Michelin Star Restaurants in Sao Paulo

The city of São Paulo is known as the gastronomic capital of Brazil . With more than 12 thousand restaurants, it is also the Brazilian city that is home to the largest number of Michelin-starred restaurants, the most traditional and renowned gastronomic guide in the world.

To give you an idea of ​​the importance of this classification, as of November 2020, of the thousands of restaurants inspected by the guide, only 2,651 establishments worldwide had received stars.

Of these, 2,160 received one star, 385 received two and only 106 received three, the highest Michelin rating. In Brazil, only 14 restaurants have stars, nine of which are in São Paulo.

Experts speculate that the capital of São Paulo currently has cuisine from at least 70 different ethnicities, from traditional steakhouses, the famous Japanese and the celebrated Italian.

Even Korean, Arabic, Armenian cuisine and cuisines from countries such as Cameroon, Vietnam, Turkey, Peru and Bolivia. And also: Lebanese and Syrian.

Not to mention the rich Brazilian cuisine, which encompasses everything from the most traditional dishes of the national culture to contemporary cuisine, with the most diverse influences from the country's different regional cuisines.

The origin of the guide

 

The name of the tire manufacturer is no coincidence. The brothers who founded the company in 1889 in the city of Clermont-Ferrand, located in central France, had a great vision for the business.

Andre and Edouard Michelin decided to develop a small guide with information for travelers, with the aim of increasing car sales and tire purchases.

This guide had maps, tips on how to change a tire, where to fill up your car's tank, and a list of places to eat or spend the night.

Initially, the guide was distributed free of charge, but later it began to be commercialized, including a list of hotels in Paris and lists of restaurants according to specific categories.

With the guide's obvious influence, the brothers recruited "mystery shoppers," now called restaurant inspectors, to go to establishments anonymously and evaluate them.

The guide began awarding stars to restaurants in 1926. Initially, featured establishments received a single star.

After five years, the guide began to include classifications of up to three stars and, in 1936, it published the criteria used to select the starred hotels.

Since then, more than 30 million guides have been sold worldwide, becoming best-sellers. Today, more than 30,000 establishments in more than 30 territories on three continents are rated.

 

Criteria for classification

 

The guide's inspectors are full-time employees who have studied at the best hotel schools in the world. In addition, most of them have traveled, lived and worked in several countries.

They regularly visit establishments, anonymously, pay for their meals and then evaluate the experience according to the guide's five criteria, which are:

Quality of products; mastery of flavor and culinary techniques; personality of the chef in the kitchen; quality/price ratio and consistency between visits.

The guide bases its credibility on six main values: the anonymity of inspectors, to ensure they do not receive special treatment; and independence, since evaluators always pay for their meals.

And also: the expertise of the inspectors, who are experts in the food and hospitality industries; Reliability, because the ratings are not based on the judgment of a single person, but are formed by collective decision, the result of a long process; In addition, the inspectors' passion for food and the guarantee of high quality in the restaurants recommended by the guide.

 

 

Discover the list of Michelin-starred restaurants in São Paulo

 

Of the nine Michelin-starred restaurants in São Paulo, two have two stars: DOM and Ryo Gastronomia. This represents excellence, according to the guide.

It means that these establishments use the best products, which are enhanced by the experience of their talented chefs, who, with their teams, create subtle, surprising and, at times, very original dishes.

Located in Jardins, DOM offers a gastronomic experience with authentic flavors of Brazilian cuisine, such as açaí, pupunha, cupuaçu, jambu and tucupi, from a contemporary gastronomic perspective.

The restaurant's chef is the renowned Alex Atala, who began his career at the age of 19 in Belgium and worked in renowned kitchens in France and Italy, without forgetting his roots. In 1999, a few years after returning to Brazil, he founded DOM

Also holding two stars, Ryo Gastronomia is located in Itaim Bibi and stands out for providing authentic Japanese cuisine experiences in São Paulo. The restaurant is headed by chef Edson Yamashita.

The chef is responsible for the sushi counter and hot kitchen. Yamashita is revered for his signature dishes in the traditional kaiseki style of Japanese cuisine, serving a sophisticated menu of small portions that stand out for their flavor and exquisite presentation.

Another Japanese restaurant is Kan Suke, located in the Paraíso neighborhood and holder of a Michelin star. Its highlight is its sushi, prepared with a special balance of flavors such as tuna, eel, sea urchin and sardines.

Jun Sakamoto, in Pinheiros, also Japanese and with one star in the guide, excels in preparing sushi, including nigiri, which, according to Michelin, is possibly the best in São Paulo.

A representative of Italian cuisine, Picchi , located in Jardins, has one star. Chef Pier Paolo Picchi stands out for his cuisine with well-defined flavors, with signature touches and the presence of Brazilian ingredients.

Another Michelin-starred Italian restaurant is Evvai, located in Pinheiros. Here, chef Luiz Filipe Souza presents two approaches: a more traditional à la carte menu and a more innovative tasting menu, combining modern Italian cuisine with contemporary Brazilian cuisine.

Maní, a restaurant serving contemporary and creative Brazilian cuisine in Pinheiros, has one star. It stands out for its dishes with striking flavors and textures that elevate Brazilian products. The famous chef Helena Rizzo and Belgian chef Wilem Vendeven lead the kitchen.

Returning to Japanese cuisine, there is also Kinoshita, a Michelin-starred restaurant located in the Vila Nova Conceição neighborhood. One of the most famous in São Paulo, it was the first to use Kappo cuisine to provide pure and authentic Japanese cuisine in Brazil.

Also serving Japanese cuisine is Huto, a one-star restaurant located in the Moema neighborhood. There, we recommend that you let yourself be guided by the “omakase”, a tasting menu prepared by the chef, to enjoy a true gastronomic experience.

It is worth remembering that in addition to Michelin-starred restaurants, there are others in São Paulo that appear in the Bib Gourmand category of the guide, which evaluates aspects such as the quality and cost-benefit of the establishment. Among them is A Casa do Porco, an excellent restaurant located in the República , in the city center .

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