Where to Stay, What to Do, See and Eat

Welcome back to Two-Night Minimum, a series of city guides for those who want to get to the heart of a place in a short time—be it on a business trip or a weekend vacation. For the São Paulo edition, we independently scoped out more than 250 venues and distilled the list down to the very best of the best: Every recommendation below has earned our most discerning stamp of approval.

It should come as no surprise that within 24 hours of arriving in São Paulo, I’d been whisked away by new friends to see samba. It was 2 a.m., deep within Ó do Borogodó, a live music warehouse of sorts, and a cadre of mustachioed musicians was shaking the dilapidated room with the vibrato of their instruments while onlookers swayed and cheered—cellphones recording in one hand and too-sweet caipirinhas in the other. It felt like the Brazilian equivalent of watching the aurora borealis: a serendipitous, almost magical collision of energy found only here and now.

Samba may be more generally Brazilian than specifically from São Paulo, but the word borogodó is Paulistano to its core. Locals could only translate it loosely for me as “messy charisma,“ “jolie-laide,“ “ugly-sexy,” “panache” or, as the kids say, “rizz.” It’s something you have, not something you are. But everyone I spoke to agreed that São Paulo has borogodó aplenty.

With roughly 22 million inhabitants, the city is also the biggest metropolitan area on the continent. It sprawls both outwards and upwards, with miles upon miles of residential high-rises that are often used to place-set futuristic movies. And between the weatherworn concrete canyons is much more than just São Paulo’s famous gridlock. There are beach-bodied locals that gather by the thousands to play soccer at Ibirapuera Park, the city’s largest green space; twentysomethings flirting at trendy, tile-clad pubs called botecos; and commuters blasting everything from bossa nova to funky brega beats from their car windows.

Getting around São Paulo really is a feat. For visitors, Uber is best, but do as the locals do and use it to hail a regular taxi—they’re usually more comfortable and slightly cheaper and can bypass traffic in special taxi-only lanes. During the day, the city has an array of walkable pockets (and a gleaming safe metro to boot). But it’s a place where common sense pays dividends: Keep your cellphone and wallet safely tucked away, and refrain from wandering off down obscure side streets. After sunset, Paulistanos discourage even a two-block post-dinner walk.

And as for the most borogodó things to see and do? Here’s a cheat sheet to help you make the most of your visit, whether you have two nights or two weeks.

Lunch is São Paulo’s main meal, and it happens around 1 p.m., sandwiched by breakfast at the local padaria (“bakery”) and a light dinner around 8 p.m. Botecos are the main cornerstone of São Paulo culture, filled with live music and locals watching the day’s soccer match over beer and fried snacks. Feijoada, the national dish of stewed meat and black beans, is served only at lunch on Wednesday and Saturday (it’s too heavy to eat before bed), and everyone celebrates pizza Sundays, since São Paulo’s Italian population is the largest outside Italy. You’ll see an optional 12% or 13% service fee on restaurant bills—it’s good manners to pay it.

● Cora
A favorite among lunching “coxipsters” (Paulistano yuppies) on weekends, Cora’s sixth-floor roof patio is a downtown oasis with sprawling city views. The menu puts a Middle Eastern slant on the freshest regional produce, because in addition to being heavily Italian, São Paulo boasts one of the biggest Lebanese and Syrian expat communities in the world. Standouts include charred okra, tuna drenched in sesame oil and a cauliflower steak that comes lavished in tahini and mint.

● TonTon
When I asked chef-owner Gustavo Rozzino about his culinary aspirations for this quaint, wood-clad bistro in Jardins, he told me his dream had already come true: a bib gourmand instead of a Michelin star, honoring scrumptious, democratically priced food. His three-course French-Brazilian business lunch will only set you back 85 reais ($15); that includes flavorful dishes like steak tartare canapés, scallop vichyssoise and the “Bobó Tonton,” composed of succulent prawns with basmati rice, grilled banana and farofa (granulated cassava meal). It’s a midday meal far tastier than more-renown options charging five times as much.

● Barbacoa
Summarily described by a friend as a “waterfall of meat,” Barbacoa is São Paulo’s premiere all-you-can-eat churrascaria experience. For the uninitiated: These meals typically start with a salad buffet of cruise ship proportions, then involve flipping coins on your table between red and green to grab the attention of apron-clad, steak-toting servers. Here, they carve off slices of savory rump, flank and sirloin with surgeonlike precision—along with the must-try cupim, a hump of the Brahma steer, and the caviar-topped “Denver” filet. (Request a guia, or “guidebook,“ to help you along.) The sprawling venue certainly hasn’t updated its decor since its founding in 1990, but that’s part of the charm.

● Evvai and Tuju
The dialogue around São Paulo’s best fine-dining has been static for a decade. But there’s so much great new energy—and so many stale stalwarts—it’s time to shake it up. If buttoned-up service, prepped-to-perfection one-bite dishes and brilliant wine pairings is what you’re after, focus your attention on two restaurants, Evvai and Tuju.

Evvai’s 15-course dinner cranks up the volume for every bite of its Italian-inspired menu—every mouthful is intense. Case in point: a midmeal course nibble called the “scallop bomb” that’s wrapped in mandioquinha dough and fried up in duck fat for a proper explosion of flavor. At Tuju, the open kitchen is lit like a theater in the round; the tables in its orbit are all laden with unlikely foods that range from challah to crayfish and okra, combined in even more unlikely ways. (I especially loved the sea urchin dish dressed with a cardamom-spiced beet puree.) After some 10 courses, guests retreat to an upstairs lounge to enjoy a smattering of petit fours and a must-try board of domestic cheeses.

My only reservation (pun intended) about both? Like so many Michelin-chasing spots, they feel somewhat soulless. But the food is truly worth the accolades.

● Murakami and Goya Zushi
São Paulo has the largest Japanese population outside Japan (are you sensing a theme?), which makes for great sushi. Prioritize the omakase menu with warm dishes at Murakami. It’s immaculately prepared and served with a side of lively banter (in English or Portuguese) from the namesake chef. He even broke out in song at one point while serving his signature temaki handroll with prawn, shiso, roe and Japanese mayo.

Option two: Swap the theatrics for what may be the best value omakase outside Japan. Uilian Goya, Goya Zushi’s head chef, was a Murakami disciple for four years before creating his own sushi den, which serves an $80 parade of hot and cold dishes including a slightly smoked sawara (mackerel) and toro fatty tuna. After, sneak up the back staircase for a digestif at the Liquor Store, a hidden bar run by friends of chef Goya.

● Bites and beverages in Pinheiros
I could write an entire dining section about the Pinheiros neighborhood and fill it twice over, but this tightly edited bar crawl hits its best bites and drinks. It starts with an ahi tuna katsu sando and a Chennai cocktail (made with curry and bourbon) at industrial Altantico 212 and is followed by açaí mezcal cocktails at Metzi.

If it’s Sunday, Paulistano pizza night, hit up Picco for the namesake pie, festooned in spicy, slippery pepperoni—this is a spot where one must seemingly have a face tattoo to be on staff. On other days, head to veggie-forward Cepa, where braised cabbage slaw with almond cream pairs beautifully with a glass of Otro Vino rosé from southern Brazil.

Eventually, you’ll end up at Tan Tan—not to be confused with TonTon—a gastropub run by Thiago Bañares, an alum of the city’s pioneering temple to Brazilian gastronomy, D.O.M. Here he pairs approachable Asian fusion dishes, like pan-fried pork gyoza and roe-topped corn fritters, with genius-level tropical drinks like the vodka-based Old Passion.

● Exímia
Mark my words: This triplex cocktail emporium in Itaim Bibi will be Brazil’s next big phenomenon. All the drinks are batched in the third-floor cocktail lab, be it the rum-and-chardonnay-based Quebra-Queixo—a playful twist on a Brazilian street candy—or the Amarillys, with sloe gin, vermouth and jabuticaba (the edible fruit of the Brazilian grape tree). Sit on the first floor for a vibe that riffs off the Brazilian boteco with its signature white-checkered tile walls (many with patron’s Sharpie scribbles, signatures and well wishes) or on the second floor if you prefer a sultrier Amazonian theme.

● Bar e Lanches Estadão
After a late night out downtown, sop up the booze at the open-all-night Estadão. It’s the Katz’s Delicatessen of São Paulo, with a sandwich so good Meg Ryan wouldn’t need to fake anything. Order the sanduíche de pernil tradicional—slow-cooked pork (no cheese). It is, dare I say, significantly more delicious than anything I ate at the world-famous temple to pork, A Casa do Porco, arguably the city’s most famous restaurant.

● Time Travel Downtown
Avenida Paulista, São Paulo’s most vital artery, is a broad boulevard of wonderfully retro-futuristic skyscrapers, largely erected in a 1950s post-war boom. But it didn’t start that way. Before World War II, the street was lined with rambling European and Arabesque mansions built by a legion of coffee barons. Casa de Rosas, the only one left, has been turned into a museum and cultural center where lit displays on the ground floor provide a swift history lesson on the avenue’s history.

Follow it up with an unobstructed bird’s-eye view of the modern-day concrete canyon at the Sesc Avenida Paulista next door. The 17th floor of this public-services building is accessible to all via timed tickets; check in at the second-floor lobby to get free admission, then return to the ground level to take the elevator to the top.

● Entertainment Superhighway
What started as a soaring strip of highway built to relieve congestion in the city center in the early 1970s is still a slow-moving, car-clogged spot on weekdays. But come Saturday and Sunday, the Minhocão closes to traffic, letting runners and yoga practitioners inhabit its 2 miles of snaking cement. Join them for a stroll, then follow the down-sloping exit to Santa Cécilia, one of São Paulo’s most up-and-coming neighborhoods.

For lunch, order traditional egg-topped Brazilian rice dishes spun in large cast-iron pans—like the paella-adjacent, mushroom-laden arroz de cogumelos—at Conceição Discos, which doubles as a vintage record shop. Seek out Banca Tatui, an old newsstand that’s been converted into a micro-bookstore (there are dozens of these repurposed bancas, or “newsstands,” throughout the city). Then get a scoop of cajá (a sweet-tart orange fruit) or goiaba (guava) ice cream at Cangote Sorvetes. When late-afternoon rolls around, get a chopp (pronounced like “shoppie”)—an ice-cold draught beer—at Bar Moela, a popular boteco with fried bar snacks.

● Beach Tennis, Sans Beach
Americans love pickleball, and Europeans have padel … Paulistanos have beach tennis—and who cares if they don’t have a real beach? They just cart sand in by the truck-full to create rectangular patches of peachy powder where finance bros (or “Faria Limers,” as they’re called here) can escape the trading floor. Arena BTG, in Itaim, is the rare spot where you can play without a CPF card (the local form of ID). Its staff speak enough English that you can muddle through a really fun lesson (130 reais for one hour). And no, you can’t just slide in if you’re good at regular tennis: The rules are quite different because, hey, balls don’t bounce on sand. Book via WhatsApp at +55-11-94989‑5555.

● Mansion Museums
In the city’s more affluent areas, high walls keep out the threat of burglary. Unfortunately, they also kept out my snooping eye. Luckily, there’s a smattering of compelling midcentury homes that have been turned into compact museums—easier to see on a lunch break that, say, the iconic (and truly exceptional) Pinacoteca art institution. Most famous is the glass-encased, jungle-shrouded Casa de Vidro in the ritzy suburb of Morumbi, 15 minutes by Uber from Itaim Bibi. Think of it like Brazil’s version of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater, designed by Oscar Niemeyer contemporary Lina Bo Bardi.

In Jardins is the design-lover’s paradise of Casa Zalszupin, the longtime home of architect Jorge Zalszupin, which uses cramped stairwells and vaulted rooms to experiment with perspective and proportion. Make your home look like his by heading around the corner, to Alameda Gabriel Monteiro da Silva. This street, lined with spectacular home goods boutiques, is where you’ll find ETEL, a showroom selling patented reproductions of world-famous Brazilian furniture. You may even spot some pieces pulled straight from Zalszupin’s casa.

● Jardins
This confluence of towering condos and chic boutiques around Rua Oscar Freire—São Paulo’s Rodeo Drive—is home to city’s ultra-rich. Easily São Paulo’s most walkable district by a mile (both figuratively and literally), leafy Jardins is best in the late mornings when you can enjoy the city’s best padarias and primo people watching.

You might start at Bakehaus, which has a black belt in croissants—get the one dressed up with a lemon curd filling and a zigzag of meringue on top. But what you really ought to try is the superlative Brazilian cheese bread—warm and soft on the inside with a light outer crust—at Pão de Queijo Haddock Lobo. (Get a quindim—a coconutty custard tart while you’re at it.) Then swig a latte on the patio at Santo Grão to watch the neighborhood’s elite come out to play in their oversized sunglasses, chunky Rolexes and colorful Lacoste polos.

If its Saturday, try feijoada at local institution Tordesilhas, then walk off the heaviness of the stewed, salted meat by wandering a few blocks in any direction to delight in the quasi-aspirational names adorning the residential towers all around: Buckingham, Lindenberg and Pathernon (yes, that’s spelled correctly).

Misci is the city’s hottest clothing and lifestyle brand, championing Brazil’s ethnic diversity (Misci is short for “miscegenation”); its muted, adobe-pink flagship recently received international attention when Oprah stopped in and bought several bambolê leather handbags.

Check out local label Piet for denim-and-puffer streetwear, Handred for linen resort wear, and Pinga for graphic-print swimwear and açai skin care. You’ll also need a conversation piece for the office, so splurge on a mushroom-shaped desk lamp at Wentz, where the minimalist home goods are all inspired by nature.

● Vila Madalena and Surrounds
Grittier and more bohemian than Jardins, Vila Madalena is São Paulo’s other obvious walkable area that, from certain angles, might have you believing you’re exploring an up-and-coming neighborhood in Lisbon or Madrid. However, Vila Madalena—along with next-door Pinheiros—is very much on the map, and boasts some of the best bars and restaurants in the city. But there’s plenty to see before sunset as well.

Cafe culture thrives well into the afternoon on the sloping streets of the district. At Coffee Lab baristas quiz you on your ideal taste profile (say: light and fruity) and make the corresponding single-origin brews by Aeropress. If that’s too caffeine-centric, try Doís Tropicos, hidden down the stairs behind a Brazilian art and textiles shop. Its javas (and natural wines by the glass) are served in a back garden filled with potted plants and jungle vines. What’s non-negotiable is a stop at Brazilian cake shop Confeitaria Marilia Zylbersztajn. If you’ve never tried a slice of “Romeu e Julieta”—a truly delectable goiabada (guava preserve) cheesecake—this is the place to do it.

I swooned mightily over the furniture and art at Galeria Teo, but it’s more practical to prioritize souvenir shops that double as atelier tours. Follow the steps down to Atelier Schizzi’s sublevel workshop, for instance, and you can watch printing presses crank out brightly colored diaries, sketchbooks and calendars. The added benefit of shopping for ceramics at Estúdio Heloisa Galvão—where most of the cups have porcelain glaze artistically dripped around their rims—are on-demand studio visits with Galvão and her team, who are all sunshine incarnate.

As day turns to dusk, do as the locals and post up at a boteco—De Primera Botequim is great option with colorful tiled walls. Or try Vila Madalena’s ultimate hipster hangout, Santana Bar, which delivers modernist bourbon cocktails.

If São Paulo’s quintessential taste is the deeply stewed feijoada, then its signature sound is the clacking of helicopter propellers above. It’s how the city’s elite shave serious time off of their commute—especially on weekends when they’re escaping to the countryside.

West of the Big Smoke is Boa Vista, a luxury residential enclave built by Fasano parent company JHSF, complete with a fake beach, sprawling golf course, access to the Ipanema National Forest and, of course, a lavish Fasano hotel for guests. You can get there by chopper in 30 minutes.

Just under an hour east of São Paulo by heli is the colonial seaside village of Paraty, another Paulistano favorite for its mix of beaches and historical charm. Locals also have homes on estate compounds here and don’t frequent hotels, but you can approximate the experience with a stay at one of the town’s upscale pousadas (“inns”). Try Pousada Literária de Paraty just two cobbled blocks from the bay.

Book all of your helicopter needs with Revo, which charges from $450 per person for an airport transfer.

One of the most compelling and functional social apparatuses in the world, SESC—Serviço Social do Comércio (pronounced “seskee” by Brazilians)—is a private, not-for-profit endeavor to support workers in the goods and services industry with all of life’s needs and pleasures—medical care, deeply discounted restaurant food, wellness facilities and a curriculum of arts activities. It’s been a particularly successful endeavor in São Paulo, where each of the city’s SESC centers, of which there are dozens, are housed in gleaming architectural expressions. Much of their compelling programming and infrastructure (concerts, theatre performances, workshops, yoga classes, libraries, cafes—the list goes on) is also open to the general public.

If you have time to check out one of SESCs while you’re in town, make it SESC Pompeia, a former factory that’s been converted into a community center—and wondrous brutalist masterpiece—by noted architect Lina Bo Bardi. Here, you’ll feel the real pulse of the city as you take a coffee among gossiping twentysomethings, loiter on mid-mod furniture with a design magazine, listen to live music, watch gallerinas ogle the latest art exhibitions and pass locals going for their daily swim. Pick up the latest copy of Em Cartaz, SESC’s monthly 100-page pamphlet, for a detailed list of what’s on at all of the SESCs around the city.

Read next: Two-Night Minimum: Toronto