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DEpartments • escape

São Paulo’s joie de vivre

As the sun goes down on South America’s largest metropolis, the beat of a city full of sophistication, excitement, surprising flavors and hot rhythms comes to life for visitors and Sampas alike.

The popular image of Brazil’s two largest cities has always been likened to that of rivalrous sisters. Rio de Janeiro, lapped by warm Atlantic waves and defined by the sensuous contours of bays and emerald gumdrop-shaped mountains, has been portrayed as the sexy sibling with undulating mosaic tile sidewalks. Meanwhile, São Paulo, the quintessential nondescript concrete jungle located high-and-dry on an inland plateau, has been cast as the dowdy, business-before-pleasure matron.
Make no mistake: Commerce is still king in São Paulo, South America’s largest metropolis. But in recent years, São Paulo has also become one of the hemisphere’s hottest party towns. From theater, opera and symphony concerts to trendy clubs featuring the latest in underground pop music, this seemingly endless mass of urban confusion offers a bounty of entertainment. The city’s restaurants, meanwhile, serve some of the world’s most enticing cuisine 24 hours a day, offering gastronomic pleasures equal to any in the world for adventurous visitors.
The majority of São Paulo’s most tempting late-night attractions are in or near the city’s most popular hotel districts. Whether staying in Jardins, Moema or the historic Centro, an exciting night on the town can be as close as a short walk, a quick taxi hop or a few minutes on the city’s safe and efficient metro system, a chief means of transport in this city of 20 million people.
In recent years, Vila Madalena has become one of São Paulo’s hippest destinations. Known for its decidedly Bohemian personality, this middle-class neighborhood boasts a contagious kind of nightlife with an endless succession of botecos (bars) and dance clubs. It serves as a magnet for the city’s intellectuals as well as for those just wanting a good time that won’t break the bank. On tap is a wide variety of food and virtually every style of live and recorded music imaginable, from traditional Brazilian choro to samba rock, and from hip hop to heavy metal. In many of the most popular clubs, the action can quickly spill, spontaneously and at any time of the night, out the front door and into the street. Nightspots rated highly by Sampas—natives of São Paulo—include O do Borogodo, regarded for its dance hall ambiance, and Blen Blen Brasil, another club where dancing to ferocious Brazilian rhythms like forró keeps ecstatic patrons rocking ‘til dawn.
It’s not surprising that many young professionals make a beeline for Vila Madalena when the weekend rolls around. Max Moreira, an account executive for a multinational corporation, likes to savor one of São Paulo’s noted specialties when hunger catches up after a night of dancing. At Santa Pizza, he finds just what he wants.
“It’s a great place that offers pizzas with a crust made from three different flours and innovative topping combinations,” he says, “including such items as smoked pork and mango chutney, or ostrich sausage and onions.”
In nearby Moema, Bourbon Street is one of the city’s several internationally known jazz clubs. It offers a nightly line-up of talent that expands far beyond conventional jazz to embrace blues, dance band music, funk, salsa, and noted Brazilian artists performing in such styles as samba and bossa nova. The star attraction on the ample menu is Jambalaya du Mer, the classic Cajun dish that Bourbon Street touts for its alleged powers as an aphrodisiac.
In a metropolis that claims more citizens of Italian heritage than any city in the world other than Rome, it’s no wonder that some of the best Italian cuisine west of Naples is to be found here. A favorite dining destination for record producer Claudio Olivera, a Carioca (native of Rio) by birth who is now a happily confirmed Sampa, is a secluded sidestreet in the heart of bustling downtown São Paulo where restaurateur Walter Mancini maintains three establishments. Located on the fringe of Bela Vista, a bairro noted for a profusion of sidewalk cafes, intimate bars and bookstores, Mancini’s restaurants have become a São Paulo institution.
“The Il Ristorante Walter Mancini is ultra modern,” Olivera notes, “while the Famiglia Mancini Trattoria just across the street is in the style of a traditional Italian eatery. 34 Pizzaria, half a block away, is casual and popular with young people.”
Among Olivera’s favorite menu selections is the lavish antipasti, with its generous variety of cheeses, meats, peppers and olives. It gets a thumbs-up even from visiting Italians.
Olivera also has a fondness for Restaurante Capim Santo in the swank Jardins district. He says it’s the best place to take visitors from abroad “for an introduction to genuine Brazilian home cooking.” A succulent choice here is grilled shrimp with banana and risoto de ervas, or herb risotto. Carlota, a popular eatery in the upscale Higienópolis neighborhood that’s overseen by gaúcha (native of southern Brazil) chef Carla Pernambuco, is another favorite. “She has really defined Brazilian contemporary cuisine,” he adds, citing such dishes as filet of sole with palm hearts, mushroom fettuccine and goat cheese. Also on the gourmand’s mind these days is the food at Sushi-Yassu in the Japanese district of Liberdade, his favorite Asian restaurant with a traditional menu that features more than just customary sushi and sashimi. “But the perfect São Paulo night would be dinner at Carlota, and drinks and a show at the nearby Tom Jazz,” he says, spotlighting the city’s top jazz venue. “High-end and expensive, but worth every penny.”
It’s all enough to make you want to lift a stein of chopp—Brazilian draught beer—or a glass of wine from the vineyards of the state of Rio Grande do Sul and shout “Saúde!”

Carlota
Why go: Menu blends ethnic
flavors of Brazil with cosmopolitan New York and Italian influences.
Neighborhood: Higienópolis
Where to Find it: Rua Sergipe

Ristorante
Walter Mancini
Why go: Ultra modern décor and an extensive wine list.
Neighborhood: Bela Vista
Where to Find it: Rua Avanhandava

Blen Blen Brasil
Why go: Try some of their famous beer as you dance to Brazilian rhythms.
Neighborhood: Vila Madalena/Pinheiros
Where to Find it: Rua Inácio Pereira da Rocha

Restaurante
Capim Santo
Why go: Inventive cuisine in a gorgeous beach house setting.
Neighborhood: Jardins
Where to Find it: Alameda Ministro Rocha Azevedo