Katz is one of the many typical restaurants trying to put their spin on a gourmet burger in São Paulo. There are now at least five supposedly gourmet burger places in Itaim and so far Katz is squarely in the middle of the pack in my book. The burger was pretty solid, good flavor and good ingredients. They have a fun mix of American soda pop including dr pepper and cherry 7up as well as a nice beer selection. They serve the ubiquitous SP batatas rusticas (home fries with rosemary and sea salt) but also serve crinkle cut fries for a twist. Overall I was pleased with my food but not blown away.
The problems in the business, which they could still work out, as it's been open for under a month, are in the logistics. The concept is that you order at the counter, then wait for your buzzer to go off when your food is ready. They pack all orders in a to go bag whether you plan to eat there or take the food away so there are no utensils provided and all dos is eaten in paper wrappers or trays. I found this part a bit obnoxious and wasteful. The bag, which they staple shut, is tall and narrow when it should be wide and low so that you can easily see what's inside and make sure your order is correct before leaving the counter. The burgers are wrapped in wax paper but not in a way such that you can unwrap just half of it and use the paper to keep the burger together as you eat it with your hands making for a pretty messy experience. The fries came in a box but not with a lid. Almost everyone threw the bag away. It seems like a waste of trees to me. They also were not that fats and we ended up having to ask about our order which was up at the counter only the buzzer had not gone off. I hope they can work out the kinks before the burger craze dies out. read more