beauty built
around the gnarled trunk of a magnificent old fig
tree. It's a perfect place to appreciate the Brazilian
passion for meat: Most of the beef, chicken, and
other meats served here come from the owners'
own fazenda (cattle ranch), so the quality is always top-notch. (A more casual and
cheaper spinoff, Baby Beef Rubaiyat, is a few blocks away at Av. Brigadeiro Faria Lima
2954.) For sheer star power, visit celebrity chef Alex Atala's D.O.M. (R. Barão de
Capanema 549; & 55/11/3088 0761; www.domrestaurante.com.br), a sleek, high-
ceilinged, airy space with high gourmet buzz. Four- or eight-course set menus show-
case Atala's classical French technique, imaginatively applied to native Brazilian
ingredients like black beans, codfish, sardines, manioc, and hearts of palm. Atala is no
lockstep locavore, though—he's just as likely to throw in imported delicacies like foie
gras and truffles when the dish calls for it. This is one of the few São Paolo restaurants
that does take reservations; you'll need one, at least a week in advance.
A cassoulet at Figueira Rubaiyat.
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