The culinary tour of Sao Paulo and its diverse cuisine

Sao Paulo also known as Sampa is the largest city in Brazil with a population of 20 million. It is a cultural hotbed with a diverse populace from Middle East, Japan, Germany, Italy, Korea and Portugal. The multiethnic city is brimming with myriads of dining options featuring cuisines from across the globe. The Skye Bar and Dalva e Dito are among the popular favorites while the hidden gems like Coffee lab and Municipal Market offer unique flavors and a tasty variation.

Explore Sao Paulo with this culinary tour starting from:

Coffee Lab
Since the majority of Coffee beans from Brazil are exported to Europe and North America, a good coffee bar is hard to find in Sao Paolo. However, Coffee Bar in the Vila Magdalena goes against the tide and boasts of the best coffee in South America. The coffee is roasted and brewed within the “laboratory” and served to the coffeephile. Isabela Raposeiras even started a coffee school where enthusiasts can opt for technical or fun courses and learn all about cappuccinos, espressos and mochas.
 
Street Food Market
A morning coffee is incomplete without the Brazilian Street food in Jardim Paulista neighborhood. The Street Food Market is a melting pot of Brazilian food outlets serving the best delicacies including mini chicken empanadas, prawn pastels, espetos (kebabs with spiced chicken, beef or pork), candies coconut, acaraje com camarao and abobora em pedacos (sweet pumpkin served with coconut, jams or chocolate).

Along with the scrumptious food, live Brazilian folk music is the key to the ultimate treat. You can burn those calories while dancing with the Paulista locals.
 
Dalva e Dito
Chef Alex Atala’s new casual restaurant after D.O.M features home like ambiance with regional Brazilian cuisine. Inspired by his family’s favorites, Chef prepares Feijoada (classic pork stew with rice and beans), Pato de Tucupi (duck in a sauce of Tucupi), Empadinha shrimp bobo - pepper-eye goat, Moqueca (a salt water fish stew in coconut milk), silk sorbets, Acai with banana, guarana, spices, Tapioca ice cream and cereal crumble and Pork fillet with orange and mining tropeirinho. The bar serves Leblon Caipirinha, Cachaça Special, Grappa Il Moscato di Nonino along with the classic Ballantine's, Martini and Bellini.
 
Skye Bar
Skye Bar is located on the rooftop of the Hotel Unique featuring a crimson red pool, a lounge area with panoramic views of the skyline and Ibirapuera Park and an underwater sound system. Skye offers the best of visual enthusiasm with French Chef Emmanuel Bassoleil serving the best of Italian, Japanese and French cuisines. The menu features creamy café au lait, mini muffins and the freshest fruit. The most popular dish is Banana leaf “papillotte” of sole Filet, cassava and fresh asparagus with "Beurre Blanc". Shrimp and Crab Meat with Cocunut Milk and Catupiry Cheese, Niçoise Salad with Crunchy Poached Egg, Kobe Beef Carpaccio with passion fruit vinaigrette are some of the popular favorites. The bar offers great collection of wine including Veuve Clicquot La Grande Dame 1998. A unique Watermelon Unique (Vanilla Vodka, watermelon juice and watermelon liqueur) celebrates the essence of Unique Half moon design Hotel.

Mercado Municipal or Municipal Market
This covered market is quite popular among the locals as well as tourists. It is a belle époque building featuring vast domes and stained glass. The market was inaugurated in January 1933 and since then is flocked with shoppers looking for dried goods and fresh produce. The market houses one of the finest mortadella sandwich and pasties (fried pockets of dough with fish, cheese or meat stuffing) stalls. It is also commonly called Mercadão (Big Market) spreading over 12,600 square meters. It was designed by famous architect, Francisco Ramos de Azevedo. It consists of 291 shops with a great variety of fresh produce, dairy products and traditional Brazilian cuisine.

People mostly flock here to enjoy the Mortadella sandwich which is a mountain of mortadella with another mountainous layer of provolone cheese served on sour dough bread, with dijon mustard and mayonnaise which are also mountain shaped.
 
Maria Brigadeiro
This place is all about Brigadeiro (chocolate bonbons of butter, chocolate powder and condensed milk) served in gourmand versions like doce de leite with walnuts, pistachio and cachaça (sugarcane alcohol) and salted caramel. It is the Brazil's first workshop dedicated to this traditional sweet treat. The atelier serves around 40 flavors including coconut, hazelnut, Sicilian lemon, cachaça, coffee, Bailey's and Tradicional. The brigadeiros are prepared from 45-85% organic chocolate brought from Deigo Badaró's farms in Bahia. The sweets are prepared daily in front of the customers. At times, One of the highlights at the atelier is the collection of brigadeiros made from 45%-85% pure organic chocolate from Diego Badaró's farms in Bahia. Sweets at Maria Brigadeiro are made fresh daily in front of the customers. Chef Motter creatively rolls the brigadeiros in pecans, hazelnut slivers, white chocolate shavings and powder milk for a unique sweet-tooth satiating flavor.