Good to know
Good to Know
- São Paulo is home to the largest Japanese community outside Japan, resulting in exceptional sushi and izakaya dining
- The city also has the largest Italian population outside Italy; pizza is particularly celebrated in São Paulo
- Street food culture is central to São Paulo's food scene—pastel, coxinha, tapioca, and acarajé are accessible everywhere from market stalls and street vendors
- iFood and Rappi dominate food delivery; most restaurants partner with them, though individual restaurant ordering systems also exist
- Mercado Municipal (Mercadão) is iconic for authentic São Paulo food experience with market stalls, traditional snacks, and the famous mortadella sandwich at Bar do Mané
- Vegan/vegetarian options are abundant across all price points; the city is considered one of South America's best destinations for plant-based eating
- Neighborhoods Jardins, Liberdade, Vila Madalena, and Pinheiros concentrate the best dining options for visitors and expats
- Prices are significantly cheaper than Northern hemisphere cities; mid-range meals typically cost 60–75 BRL (USD 12–15)
Supermarkets
Casa Santa Luzia
- Neighborhood
- Jardins
- Description
- Iconic, over-100-year-old supermarket with 30,000+ products including organic foods; beautifully designed with stained-glass windows. Over 1,000 homemade dishes daily for lunch/dinner
Mercado Municipal (Mercadão)
- Neighborhood
- Cantareira (City Center)
- Description
- Largest and oldest grocery market (1928); Neo-Baroque historic market hall with hundreds of stands selling traditional snacks, vegetables, spices, cheeses, and regional specialties; famous for cafezinho and sandwiches
Carrefour
- Neighborhood
- Multiple locations
- Description
- Major supermarket chain with good selection and household supplies across the city
Pão De Açúcar
- Neighborhood
- Multiple locations
- Description
- Well-known Brazilian supermarket chain with reliable selection
Extra
- Neighborhood
- Multiple locations
- Description
- Large supermarket chain with competitive pricing
Budget
Tabuleiro Do Acarajé
- Price Range
- R$15
- Neighborhood
- Consolação
- Cuisine Or Dish
- Bahian specialties: acarajé, vatapá, caruru
Jota Burger
- Price Range
- R$35
- Neighborhood
- Paulista Avenue
- Cuisine Or Dish
- Smash burgers, fries, milkshakes
O Gato Que Ri
- Price Range
- R$40
- Neighborhood
- City Center
- Cuisine Or Dish
- Traditional Brazilian, bruschetta, grilled items
Brasserie Victória
- Price Range
- R$30
- Neighborhood
- Downtown
- Cuisine Or Dish
- Lebanese esfiha, meat sandwiches, pastries
High End
D.O.M.
- Price Range
- R$450
- Neighborhood
- Jardins
- Cuisine Or Dish
- Contemporary Brazilian with indigenous ingredients, 2 Michelin stars
Spazio Italia
- Price Range
- R$120
- Neighborhood
- Liberdade
- Cuisine Or Dish
- Italian: bruschetta, burrata, shrimp risotto, pasta, tiramisu
Mid Range
Tordesilhas
- Price Range
- R$70
- Neighborhood
- Jardins
- Cuisine Or Dish
- Brazilian cuisine with contemporary twist, regional flavors from Minas Gerais and Bahia
Consulado Da Bahia
- Price Range
- R$65
- Neighborhood
- Pinheiros
- Cuisine Or Dish
- Bahian cuisine: acarajé, moquecas, regional specialties
Z Deli
- Price Range
- R$60
- Neighborhood
- Jardins
- Cuisine Or Dish
- Pastrami sandwich, deli items, contemporary style
Izakaya Issa
- Price Range
- R$75
- Neighborhood
- Liberdade
- Cuisine Or Dish
- Japanese izakaya: takoyaki, sushi, fresh preparations
Delivery Services
iFood
- Notes
- Dominant platform in Brazil with 80%+ market share and 100+ million orders monthly. Integrates with Uber app in Brazil as of May 2025. Offers food, groceries, pharmacy, and other goods
Rappi
- Notes
- Second-largest delivery platform offering food, groceries, medicines, and other items with 10-30 minute delivery targets
James Delivery
- Notes
- All-in-one app for food, groceries, pharmacy items; part of GPA Group (Grupo Pão de Açúcar)
Keeta
- Notes
- Chinese app by Meituan entering São Paulo market in 2024 with aggressive discounts and zero delivery fee promotions
99Food
- Notes
- Subsidiary of Didi (Chinese company); re-launched in Brazil in 2025 after shutdown in 2023; offers competitive pricing
Daki
- Notes
- Quick commerce app for grocery delivery in 15 minutes or less using small local warehouses
Michelin Restaurants
D.O.M.
- Stars
- 2
- Cuisine
- Contemporary Brazilian with indigenous ingredients and pre-colonial cooking methods combined with African and European influences
- Notes
- Chef Alex Atala; reservations required months in advance; very expensive, no prices listed online
Local Must Try Dishes
Feijoada
- Description
- Brazil's national dish; black bean stew with various meats, deeply rooted in Brazilian culture
Pastel (Bacalhau)
- Description
- Deep-fried pastry filled with dried salted cod, mashed potato, eggs, onion and parsley; São Paulo specialty
Coxinha
- Description
- Crispy croquette filled with chicken meat and cream cheese, shaped like a drumstick; originated in São Paulo in the 19th century
Mortadella Sandwich (Sanduiche De Mortadella)
- Description
- Iconic São Paulo sandwich with stacked, griddled mortadella and melted cheese in a bread roll; best at Bar do Mané in Mercado Municipal
Bauru
- Description
- Crusty bread roll with melted cheese, roast beef, tomatoes, and pickles; invented in the 1930s at Ponte Chic restaurant
Virado à Paulista
- Description
- Historic São Paulo dish traditionally eaten on Mondays; cornmeal/cassava, beans, dried meat, sausages, rice, and kale
Acarajé
- Description
- Deep-fried ball of black-eyed pea dough with spicy shrimp filling and vatapá; Afro-Brazilian heritage
Takoyaki
- Description
- Battered balls with diced octopus, pickled ginger, Worcestershire sauce and katsuobushi; found in Liberdade, São Paulo's Japanese neighborhood
Beirute
- Description
- Levantine-inspired sandwich with roast beef, lettuce, tomato, melted cheese, spices and za'atar in flatbread
Pão De Queijo
- Description
- Cheese bread; popular street food and staple Brazilian snack
Vegan Restaurants
POP Vegan Food
- Cuisine
- Vegan burgers, diverse plant-based dishes
- Neighborhood
- Rua Augusta / Paulista area
- Notes
- Highly recommended; supports social initiatives donating vegan food to unhoused communities; very accessible and diverse menu
Urbã Cozinha Vegana
- Cuisine
- Vegan breakfast, brunch, plant-based options
- Neighborhood
- City-wide
- Notes
- Opens at 10am (rare in São Paulo); friendly owner; perfect for breakfast/brunch or morning snacks
Sushimar Vegano
- Cuisine
- Vegan sushi, Asian-inspired dishes, salads
- Neighborhood
- Multiple locations
- Notes
- Fresh, inventive vegan sushi; owned by same company as non-vegan Sushimar
Loving Hut Vila Mariana
- Cuisine
- Vegan buffet with rotating vegan pizzas; lunch buffet Tuesday-Sunday
- Neighborhood
- Vila Mariana
- Notes
- International chain promoting vegan movement; high-quality diverse selection; a la carte and buffet options
Purana
- Cuisine
- Fully vegan Indian cuisine
- Neighborhood
- City-wide
- Notes
- Outstanding quality and welcoming service; risotto and variety of Indian vegan dishes
Gulab Hari
- Cuisine
- Indian with Brazilian twist; vegetarian and vegan options
- Neighborhood
- Consolação
- Notes
- Operating since 1995; lacto-vegetarian and vegan options; Indian-inspired decor; busy at lunchtime
Vegetarian Restaurants
Recanto Vegetariano
- Cuisine
- Vegetarian buffet by weight with variety of cooked dishes and raw vegetables
- Neighborhood
- City-wide
- Notes
- Simple, minimalist environment; very low price; good variety and well-balanced nutrition
Hareburger
- Cuisine
- Vegetarian/vegan burgers and hot dogs
- Neighborhood
- Pinheiros area
- Notes
- Cost-efficient, non-mock-meat burgers; open late (3am) for post-party food
Quincho
- Cuisine
- Vegetarian with vegan options; won Best Vegetarian restaurant in São Paulo's Gastronomia Awards
- Neighborhood
- Vila Madalena
- Notes
- Located in artsy Vila Madalena near Beco do Batman street art; excellent vegan options
International Cuisine
São Paulo has a highly diverse international dining scene reflecting its multicultural population, including prominent Japanese (largest Japanese community outside Japan), Italian (largest Italian population outside Italy), Middle Eastern, Spanish, and French cuisines
São Paulo is one of Brazil's best cities for vegan and vegetarian dining with 64+ fully vegan restaurants and 72+ lacto-ovo vegetarian restaurants according to HappyCow
AI-generated estimateData refreshed July 2026
Sources cited for this category
These are the sources cited in this food & dining research for this city. Individual figures may not each trace to one of them.
- 1.theplateunknown.com
- 2.nationalgeographic.com
- 3.tasteatlas.com
- 4.foratravel.com
- 5.owlovertheworld.com
- 6.oneplanetjourney.com
- 7.happycow.net
- 8.wanderlog.com
- 9.thenomadicvegan.com
- 10.thattravel.co.uk
- 11.myvegantravels.com
- 12.yelp.com
- 13.wanderlog.com
- 14.yelp.com
- 15.sao-paulo.com
- 16.monocle.com
- 17.wanderlog.com
- 18.deonde.co
- 19.tycorun.com
- 20.abservetech.com
- 21.elluminatiinc.com
- 22.enatega.com
More About São Paulo
Data last updated July 2026 · Verify anything important.