Sao Paulo-based PSA Special Agent Giordana Radovic shares her favorite places to eat, shop, and stay in Brazil’s cultural capital.
“Rio is a beauty. But São Paulo – São Paulo is a city,” Marlene Dietrich once said of the vast, frenetic, sprawling metropolis of approximately 11 million Paulistanos. Achingly sophisticated, it is a one-stop-shop for some of the continent’s cutting-edge gastronomy, music, art and fashion.
Here, Giordana opens up her personal address book to share her go-to spots – from brutalist icons to Japanese fine dining restaurants.
Where to stay
For art-lovers coming from somewhere like New York or London, used to big cities and good food, the Rosewood is the place to be. It’s filled with hundreds of works of art, all by contemporary Brazilian artists.
Then there’s the Emiliano on Oscar Freire – the most important and expensive street in São Paulo, where you’ll find all the best Brazilian boutiques and international stores. They offer a helicopter service, so if you’re in town for a few days and want a break from the city, you can fly out to Boa Vista Fasano – a gated community just 15 minutes away, surrounded by nature, with a great pool and good restaurants.
Palacio Tangará is perfect if you want to be in Sao Paulo but not amongst the crowds. It’s only about 8km from the city centre, but it feels much further – it’s tucked into the woods, and very calm and quiet. They have a great spa and breakfast, and you can be in the city centre in 20 minutes by car.
Something less luxurious, but very cool, is the Copan Building. During its communist era, Brazil produced a lot of brutalist architecture, and this is one of the best examples. It’s huge – 5000 apartments – and is the only building in the world with its own zip code. If you love architecture and want to spend some time alongside the people of Sao Paulo, you can rent a beautiful Airbnb there with an amazing view of the city.
What to see and do
Start your first morning at Ibirapuera Park, which is the Central Park of São Paulo. It’s a huge place where you can do all kinds of activities – the MAM (Museum of Modern Art) is right there in the park. I drag every visitor I have there and make them drink a coconut water and have some açaí – it’s beautiful and you really do feel like you’ve escaped the city. With 22 million people living here, it’s important to get into nature sometimes and get out of the heat, which can be intense.
Then head to the Pinheiros neighbourhood, São Paulo’s Brooklyn – young, hipster, very cool, very beautiful. You’ll find lots of interesting shops with traditional Brazilian crafts and design.
If you’re interested in art, definitely visit the Pinacoteca and Lina Bo Bardi’s Casa de Vidro. Brazil had a long colonial history, so a lot of the art reflects that. It’s very different from what you’ll find in Europe or the US, with a mix of African, European and South American influences. One of the best artists is Alfredo Volpi – some galleries still sell his paintings. I also love the Brazilian approach to architecture. Here, architects incorporate nature into their buildings, so if there’s a 200-year-old tree, they won’t cut it down – they’ll build the house around the tree. Arthur Casas is very in right now. I also admire Marcio Kogan, Thiago Bernardes and Aflalo & Gasperini.
Another place I love is the Theatro Municipal, in the city centre. The area isn’t as safe as Jardins or Itaim Bibi, but it has a very rich history, and the buildings are beautiful.
Where to eat & drink
For breakfast, Santo Grao, which is walking distance from the Rosewood.
For lunch, I love the Spanish restaurant Tanit. Adega Santiago is another amazing Spanish place, with some of the best seafood in the city. If you’re in the city on a Sunday, Brazilians have this wonderful Sunday lunch concept – they start very late, around three o’clock in the afternoon, and then keep on eating and drinking until late, and skip dinner.
In the evening, I’d head to Pinheiros. Start with a cocktail at Santana, which is one of my favourite bars. Then dinner at Jacó, which feels like you’re in Copenhagen – very clean, very good, a mix of Brazilian and Middle Eastern influences. If you want to go dancing afterwards, check out the Blue Note, in the Paulista area. They do live jazz and blues a few times a month, which you can watch with a good cocktail or a glass of wine.
The second night, I’d suggest Kan Suke, which is a tiny, very high end Japanese place. It’s still very unknown, even among Brazilians, and you usually have to book a few weeks in advance. São Paulo has the biggest Japanese population outside of Japan and the Japanese food is incredible – better than Paris or London.
For Brazilian food that isn’t too experimental, go to Tordesilhas in Jardins. If you want to eat something really Brazilian, you have to try feijoada. You can get it everywhere, but the best one is at La Tambouille, a French-Italian restaurant that’s a real institution here in São Paulo.
Other favourites: Myk for Greek, and Ristorantino, which is one of the best Italians in the city. Gioia is another great spot – only eight tables, live piano, great cocktails, and these beautiful elephant wallpapered walls. It’s very, very dreamy. Ping Yang does great Thai – very simple, but tasty. Huto and Murakami for Japanese food. And for something different, try Metzi, a very good Mexican spot, which is rare here.
There’s also an ice cream place I’m addicted to: Bachir. I buy two litres a week – not even joking. It’s Lebanese-style ice cream, with really interesting flavours – rose, ashta, halava – not your traditional chocolate and vanilla kind of place.
Where to shop
In Brazil, we have the same sort of mall culture as in the US, though here it’s largely for security reasons. So you’ll find most of the high-end international brands in the big luxury malls – Iguatemi, JK and Cidade Jardim.
If you’re looking for something more Brazilian, check out Sara Chofakian for really high-quality leather goods. Amoreira has all kinds of beautiful things: pottery, plates, vases, bathroom products, skincare products – all Brazilian. I also love the designer Adriana Degreas – very cool, very beachy, very Brazilian. If you prefer more of a clean look, try egrey.
For food shopping, Casa Santa Lucia is our version of Le Bon Marché and has amazing groceries from all over the world.
Spas
No trip to Brazil is complete without doing aesthetic procedures. Manicures, pedicures, hair – it’s another level here.
I always recommend having a drainage massage at Renata França Spa. It’s world-famous. People come from all over to learn the technique. If you’ve just had a long flight and your body is retaining liquid, it’s perfect. They can come to your hotel and do it there, so you feel light and back to yourself before dinner. That’s what I would do if I were travelling.
Where to escape from the city
The polo capital of Brazil, Indaiatuba, is just ninety minutes’ drive from the city centre – or twenty minutes by helicopter. There are forty private polo camps here, so if you’re into riding, it’s a great place to go and spend the afternoon. I love Helvesia Country Club – it’s usually closed to non-members, but I can bring guests along for lunch and riding.
Something completely extravagant, but an amazing experience, is to take a helicopter to the beach for a day. Lots of hotels here in Brazil have a heli-pad on the roof, so you can leave straight from your hotel and be in Paraty within an hour. There, you can charter a boat, swim, have a chef cook you a five-course lunch, and be back in São Paulo by the evening. The views as you pass over the forest are incredible. If you have a little longer, you can go by car – it’s around 4 hours – and stay on the coast for a few days.
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Conde Nast Traveler Specialists every year since 2017
