Balaio is a large straw-like basket, and the purpose of the name for the restaurant is to blend the different culinary cultures of Brazil. It’s located on the ground floor of the Instituto Moreira Salles, which houses exhibitions and a library in photography, theater for screenings and music concerns, and classrooms for courses and workshops. The restaurant comes from chef Rodrigo Oliveira, who opened this restaurant located near our hotel on Paulista avenue. He’s also well known for Mocotó, a restaurant focused on Northeast Brazilian flavors. The restaurant is well known for its cocktails, but we came for the food. We made a reservation for 12:30 PM on a Saturday a few days in advance without any issues. If you are unable to speak or understand Portuguese, they do have the menus in English.

This Barbacoa location along Rua Dr. Renato is a well known steak house and rodizio featuring that classic AYCE experience. In social media, influencers often glamorized many of its cuts and servings, and it looked very tasty. We visited this restaurant about 10 minutes before it opened, and we waited in line in the lounge. The only way to make reservations, allegedly, is through WhatsApp. The host said that we were fine as we were only the 5th walk-in party, so there will for sure be seating for us once they opened. Keep in mind that there are several Barbacoa locations, but the one we went to here is the only AYCE churrascaria one of their locations.

In the São Paulo city of Brazil, there are three prestigious rated restaurants with 2 Michelin Stars: Evvai, DOM, and Tuju. Since this is my second time visiting this city, we decided to knock out the third one this time around. In the Michelin Guide, they classify the flavors of this restaurant as creative, so the expectations are high that it will use plenty of Brazilian ingredients to bring a very local upscale finesse to the food. Tuju is led by chef Ivan Ralson, who steers this restaurant’s 10-course menu based on the seasons, trying to use the freshest ingredients available.

The Jardan Bar and Restaurant has a few locations, but the one we went to is located on Paulista avenue. What interested us about this restaurant was it had a vibrant crowd outside and inside, primarily because there was a Sao Paulo soccer game going on. We walked in for 2 at 8:00 PM, and we were seated immediately. The seating area is pretty wide open with a lot of tables, where most of the views face the large TV in the corner.

This Manioca location is in the JK shopping mall, where it’s surrounded by professional offices such as Amazon, Johnson & Johnson, Santander, and many more. The restaurant opens sharply at 11:30 AM local time, and at 12:00 PM, all the workers flock from their offices to this mall to eat in the food court and all the various restaurants. Manioca is a restaurant by Helena Rizzo, who also happened to own Michelin-rated Mani as well. We went to this restaurant to try because she has built a very nice reputation of having great foods.

Chef Tadashi names this restaurant after his grandmother, who was the first person to support him in his pursuit of cooking and traveling the world. He is Brazilian born chef of Japanese descent, but is fluent in English, Japanese, and Brazilian Portuguese. In addition to his very cultured background, he’s led service at Hiden in Miami, and he has worked with famed chef Nobu Matsuhisa across Europe. Kanoe offers just 8 seatings per night. One of the most respectable and key reasons for this is Chef Tadashi values work and life balance for himself and his employees.

Open 24 hours, Estadao is probably most similar to an American diner experience. There are stools that are planted into the ground, and it faces the kitchen. You can order your food pretty quickly, and most of the food options they offer are rustic and blue-collar types of meals. Think of these as a glutton of rice and beans with meat. They also offer beer for that post work relaxation. When you walk in, simply head to the back and take a seat anywhere that’s open. The attendant will come to you and take your order, or you can flag him down.

Located in the Rosewood Hotel, Mata Citta is a massive Italian restaurant specializing in classic Italian cuisines, including pizza, pastas, and grilled dishes. I was told the layout of this area is actually composed of a multitude of different restaurants. Each room has a unique Italian themed decor. We were seated in what appeared to be the library. We arrived here without reservations, and there was a wait to get in. There were multiple lines, and in Sao Paulo, there’s a law that they need to accommodate elderly sooner than later. We had my partner’s parent in the group, so we were able to get in within 10-15 minutes.

Located in the Mercadao Municipal area, this restaurant is located in the second floor of this bustling farmer’s market. When I arrived in this area, it’s very similar to farmers markets that have a vast variety of seafood, meats, and eats all over. For me, it felt like a blend of the east meets west, where there were a lot of fruit sellers and of the normal seafood and (cured) meats. We had gone here because one of my favorite actors, Terry Crews, raved about the mortadella sandwich located at Bar do Mane, which is located on the first floor. However, that was closed for some reason, and my partner said this place was better than that place in their opinion.

Famiglia Mancini is a well-known Italian restaurant near the center of Sao Paulo. It offers general portions, and it has won a number of Italian awards in the region. I learned recently that this is where the head chef at the Versace Mansion, Walter Mancini, started out. We were staying near this area, so my partner wanted to check this place out. It’s known for being a tourist landmark with traditional, comfort-style Italian food. We were able to walk in around 5:00 PM without any issues.