My god what can I say. The rest of the world seems to make kebabs both absolutely terrible and only…read moregood when drunk, and absolutely amazing kebabs. Sao Paulo only seemed to make the absolutely terrible which really weren't kebabs at all. My search for a decent kebab led me to Pinati, an Israeli restaurant located in Santa Cecilia. However, each time I was nearby, it was Saturday and it was sadly closed. Though one Sunday afternoon I made the trip over to Pinati to test out there kebab. And boy I was not disappointed. At around 30 reais it might be a little steep for a kebab but it is totally worth it. The freshly made hummus, the juicy chicken made each bite explode in my mouth. The service was attentive and the portions were quite generous. Definitely on the list to return, just not on a Saturday.

Bom lugar para provar comidas isralistas! O preço é um pouco salgado mas vale cada centavo! O…read morefalafel é demais e o melhor, é vegano! Super recomendo!

France has Cassoulet. Brazil double dog dares with Fejoada (fay-zzzhwa-dah)…read more I asked the hotel receptionist where to go for Fejoada. She pointed me to Bolinha. It is the weekend and the ubiquitous Brazilian dish is their signature buffet. So everything came to the table! The 10 cuts of meat include bacon, pork chop, oxtail, pig ear, beef tongue, linguica, brisket, ham hock, and pork knuckles. The broth is brimming with collagen--so they offer salsa, hot sauce, and fresh orange slices to resuscitate your palette. Thicken the broth with toasted nut flour if you wish. There's fried sweet banana and yucca, pork rinds and crispy bacon on the side, perfect rice and shredded collard greens. Assuage your guilt with shots of house caipirinha. Think a sweeter margarita on the rocks... The very patient and sweet maitre'd offered me dessert. He's thinks he is so funny! While I have no reference to compare this example to others as it was my first taste of Fejoada, the standard is set immensely high. Not cheap at R150 total bill ($40). But this memory has been seared indelibly into my food coma'd brain. And now I understand why they have such a light dinner. Time for a siesta to recover. !!! Bring a translator (Google translate is pretty good) if you don't speak Portuguese. Inhouse WiFi available.

Amazing food and fantastic deserts. Service was impeccable. Tried Feijoada for the first time, was…read moregreat!!

How cute is this place?! Tucked away in a side street in Itaim lies a little heaven for chocolate…read morelovers. This tiny cafe and chocolatier has a quaint vibe and super friendly staff. They sell lots of different flavors of chocolate truffles, chocolate bark and some Brazilian treats like pão de mel. This is a great spot for a little afternoon meetup of coffee and sweets or to buy some authentic Brazilian chocolates for visitors when you get burnt out on brigadeiros. As a plus the place is Kosher so you can give the goodies to anyone at the holidays. They also make chocolates in the shape of mini wedding cakes which could be a sweet treat to give to a newly engaged couple.