Visited Sao Paulo for work purposes and went to Bar Dos Arcos for dinner on a Wednesday. From an American POV (San Francisco or New York) this place has the capability to rival any trendy bar (with good eats) of either American City. Unless your Portuguese is good, you gotta go with a local. They assign an entry card to each person which allows you to wander the open seating areas and order and drink from different locations, this is something rarely seen in the US. Your total is tabulated from this assigned card, so don't lose or trade it.
For Americans and Europeans, the benefit of Brazil is the strength of our currencies which makes everything about 65%-70% off of equivalent food and drinks in the US at the time of this writing (July 2022.)
Check out the site: https://bardosarcos.com.br/en/home/
It's true, this place is built underground and you go downstairs to a large basement area that's been completely redone. Well appointed and freedom to move from place to place. This is not a restaurant, it's a bar that also served great food. This is not your sit-down dinner place, think mobile and meeting lots of people outside of your circle. Don't be shy....
Service is not like the US, it's important to have an aggressive local to help flag down the wait staff, once you do, the service is great. They hire an attractive staff so it's fun to interact.
Food-wise - excellent- some were better than others, splitting into two groups:
Top Picks:
Coxinha
Quinteto
Desculpe o Aue
Sertao Pegando Fogo (Best dish of the night)
Baiao do Mar
Vatapa
All Drinks (props to the bar, they ain't messin' around)
Next Level Below:
Manifesto Regionalista
Classic Arco Gnocchi
Existe Amor em SP
Grain Salad
Would return again, bring your date and a local (or just a local date, haha)
Obrigado read more