An Izakaya is first and foremost a neighborhood bar that serves drinks and bar food. This place did…read morea great job making me feel welcome, offering me a menu in English as we greeted. There were certainly plenty of Japanese speaking customers mixed in with Portuguese. And I, the odd tourist, felt right at home. The bamboo shoot and shitake mushroom appetizers were delectable. The chicken broth ramen was insipid. The Gyukatsu Kare (breaded fried beef with curry sauce over rice) was better, but not the ultra crispy panko planks I've had in some places. Maybe it was because I ordered it at the end of the night. The Brazilian brewed cold sake was really good. Could hardly tell the difference from Japanese sake. But, the highlight of the dinner of Sanma Shio--grilled pike mackerel with sea salt. Inexpensive for Sanma, uber fresh, grilled crispy so that you could crunch up the head and tail! The service was prompt, efficient and very warm. Even the owner came by to chat several times. Arigato gozaimasu! Obrigado! Thank you.

It's not bad... We went here at night and to be totally honest we didn't feel that great about the…read morerelative safety of the neighborhood we were in. It felt a bit sketchy. Something to keep in mind if you're considering going here and you're a visitor. Other than that, the food is pretty standard izakaya fare- not that much of a Brazilian influence from what we could tell. And we're very familiar with the genre (tons of these in the NYC) so we knew what to expect. The food is pretty tasty and the service was pretty good. The restaurant kinda feels like you walked into someone's kitchen which is pretty interesting. But overall we've actually had much better Japanese food. So there's that. But not a bad option if you're looking for something completely different in São Paulo.

Great ramen worth coming back to. The broth is deeply savory and balanced, they cook the noodles to…read morehave the perfect chew, and the chashu and toppings are thoughtfully executed. Nothing on the menu has disappointed me; their gyoza and karaage are especially great for sharing. There can be a crowd at peak times which makes things a little warm, but service moves briskly, and the energy feels appropriate for the quality and turnover. Ótimo ramen. O caldo é bem saboroso, eles cozinham o macarrão perfeitamente. Todo do cardápio é bom, especialmente os gyoza e o karaage. As vezes, tem muita gente, mas o atendimento é rápido com energia boa.

Giving this place four stars because the food was delicious. The service could've been a little bit…read morebetter, but that could be because of a language barrier. Highly recommend this it tasted like legit Ramen and the food was salted. It wasn't bland. Server was amazing but the bartender seemed a little snarky.

Experimentei 2 ramen diferentes, incluindo o prato chefe da casa. Mas a comida não impressionou,…read moremedíocre. Ouvi dizer que os bentos são melhores, mas não cheguei a provar. Ambiente é bonito, meio moderno, porém as mesas são atochadas uma perto da outra ao ponto de que seria melhor fazer tudo um grande balcão e dar espaço para as pessoas (e os garçons) se movimentarem. Falando neles, o serviço é bem fraco, boa sorte tentando conseguir a atenção de um deles. E os 10% já vem incluso mesmo assim. Recomendo pular esse estabelecimento.

Food was ok, the food took over 30 minutes to arrive service was mediocre at its bestread more

A Japanese restaurant similar to ones I've been in Japan. Most part of the time is all booked so…read moremaking reservation is a good tip to eating without waiting. Most customers are Japanese people living in Brazil and it is commoner to hear Japanese language being spoken all over the place even the waiters are fluent. The food is delicious. They work with fresh ingredients and most part of the dishes are prepared as you order. The exception are tsukemonos (conserved vegetables) and nabemonos.

I'm told by many it's the best Japanese cuisine in São Paulo and I add my own voice to that throng!…read moreThis would be tough to beat! Unassuming and not fancy this place is about the FOOD, the tradition. And wow! I Ubered from my posh hotel in Jardim Europa and was initially afraid to exit the car. No worries! Keep your wits about you and don't wear your labels. Put on your grubbies and BLEND IN. Despite where the map might take you, this place's entrance is right on the corner, exactly. + make sure your mobile phone's data plan is up to date. You will need it to google-translate the menu if you don't remember your Japanese. + look to and order from the wall. Those are the specialties from the kitchen. Ok let's go. +++ sake poured overflowing over your box and into the saucer. This sign of abundance is a wish of blessing. Don't miss it. And yes your sake should be COLD. +++ German-style beers are the norm here. I win again! +++ Natto with egg is strong but so gentle on the palate! How did you do that? How-to Hint: drizzle with 2 seconds low-salt soy sauce, break the yolk and stir 18 times. Then scoop onto your bowl of piping-hot rice and devour! +++ miso soup's seaweed takes me to a seashore fire. Still slightly squishy, it's dried and flame-smoked but then rehydrated by the soup. I can't believe it. Woaw! +++ mushrooms with butter and umami. I can't decide which is my favorite dish tonight but this simple mushroom dish, shimeji bata itame might be it. +++++ chef's favorite Nasu no aguedashi ankake might take the cake. The smoky perfection of the skin balances your express elevator to HEAVEN against the subtle roasted sesame seeds. +++ yakiika with a special sauce I've forgotten might also take the cake. Woaw. Easily my best and favorite place this trip. Don't miss it if you are in São Paulo!!! EXTRA HINTS: Don't be put off by the decades of cigarette smoking done here. It's at least 10 years gone, but still lingering just like this place, seemingly leading Japanese cuisine here for decades. Bring your debit card or cash. They don't like to take your credit card.

Although Okinawa is an island that belongs to Japan, its culture is very diverse from the rest of…read morethe country and it reflects in the "uchinanchu" (Okinawan) food culture. Deigo is one of the hidden gems in Liberdade, usually known by the Japanese expats. You can try fresh sashimi, but do not leave before trying their specialities: goya chanpuru (stir fry of eggs, bitter melon and pork), Okinawa soba (noodles with pork broth and ribs) and tebiti (the Okinawan version of German eisbein - ham hock). For drinking, try awamori, an Okinawan spirit.

A nice little spot! We ordered the caipirinha's, Sushi de Atum, the Niku, Gyozas, and the Yakisoba…read more Environment: It was pretty empty when we want around 7pm on a weekday. The wit staff was very friendly, even for us two foreigners who spoke very little to no Portuguese. As we left, the chef bowed, and the two hostess downstairs tried to engage us in conversation despite the language barrier. There was regular seating here, but we decided to try the floor seating, which was much harder than we thought it would be. I think I lost circulation in my legs a few times. Food: The caips were solid. Not sugary, but more like a calm lime juice. I tried one of my friends sushi, which tasted pretty fresh. The Niku was delicious! There was a smoky-like seasoning/sauce on it. The Yakisoba was smothered in sauce. The sauce meshed well with the noodles (which had some delicious crispy parts) but was a little overwhelming. warning: this is a HUGE dish. Definitely made for 3-4 people for sharing. Overall, this was a pretty affordable place, with great service, and a chill ambiance. It's just 3 stars compared to other, more tasty restaurants I tried while in SP.

Authentic Japanese restaurant with different areas per type of service: in front of the grill, in…read morefront of the sushiman, seating in the floor, etc. Good for going in group and has average price for excellent food. I recommend seating in front of the sushiman. He seems to be cold but is a nice person. I hope you enjoy.

Loved the ambiance and the service. The fish was very fresh!…read more I got a miso soup and noodle dish to start. The miso soup had tempura in it. Yum! I got a combination plate with various sashimi and a choice of a side. I got the gyōza. They were very generous with the portions. This was super fresh. Staff were very kind. I thought the fish and flavors were great!

As visitors, we rolled through Liberdade during the Sunday street fair and didn't have time to eat…read morein one of the restaurants. It was likely that we were only going to get to try one Japanese restaurant in Sao Paulo on our trip. Sushi or dinner plates? Luckily Yamaga has both. And both are delicious. They have an English menu! :) Although it was nice to see a Japanese menu in Portuguese. The salmon on salmon roll was fresh and so delicious. The beer hella (San Francisco Bay area slang for "very") cold, the sake delicious. The tempura generous and artistically plated. The OyakoDon comforting and delicately balanced. The okonomiyaki was crispy and the mushroom was good with beer. Everything was good. We ordered so much because we wanted to try it all, I wish I could eat here again.

Excellent quality. Authentic, fresh and prepared on to order. Even takes amexread more

We are Japanese food lovers. This is authentic and nested in the heart of Liberdade, the Japanese…read moreneighborhood in São Paulo. (São Paulo has the largest Japanese population outside of Japan, FYI). However there is a limit to how much you can charge for things. So for instance, the little cucumber salad that we usually eat at Jap restaurants. Is it OK to charge R$24,00 for a small little tiny dish of that salad? We didn't realize the price and ordered 2. Then for the Spring Rolls, for 3 little spring rolls, another R$24,00. We ordered two of those. So in a matter of seconds we spent R$100,00 for 2 small side salads and 2 orders of Spring Rolls. Add that to the sushi and sashimi, we spent near R$500,00 or almost US$ 200,00. This is insane!!!!! This is the price I would have paid at Jun Sakamoto, an upscale Japanese in Sao Paulo that offers a much nicer experience. So yes you will eat good food, but these guys are crazy when it comes to their pricing.