-
A Bela Paulista
This very agreeable, upscale bakery is especially popular with the gay Paulistano community for its gourmet sandwiches and salads served around the clock. Expect lines in the wee hours as clubs start to close.
-
Arábia
Widely considered São Paulo's best Middle Eastern restaurant, Arábia sticks closely to classic recipes but stands out for their careful preparation and, above all the excellence and freshness of the ingredients.
-
Bovinus
With a diverse salad bar and a huge variety of grilled meats, the Bovinus buffet is a classic Brazilian churrascaria, even if the ambiance is somewhat sterile. At lunch, the same is available by weight.
-
Brasil a Gosto
At once cozy and modern, this remarkable new Jardins institution has won kudos for its innovative takes on classic Brazilian dishes and ingredients, from carne do sol (tasty, salted meat, grilled and served with beans, rice and vegetables) to Amazonian fruits such as the berry-like açai .
-
Bráz
Cooking up what many consider Sampa's best pizza in wood ovens, this rather upscale but always animated spot is worth the 10 to 15 minute walk from Av Paulista.
-
Churrascaria Aliados
Cheap eats for lunch until late afternoon. A doggedly old-fashioned lunch-counter joint with grouchy waiters, swift service and tasty grub at bargain prices.
-
D.O.M.
Foie gras with a crust of wild rice? Gnocchi with oxtail sauce? Duck breast with banana? This small and deceptively casual Italo-French restaurant serves up some of the finest food in Sampa, which is saying a lot.
-
Duplex
This chic-yet-cozy bistro serves creative salads, pastas, risottos, and delicious mains that with a fusion of Italian, French and Asian methods and ingredients.
-
Estadão
Famous for its pernil (pork loin) sandwiches served on crusty French bread, this no-frills stand-up joint is justifiably popular with both taxi drivers and the late-night revelers they ferry about.
-
Famiglia Mancini
Another Paulista tradition, this cozy cantina manages to be both homey and upscale, and serves up classic, delicious northern Italian fare on family-style platters.
-
Advertisement
-
Fasano
São Paulo's most feted restaurant sits splendidly on the ground floor of the hotel of the same name, its decor a remarkable combination of opulence and restraint. Its menu features dishes from around Italy, with tasting menus focused on a single region. Need to close a billion-dollar deal? This is your place.
-
Figueira Rubaiyat
Sprawling and luxurious like the ancient fig that graces its outdoor terrace, this top-of-the-line grill-restaurant serves up perhaps Sampa's best meat, plus other delicacies from fresh oysters to foie gras with figs.
-
Galeria dos Pães
This gourmet grocery store also has a great deli where the beautiful people of Jardins come to hash out their social lives over an excellent selection of gourmet sandwiches and fresh juices. There's also a buffet breakfast during the week, brunch at weekends and a daily buffet of soups and baked goods.
-
Gopala Prasada
Cheap and elegant with delicious food, this Indian vegetarian lunch place (spread over two older town houses about 50 meters apart) offers two set menus daily, including soup, main and dessert. Simple food but prepared and served with care.
-
Green
There are lots of snack stands throughout Parque Do Ibirapuera, but you can get a full meal at the Green, between the Museu de Arte Moderna and the Museu Afro-Brasil, which serves a hearty per-kilo buffet. To get to the park take bus 775-A 'Jardim Aldagiza' from the metro station.
-
Kazan
A bright, pleasant Japanese restaurant in the heart of Jardins, Kazan offers good sushi at great prices. The buffet includes soup, tempura, teriyaki and dessert, as well as all the sushi you can eat.
-
L'Aperô
The French-born owner has created a relaxed, Sampa-style bistro that serves up big portions of classic French dishes with Brazilian inflections, plus creative and delicious salads.
-
Lanchonete Bom Jesus
The best of a string of decent, simple eateries known as lanchonetes along Rua Augusta, Bom Jesus is clean, well run and has great-value meals including rice, beans, grilled meat and a drink, all for under R$10.
-
Margherita
Classic thin-crust Italian pizza is cooked up in wood ovens and served in an attractive dining room that draws the young, and young-looking, of Jardins. Expect a line on weekends, especially Sundays.
-
Martín Fierro
Even Brazilians admit that Argentines are the masters of barbecue, and this humble-looking but convivial spot proves their point. The grilled beef is outstanding, while the grilled veggies and empanadas make first-rate accompaniments.
-
Advertisement
-
Mestiço
Both the creative menu and the colorful-yet-chic design are a delightful combination of Brazilian and Asian influences, from Bahian fritters to Thai curries. Mestiço attracts an upscale, artsy crowd.
-
Nakasa
The decor - a stylish take on rustic Japanese architecture - is alluring, and so is the excellent sushi at this rather romantic Jardins option.
-
Oscar Bistrot
This simple but attractive eatery offers decent pastas, salads and grilled meats at very reasonable prices in the serpentine ground-floor gallery of Edifício Copan.
-
Oscar Café
New but already a Jardins classic, this restaurant-café is a world unto itself, with natural-wood decor, a pretty waterfall, excellent coffee and baked goods, and creative Brazilian-fusion mains.
-
Piola
Serving fine, thin-crust wood-oven pizza in a colorful, relaxed, chic dining room, Piola attracts a youngish and hip crowd. Expect a line Sunday evenings.
