On Saturday afternoons, you can find young and cool Paulistas hanging around Benedito Calixto…read moreplaza. People pour into the streets while sidewalk vendors set up all their antique and kitchy wares for sale. Honestly, I found things overpriced and I didn't happen upon any truly unique and must-have items. Everything seemed a little standard to what I'd find in most street fairs without the artisan touch. What is lovely though is the bustling neighborhood with praça bars opening their doors and selling everything from feijoada to caipirinhas and beer. Later in the afternoon, the crowd almost completely shifts to the gay segment. Around 6pm, you can find men who like men and women who like women dominating the praça and sharing beers with friends and strangers. If you're looking for the gay scene, here you have it!

I would give this flea market 3 stars for the merchandise, 5 for the people watching. It's a whole…read morelot of fun, but I didn't find much I really felt like I had to have. Most of the merchandise is over-priced and kind of junky, but there are some fun things to be found if you want to pick through. Really the reason to go here is for the experience. Pinheiros is a very cool part of Sao Paulo that always seems to have something interesting going on. The atmosphere on Saturdays, when this feira is held, is electric. Street musicians, people walking their dogs, and hipsters abound. There is also some great restaurants to check out if you get hungry while browsing through old records, 50s furniture, and all kinds of memorabilia. Funky boutiques line the sidewalk across from the fair, so if you don't find anything to your liking at the feira, you may end up taking home some graphic tees or cute vintage dresses from one of the nearby stores.

This was one of my favorite places to grab a fast, filling meal when I was living in Vila Madalena…read more The servers are really friendly, and the bar style seating is perfect if you're hoping to enjoy a quick meal and don't want to take it to go. Maybe it was a foreshadowing of my eventual vegetarianism, but I wasn't a big fan of the lamb ravioli. I liked the gnocchi, but what kept me coming time and time again was the lemon and mushroom spaghetti. I have to admit it's probably more oily than it needs to be, but man is it delicious.

A neighborhood cultural center that, at least during weekends, gets transformed in to a market…read morewhere you can buy everything from clothes and jewelry to snacks, artisanal foods and sweets. Thus, a great place to support local artists and eat some nice food. When we visited there were also 4-5 food trucks parked outside. We shared a delicious pasta with a glass of wine that we consumed in the beach chairs outside. Great to combine with a visit to the Beco do Batman 'graffiti lane'.

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!