2 Days in São Paulo

Just before COVID took over the world, in late January 2020, Andrew and I travelled for a long weekend to São Paulo. We arrived on Thursday night and left on Sunday morning so in total we had 2 full days to explore the city. While more time would have been great, 2 days was actually enough to see most of the big highlights. These are some of our favorite things about São Paulo.

Municipal Market of São Paulo 

This was probably our favorite outing of the trip. It’s a huge market in an old warehouse that has everything from fresh seafood, spices, meat, fruit and vegetables. Before we started eating, we took our time walking around to see what our options were. We decided to go for a cup of freshly sliced fruit which had mangoes, pineapple, strawberries, papayas and grapes. It was sooo good and perfectly ripe. Especially the mangoes - we haven’t had mangoes like that since living in Angola.

After we finished our fruit cups we spotted a dessert station and tried some local favorites like maracuya mousse and brigadeiro (think delicious fudge balls). These were also popular desserts in Angola that we had had many times before. They didn't disappoint. 

After wetting our appetite downstairs, we moved up to the second story where we noticed there were more locals dining. The second story was composed of several brazilian food restaurants. Since it was lunch time, we decided to take a break and sit down to some delicious pastel de camarão. The best way I can describe them is shrimp Hot Pockets. Highly recommend trying them. There are countless flavors to choose from - shrimp, fish, meat, pork, chicken, etc.  

Liberdade

We spent a half day exploring Liberdade, São Paulo’s Japanese neighborhood and it was a great stop. Even if all you do there is eat, it will be worth your time. As we arrived, a parade was starting to celebrate the Chinese New Year. It’s also special for Andrew and I because we were both born in the year of the rat. After the parade, we walked around the many food and craft booths before choosing what to eat. We ended up trying something that looks like a savory funnel cake and tastes like an eggroll; it was soo good. We continued around the area and went in shops and read more about the history of the area. We enjoyed spending a few hours there as it was a unique look into the city's history and culture. 

Pão de Queijo

It’s so delicious I decided it needed its own section! The Starbucks in Buenos Aires has these and they’re really good but we wanted to try the real deal in Brazil and São Paulo did not disappoint. We tried them at a couple cafes while we were out and about walking but the best were from Haddock Lobo. We decided to go one morning before our sightseeing. We got out of our uber and the cafe was only a walkup area where you can order and stand up eating. The vibe with locals chatting to the workers/owners was so authentic and cool to be a part of. You can tell the food and drinks have been made with love for decades.

Paulista Avenue

Our hotel was just around the corner from the famous Paulista Avenue so we had plenty of time to explore the area. We spent time walking down the large avenue in both directions and really enjoyed seeing more of city life and people watching. There were countless restaurants, bars, cafes and shops to go in. We made a few stops, including one to get some pão de queijo and another at Cervejaria Colorado to try some local craft beer that caught our eye. On Sunday’s, they close the street for pedestrians to have additional space to walk but we went on a Friday and we found the wide sidewalks to be spacious enough. So if you have to catch a flight on Sunday, don’t worry, you’re not missing much. 

Edificio Italia

When you’re in the middle of the city, it’s hard to remember the sheer size of it and the amount of skyscrapers around you. To gain perspective I suggest getting as high as possible. To do this, we went to Edificio Italia. It’s open to the public in the morning and afternoon, saving the lunch hour for paying guests of the restaurant to enjoy the views. You take an elevator up to the top floor and when you get out, there is a restaurant but you can tell the hostess you only want to walk around outside and she will show you where to go. You can also pay a little extra for a glass of champagne to sip while enjoying the view. Unfortunately for us it was raining so the outdoor deck was closed but we still got to sneak a few peeks through open window slats.

This was the São Paulo you see in all those photos….grey skyscrapers for miles. It was beautiful to see in person. 

São Paulo reminded me of a concrete jungle. It was so humid and there were trees and plants growing out of every crack in the cement. It was very similar to the climate and terrain of Luanda, Angola which makes sense when you look at a map and realize at one point in history they were attached. Maybe that’s why I enjoyed our weekend there so much - it reminded me of my second home, Angola.

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