Famiglia Mancini

BRA
São Paulo
Italian
Yelp
Google
Webpage
Posted March 7, 2026

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.

Ambiance & Service

We were seated in the second floor, and the servers immediately swarmed us with hospitality. We were told that there is a section on the other side that we can get antipasti by the weight. The food came real fast, and the service was very attentive.

Food

The assortment of cold cuts and appetizers were based on weight of 100 grams for R$27. Keep in mind that ~453 grams is 1 US pound. You can go here to pick up the items, and they will provide you a receipt of the weight.

This plate included, and not limited to:

  • Presunto Tipo Parma (similar to prosciutto)
  • Salame
  • Copa (i.e., coppa, dry-cured pork collar)
  • Maionese de Camarao (Shrimp Mayonnaise salad)
  • Tomate Seco (Dried Tomatoes)
  • Mix of pit-less olives
  • Mozzarell de Bufala (Buffalo Mozzarella)
  • Coração de Alcachofra (Artichoke Hearts)
  • Berinjela Com Atum (Eggplant with Tuna)
  • Aliche (Anchovy)
  • Pão de Calabresa (Calabresa Bread)
  • Pulpo (Octopus)

I have to say most of these things were not that good unfortunately. The mozzarella was good, but everything else was forgettable. The anchovy still had bones and was quite fishy. The tuna was also fishy too. I had high hopes for the calabresa bread, but the bread was very dry and crusty. The pulpo was chewy and very fishy for some reason.

The bottle of IL Sarone Rosso 2021 (R$160) came from Costa Mezzana, Mediana, IT. This Sangiovese red was fairly smooth and straight forward. It had very red fruit forward notes with some oak. It was a decent red for the night.

The Medalhão À Walter Mancini (R$158) came with 2 filet mignon medallions on an au poivre sauce, fresh pasta with white sauce, and potato gratin. The filet medallions were unfortunately overcooked, and the portion sizing was quite small. The pasta was surprisingly decent along with the potato gratin. The filet should have been the star though.

The Lasagna Bolognesa (R$118) came with sheets of lasagna pasta, meat sauce, and some sort of cured meat sandwiched in between. This tasted saltier than the normal lasagna you could get in the states, but it was surprisingly very tasty.

The Galeto Grelhado (R$118) was basically seasoned, pan-fried chicken with some vegetables on the side. THe chicken appeared to seasoned with a heftier salt hand, but the overall crispy sections were decent.

The Fettucini with Marianina (R$169) came with 9 shrimps heavy cream, egg yolk, bacon, and parmesan cheese. This was similar to a carbonara sauce. The pasta was a bit overcooked, and the shrimps were strangely mushy.

The Cheesecake de Mascarpone (R$38) came with mascarpone cream, covered with guava gel. The cheesecake was not that sweet to my taste, seemingly very mild.

The Petit Gateau (R$38) was a mini chocolate lava cake with a ball of ice cream and chocolate syrup. This was my preference over the cheesecake, as it had bolder flavors. Like all things lava cake with vanilla ice cream, it’s always a nice complement to each other.

Overall Impression

Comparatively to Italian restaurants I’ve been to in the U.S., there’s something off about this restaurant. I just think the execution for some of the dishes seemed rustic yet basic. I think so far I’m not that impressed with this Italian restaurant as it misses the marks for good tastes. I’d like to come back to try other things though since their menu is so large.

Yelp & Google Jabs

There is a 2-4 hour wait to get a table on weekend nights. Thankfully we got there early and sat down right away. The antipasto may be more expensive than your dish itself. Portions serve two people!

Maybe it’s the time we went, but the restaurant seemed pretty dead.

The only thing is no one in the restaurant speaks English

There was one person that spoke English to me, and it was the sommelier. Funny enough, we thought he was the waiter, but I asked my party why is this guy staring at me. He comes over and says that he’s waiting to take our order for wine.

Revisions

  1. Mar 7, 2026 - Initial revision.