And from the Book of Pork- on the 8th day there was Bar e Lanches Estadão... lemme just say that if…read morethis place were in NYC there would be a stool with my name on it. Just watching the staff prepare the pork is worth the price of admission... My only regret... *only* regret, is that I didn't know how to ask for more pork skin on my sandwich... I really wanted that crispy skin. Otherwise- I think about that sandwich every day...

This place is an institution in São Paulo. Open 24 hours it is great for late night dining. A huge…read moreselection of sandwiches but they are renowned for their Lanches Pernil (slow roasted pork sandwich) which you have to try. This place can be bumping even at 3AM. Just grab a seat and someone will bring you a menu, order and the food will arrive quickly. I visited a couple times because it was close to where I was staying. I only tried the Lanches Pernil, once with the queijo Minas and once plain. One thing I want to highlight is the homemade hot sauce. It takes the sandwiches to the next level.

The genius here is its purity and simplicity. Where other restaurants fiddle and augment with…read moreobnoxious ingredients. This place showcases high quality ingredients in their prime. The salt and pepper angus beef patty blended with pork. Homemade brioche bun, danish blue cheese crumbles and pickled jalapenos. Then the pastrami fries that stay crispy till the end no matter that it is slathered in sauce. No surprise the lines here remain long. Perfect portion size. Food is denser than it looks--I stalled before I could finish the box of pastrami fries ZDeli has now earned a place in my top 10 burger joints ever.

Not the friendliest of staff. They have a "I'm so cool" attitude problem, it's probably the first…read moretime in Brazil I have ever experienced such unfriendliness. It was rather sad, given it's our last night in São Paulo, and every other restaurant has been so kind and patient. The yellowtail fish with the nuts were not that great either. After the raving reviews and the lonely planet recommendation, I truly had great expectations. Sigh.

Great drinks, cool atmosphere. Our group sat upstairs and I found the music to be way too loud to…read morethe point of a headache after dinner. While I appreciated the musical selection of classic and contemporary rock, it turned my brain into blender-matter. Music aside, the food was pretty decent. While I might not order the fish again, I enjoyed the bites I stole from my neighbors plates. The servers were very sweet and attentive and the top tip on this place is that there's a hip, jazzy speakeasy bar in the basement level. Get the bloody mary!

Asked for a picanha ao ponto, received one charred and bem passado. The fries came half raw. Maybe…read moreI just had bad luck but I wouldn't return any time soon.

Went first night in SP to eat there with my brother and his children. Asked for a glass of tap…read morewater and the waiter acted as if I called his mother the B word. The food was good. We went the second night and they were very cold and I asked again for tap water, the waiter brought me bottled water, I asked him that i did not asked for that but for tap water and again they acted as if I had cursed his mother. He then told me he could not give me tap water as it was the house policy. I just like tap water. We order other drinks for the kids and my brother. I told him that I had eaten there the night before and had no problem in getting tap water. He then went back and brought us the vinagrete without the food. Then after about 30 minutes, our food arrived and it did not taste as good as the day before. The meats were dried and did not taste well. They did not dished the food as they did the day before. They were talking with a couple , who was seating behind us and telling them that the restaurant had a much cheaper option for burgers, which they did not told us. Anyways,experience was bad. Will not go back there. The waiters are poorly trained and not friendly. The place was empty not many costumers. they don't care. I will spend my American dollar at the Brahma bar that is right next to it or at mortadela place. Learn how to be friendly to costumers. Your waiters were on the phone instead of being attentive to your costumers, for the price of the dishes you should be training your staff in how to be better costumer oriented. Avoid this place.

This is what happens if a philly cheesesteak puts its fancy pants on. I got a great gourmet steak…read moresandwich with grilled veggies and even a tiny bit of spiciness from the sriracha. The cranberry lemonade was nice too.

While I was here I had the Rappa burger and crinkle fries. The fries were covered in some sort of…read morelemon salt and came with a great dipping sauce 10/10. I originally wanted the Augusta burger but they were out of them for the day. The Rappa was awesome and would recommend it to someone trying this for the first time, also make sure you get your burger cooked well done. The only thing I would say negative is their menu is small and their coke bottles are tiny! Great food and atmosphere!