Meats has a funky vibe - and a sense of soul that many of SP's formulaic American diner replicas…read moreseem so short of. With soft-lighting, its name writ large in naked bulbs behind the bar, a decent wine menu and a selection of cocktails, Meats clearly aspires to restaurant rather than casual diner status. The burgers are fat, juicy and pink on the inside, just as they should be, with prices starting at R$19 (not including side orders). Gourmet combinations include the 'zucchini', a beef burger with goat's cheese, courgette, bacon and mint sauce, or the 'hooligan' with cheese, bacon and horseradish mayo. The fries, a tasty mix of regular and sweet potato chips - were perfectly crispy, as were the delightfully sweet thick onion rings, fried with panko breadcrumbs. Less good were the chicken hot wings - nice and spicy, but greasy rather than sticky. The steak tartare, served with a slice of crispy Guinness bread and a slice of olive-oil bread, plus coin-shaped fries, came artfully presented on a wooden board, but lacked a depth of seasoning. Are these the best burgers in the city? They might be: Yep, one of the best.

Arriving in Sao Paolo late in the evening, my boyfriend and I had no idea where to go for a quick…read morebite and a drink. Staying at an AirBnb in Pinheiros, our host directed us just a few blocks away to a central part of the neighborhood with tons of options. So less than 5 mins later we stumble into a glorious sign reading, "MEATS". Sold! Though I can read Portuguese I did appreciate that the menu was available in English as well. In fact, this American inspired eatery was like a business that had been plucked from Portland, Oregon and placed in central Sao Paolo. From the decor to the drink and food menu, everything had an air of American comfort food to it, with a slight Brazilian spin. Instead of just chicken nuggets they had fried chicken hearts! And instead of serving meat well done, it was cooked on the rare side. Very rare. But that was what made the burger fantastic. I know a lot of people are worried about rare meats but having been in Brazil for the previous two weeks and traveled around to various cities and states, I noticed this was a bit of a trend in all of the restaurants I visited. If you haven't had rare beef, you're missing out because Brazilian beef is among the best in the world. To cook it too thoroughly is to kill the flavor. So we dove face first into the burger we shared and enjoyed it thoroughly. The cocktail list was pretty standard and my cocktail bartender boyfriend loved his Negroni. I opted for a whiskey sour and it was pretty decent. We did notice that the drinks were a little pricier than we'd expected, but when the bartender poured a whopping 3 ounces of liquor into the drinks it suddenly all made sense. Leaving will our tummies full and our brains a little foggy from the booze, this was a great first date spot for us on our recent trip to Sao Paolo. Definitely get those chicken hearts!