5 restaurants in SP recently visited and approved by Daniela Filomeno

The gastronomic scene in São Paulo It never ceases to amaze me. The great metropolis that I call home presents us with good news at a fast pace, whether from new houses, long-awaited reopenings or even changes in management and the debut of seasonal menus.

No matter: we are always equipped with great options for memorable meals. Lately, I've been closely checking out the work of certain restaurants and sharing below the ones I've frequented recently, some more than once, I confess.

These are addresses that embrace the soul and stomach, that exude remarkable flavors, the kind that you should share a tip with your friends and that, without a shadow of a doubt, are worth a visit.

Check out my five most recent choices for where to eat in São Paulo below:

• Trattorta EVVAI

Holder of a Michelin star and in 22nd place among the 50 best in Latin America, Evvai elevated Italian cuisine in the capital of São Paulo with its creations integrated with Brazilian culture and producers. Luckily for us, the house in Pinheiros has just gained a younger sister, but no less impressive and tasty: the Trattorita Evvai .

Unlike Evvai, which only works with a tasting menu, here à la carte options prevail in a more informal atmosphere, where uncomplicated orders to be shared come into play. They rescue our affective memory and that of the chef Luiz Filipe Souza which, despite creating a more relaxed tone here, never loses its high-level work.

Starters that can be ordered more than one, homemade pasta in different versions, pizzas among the best in the city, succulent meats and desserts from the pastry chef Bianca Mirabili are guaranteed. Homemade pasta comes in classic Italian versions, such as amatriciana and alla vodka; The stuffed ones, like the caramelle, in the shape of a candy with pumpkin filling, hazelnuts and sage butter sauce, or the three oven-baked rondelli options for two people, are a delight.

Pizzas are a separate chapter and shine in an aperitif version and at Sunday dinners. They arrive with high edges, light dough and bold fillings, which are cut with the help of scissors so we can eat them with our hands.

The environment also seduces us, divided between the entrance bar, where signature drinks can be enjoyed, and the main hall, where furniture predominantly in dark blue tones ensures elegance. In the end, there's always room for a good freshly made Tiramisù with coffee ice cream.

Trattorita Evvai: Rua Joaquim Antunes, 260 – Pinheiros, São Paulo – SP / Tel.: (11) 3061-1581 / Opening hours: Monday to Sunday, from 12pm to 3pm and from 7pm to midnight / Reservations via link.

• Holiday

Signature dishes, sustainability and charcoal are the axes that mark our experience in Holiday , which conquered Baixo Pinheiros at the end of last year. The restaurant has tables on the sidewalk, a large bar at the entrance with a window to the street and an open kitchen at the end of the room where the barbecue is located.

Relaxed, the businessman's home Pedro Bresser alongside the Colombian chef Mario Panezo who spent a long time in Peru and worked at Mayta, Astrid & Gastón and Barra Lima, surprises us with his taste and sustainable principles.

This is because the seasonal cuisine makes full use of food, which comes from small, organic local producers. The restaurant does not serve beef or lamb, nor salmon, tuna, shrimp or octopus. The menu is divided into sections with small portions, ideal for ordering a little of everything until we get to the main dishes.

Orders include kimchi empanada, quina cheese and seasonal chutney; grilled garlic, romesco and quark cheese; pappardelle, rabbit ragu, gremolata and kanonenko cheese; and grilled fish of the day, sweet potatoes and capers.

All of this is best accompanied by the natural wine list with Brazilian and Latin American names designed by Katharina Neves . It is worth mentioning that “feriae” is a Latin word that refers to the festivals of Ancient Rome to give thanks for the fruits of the earth. Nothing more fitting than celebrating them in good company at the restaurant table.

Holiday: Rua Padre Carvalho, 171 – Pinheiros, São Paulo – SP / Tel.: (11) 96381-0171 / Opening hours: Tuesday to Friday, from 12pm to 3pm and from 7pm to 11pm; Saturday, from 12pm to 11pm; Sunday, from 12pm to 5pm / Reservations via link.

• Tuju

Opened in 2015, Tuju soon took São Paulo – and Brazilian – gastronomy to another level with two Michelin stars and a place among the 50 best in Latin America. Closed for three years due to the pandemic, it returned last September in a new and even more triumphant address, being the most anticipated reopening in recent times.

Now at Jardim Paulistano, the chef Ivan Ralston continues his meticulous authorial work alongside the researcher Katherina Cordás which brought a fresh look to the house with new producers and ingredients – she is also the name behind TUJU Research, dedicated to the study and in-depth study of ingredients through seasonality and territory.

The three-story property a few steps from Faria Lima is modern and has large vertical gardens. The idea is that we move between floors throughout the night. The 10-stroke seasonal menus are based on Ivan and Katherina's immersions in Brazilian biomes and organized according to climate influences on the ingredients.

Since reopening, the Humidade menus have been served in the spring and the Chuva menus in the summer. Ventania is now on the scene, for the autumn, with proposals involving Rala-coco seafood, grouper, prawn shrimp, octopus, crab, portobello mushroom, banana, guava and grapes.

In short, the new Tuju confirms what we already knew: it gives us a taste of avant-garde signature cuisine, with unique ingredients and a lot of passion for Brazil. Oh, and it's worth checking out the wine cellar, with around five thousand bottles, including rare labels that are difficult to serve by the glass, complete with a special classical music playlist in the background.

Tuju: Rua Frei Galvão, 135 – Jardim Paulistano, São Paulo – SP / Tel.: (11) 91899-0002 / Opening hours: Tuesday to Saturday, from 7pm to 10pm / Reservations via link.

• Notiê Restaurant

The Paraíba Onildo Rocha has stood out as one of the great characters of current São Paulo gastronomy, in which he heads the kitchen of News on the roof of Shopping Light. On the ground floor, an elevator from the 1920s takes us to the Priceless Space which covers not only the restaurant, but also the Abaru bar.

The space opens up to beautiful views of the Municipal Theater and the Anhangabaú Valley. It's worth checking out the outdoor terrace, which gains even more charm at dusk with the lighting from the surrounding buildings.

Currently, the “Matas e Mares” menu is running in the room, an ode to the diversity of the Atlantic Forest. The chef presents us with tasting menus of 11, 7 or 4 times, in which we try meticulously researched dishes with typical ingredients, such as oysters, a series of fish (boyfriend, trout and octopus, for example), cambuci, uvaia and jabuticaba, to name a few. The optional pairing focuses on national wines and, if you don't want to eat in stages, orders can be à la carte.

In addition to the dishes, look up: the biome is represented in the large ceiling panel with references to fauna and flora. The restaurant is driven by themed seasons – Sertões and Amazônia have already been on the dishes – and the Atlantic Forest will continue for the next few months, but a new season is approaching later this year. Any guesses?

Notiê Restaurant: main entrance at Rua Formosa, 157 – Centro Histórico, São Paulo – SP / Tel.: (11) 2853-0373 / Opening hours: Wednesday to Saturday, from 7pm to 11pm / Reservation via link.

• Urus Restaurant

When it comes to meat, the Urus It has been my recurring choice. Located on the corner of Avenida Europa and Praça Vaticano, the restaurant arrived with good news at the beginning of the year: the French chef Benoît Mathurin partner of Esther Rooftop and creator of Iaiá Cave à Manger, took over the kitchen of the house.

Now we can try dishes that draw on the heritage of French cuisine and that meet the best of our land. Among the new dishes that the chef signs are Côte de Boeuf with marrow, Bordelaise sauce and Gratin Dauphinois, as well as wagyu crudo and tuna sashimi with passion fruit, radish and pepper.

The experience becomes more complete when we realize that Urus is dedicated to noble meat from older bullfighting cattle, the so-called “Vaca Velha”. The choice of ancestral cattle is not by chance: the house guarantees the union of tenderness with intensified flavor.

Here the process is as important as the meat on the plate. Each cut follows a protocol that begins with pasture management, respecting the animal's life cycle with a balanced diet, and which ends with maturation in the restaurant itself in a special glass chamber, where we can see the lots up close. own meat.

In addition to the premium cuts, the Urus menu also has risottos and pastas, such as the Bahia orange and chestnut risotto with 100% wagyu and the shrimp and bisque tagliatelle. The indoor areas are welcoming, but, on sunny days, my tip is to choose the outdoor lounge or garden space to enjoy the meats without rushing alongside wines and drinks.

Urus Restaurant: Praça do Vaticano, 321 – Jardim Europa, São Paulo – SP / Tel.: (11) 97072-0734 / Opening hours: Tuesday to Thursday, from 12pm to 3pm and from 7pm to 11pm; Friday and Saturday, from 12pm to 11pm; Sunday and holidays, from 12:30 pm to 7:00 pm / Reservation via the link.