Let me start by saying I'm an American coming from the San Francisco Bay Area visiting Sao Paulo for business. Balaio translates into "straw basket" and they are known for these straw basket lamps which decorate this semi-indoor restaurant. It's a casual restaurant that serves no-nonsense Brazilian-inspired food with locally sourced ingredients. It's located on the ground floor of a private library located on Avenue Paulista (touristy) but is a bit hidden away. We had a local with us who knows this restaurant well.
Note on exchange rates, because of the current strength of the US dollar, restaurant food prices will seem like a 65-70% discount from an equivalent in the States.
Balaio IMS has a sister restaurant in the Los Angeles California area called Coboco, so their staff runs like a typical US wait staff that is attentive to requests, moves quickly, and most speak English.
Balaio Site: https://balaioims.com.br/
Coboco Site: https://www.cabocola.com/
Food: all fantastic, I don't think we had anything we didn't like, all plates were clean when we finished.
Dadinhos De Tapioca (I was told they invented this)
Fish of the day (wonderful)
Duck Confit (what can you say, it's duck?)
Sun Dried Pork (tender, lean and juicy....how do you do that?)
Quindim dessert (creamy and delicious)
Fig Panna Cotta (nicely done)
Yellow Fruits of SP (this was a winner, sorbet was also nicely prepped)
Cajuina cashew apple drink, refreshing
I'm back in California, can't wait to try Coboco;)
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