cultural chameleon

cultural chameleon

my guide to são paulo

With its sprawling metro system, you can explore São Paulo’s numerous neighborhoods: Pinheiros (commercial and financial heartbeat of the city), Barra Funda, Bixiga, & Santa Cecilia (nightlife), Oscar Freire (upscale shopping neighborhood) Centro (chaotic outlet-priced shopping and historical center), Jardim Paulista and Itaim Bibi (upscale neighborhoods). Whatever your flavor is, São Paulo has it. 

cafés ☕

It’s uncommon to see people remote work out of coffee shops in São Paulo, but you’ll see many people meeting up for coffees later, even in the evening. In the more gentrified areas that cater to the young professionals and tourists, like Pinheiros, there are more spots where you’ll find cafés with laptops open.  

best cafés to remote work 👩🏽‍💻 

I spent an entire afternoon here working from a large table and a filling lunch. 

Loved their breakfast sandwich! Ended up coming here twice, but it was hard to find the Pinheiros location the first time.  

This coffee shop became one of my favorites! Plenty of tables to sit at but since they play music a little louder, I would suggest coming a day you don’t have meetings 

Great coffee, but less vibes

In a more upscale neighborhood, Café Zinn is exactly the type of place you would expect to see influencers around. It gives Erewhon smoothie. That being said, their iced mate is refreshing, their cheese & beef sandwich scrumptious, their wifi is strong, and I’ve heard strong praise for their chocolate cake. 

Recommendations: Prensadinho de carne com queijo, verano quinoa solar, surf coffee, mate gelado

  • Santo Grão (many locations)

This bookstore + café is the perfect way to spend a rainy afternoon in São Paulo! 

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where to eat🍴

It’s not a cultural norm to reserve a table in advance. Also, expect to eat dinner later at night because you’re on Latin American time. I found it pretty uncommon to see anyone eating alone. 

  • Feira da Liberdade $-$$ Praça da Liberdade

Enjoy Japanese and Brazilian food at this street market that takes over the Liberdade neighborhood downtown and best enjoyed on Sunday afternoons. It’s super easy to get to by metro if you’re planning on going to the historic center. My favorites are takoyaki de camarão, pastel de queijo, and drinking freshly made caldo de cana.

One of my favorite meals in São Paulo! This is a women-owned restaurant inspired by the Brasilian nordeste (Northeast), from the chef’s time in northeastern states of Ceará and Piauí. Northeastern food is well known for carne de sol, a dried meat, which I’ve heard from friends is great paired with an ice-cold beer in the summer heat. 

Recommendations: Dadinho de tapioca, Arroz de Kimchi Sertanejo com Linguiça de Carne de Sol

Cocktails: Cocais, Irene

A chill place for lunch – they’re best known for their rice dishes topped with the perfect egg & runny yolk. The cook prepares the meals in the open kitchen in the middle of the space, surrounded by records.

This Taiwanese restaurant was a great lunch find on my day off. The hostess was very kind and showed me around the restaurant, pointing out the window on the staircase that lets us look into the kitchen. They were friendly and gave me a spicier sauce for the crispy chicken I had as my entree. 

Recommendations: Taiwan Bao Tradicional, Frango Crocante

I ended up coming here twice- once to work during brunch and another time for a solo dinner. Their ordering system is through a QR code attached to your table number. 

The best Thai food I had in Brasil!

Delicious baos, spicy pork, and gyozas.

Some friends put me onto Patties to end a chill wine night. The shoestring fries were so good!! And the smashburger hits the spot. 

Yummy burgers that are available super late night, with veggie options and donuts too.  

Great pizza!

This café has all-day brunch, but is great for remote work and having lunch or dinner to catch up with a friend. My favorite location was the Pinheiros location. 

Recommendations: Minetta burger, deli dog

For a nice night out, sit on the patio to people-watch with your bestie at this Parisian style bistro. It’s a popular spot so you can drink a cocktail next door while you wait for your table to open up.

This Asian fusion restaurant offers Thai karaage, veggie/tofu options, buns, Japanese curry, and pork belly gochujang, along with tasty soju, gin, and saké cocktails. It’s situated in a spot that livens up late at night, by the Largo da Batata area.

Recommendations: açaí original, Shogayaki, chá mate capim santo 

High quality and healthy food in a tucked away spot, but expensive and a longer wait on weekends

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where to drink🍸

This list is geared towards cocktails, but Brasilian socializing revolves around beers in a more casual boteco or samba in the summers out in the streets. Two of my favorite botecos are Charme da Paulista right on the main avenue across from MASP and Bella Jaú (thanks for putting me on, Sisi!). I somehow always ended up with friends at Funilaria in Bixiga many nights!

Classic cocktails you’ll see on bar menus here are: Bee’s Knees, Penicillin, Rabo de Galo. 

This award-winning bar might be easily overlooked but it has some of the best bartenders of SP and high quality drinks. 

This beautiful lounge is tucked away, so it feels very cozy and tropical.

Good cocktails downtown

Chill wine bar with outdoor events

Small wine bar with appetizers

A listening bar with great cocktails and rooftop terrace, but expect a long wait even on weekday nights. This place is more clubby than the usual sit down listening bar.

Cute new listening bar but you need to make reservations in advance

This is a cute pizza and wine place, perfect for a solo date night. It’s named after the owner’s dog, Clementina!

Lowkey cocktails and pizza in a dimly-lit bar

📌To pin for later 

culture

  • MASP 🎨- a great way to spend the morning is going to the most famous museum right on Avenida Paulista. The main exhibition space is uniquely formatted, you’ll just have to go to find out for yourself!  
  • Pinacoteca 🎨- one of my favorite museums! This art museum is in a building from the 1900s in downtown SP, close to the Luz metro station. It’s especially beautiful on a sunny day, with the light filtering into the sculptural section. 
  • CineSesc 🍿- I love SP’s robust film scene that is accessible through regional cultural, community centers called SESC. CineSesc will sometimes have free talks, panels, and film weeks.
  • Cinesala 🍿 a small street theater. I had issues entering the theater to get to my seat, so note: if you don’t have a CPF, you’ll need to generate one and remember it to get your ticket.
  • Parque Ibirapuera – This is São Paulo’s Central Park. Enjoy a walk or bike ride around, visit the Afro Brasil Museum, appreciate Niemeyer’s architecture in Auditório Ibirapuera, and catch events all around the park.
  • Casa Modernista a 1928 jewel of a villa with a small park to walk around

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Miscellaneous

I’ve never fallen in love with a vintage boutique store the way I did with Las Hermanas. There’s so many quality pieces that are beautifully organized by color. It’s the only thrift store Instagram I follow, crying inside as I watch their reels with new stock and thematic outfit ideas. A must visit if you want to incorporate unique patterned or colorful pieces into your wardrobe as a souvenir from Brasil.  

  • Peça Rara 🛒 $$$ Many locations (Vila Madalena, Jardins, etc)

This is a more expensive second hand vintage chain (think Buffalo Exchange). I went to the Peça Rara in an upscale neighborhood and found a pair of Farm Rio jeans and a beautiful white cotton dress with cutout designs. 

  • Clínica Dermatológica Lumina Pelle 💆🏽‍♀️ R Joaquim Antunes 490  – Appointment via Whatsapp

I received a quality facial at Lumina Pelle that was well priced and they were very friendly and flexible in making an appointment.

  • Vizu Hair Club 💇🏽‍♀️ Vila Mariana – by appointment

My first ever curly cut was in SP back in 2016 and since that experience, I’ve preferred to schedule a curly cut whenever I’m abroad. 

The stylists at Vizu Hair Club have a deep knowledge of curls and the care involved in maintaining its health. It’s very empowering to see such diversity in the curly haired beauties that undergo transformations on their IG (@vizuhairclub), especially in a culture that is pushing against the longstanding beauty standard of straight, long hair. Sammara attended to me and I learned so much about my hair’s qualities to fine tune my styling techniques to be able to replicate what she was doing back home. 

My Classpass subscription made it easy for me to continue going to the gym and taking pilates classes during my time in São Paulo. The most fun and grueling workout was at MOW House.

Want to check out all these spots on your own? Save this guide of São Paulo to your Google Maps!

my guide to são paulo

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