Pinheiros
São Paulo, Brazil
Adjoining Vila Madalena, a hip district with the city's best casual restaurants, bakeries, bars and design shops — the epicentre of the modern food scene.…
Places in Pinheiros
- Coffee Lab / specialty coffee (Pinheiros) Brazil grows a third of the world's coffee, and the city's specialty cafés — Coffee Lab, Isso é Café and more — celebrate its finest beans. Serious coffee at the source.
- Jardins & Pinheiros brunch cafés Stylish cafés and bakeries in the smart districts serve excellent brunch, pastries and coffee to a design-conscious crowd. Trendy and good.
- Guilhotina / SubAstor Award-winning cocktail bars (regulars on the World's 50 Best Bars list) serving world-class, inventive drinks. The city's finest mixology.
Practical notes for São Paulo
- Best time to visit
- March to May and September to November for milder, drier weather. Summer (December–February) is hot and rainy; winter (June–August) is cool and grey. The city is an indoor-and-nightlife destination year-round, so weather matters less.
- Getting around
- The Metro is clean, fast and the best way to beat the notorious traffic; taxis and apps (Uber, 99) are cheap but slow in rush hour. The city is vast — cluster your plans by neighbourhood. Walking works within districts like Jardins and Vila Madalena.
- Currency
- Brazilian Real (R$)
- Language
- Portuguese. English is limited outside business areas.
- Timezone
- BRT (UTC-3)
- Current trends
- A world-leading fine-dining scene (several World's 50 Best entries) alongside a booming casual and street-food culture; a serious cocktail and natural-wine movement; Vila Madalena and the centre's revival driving the creative scene; and specialty coffee (Brazil is the coffee giant) everywhere.
Other neighborhoods in São Paulo
- Jardins — The upscale district of leafy streets, designer shopping on Rua Oscar Freire, and many of the city's finest restaurants and hotels. Polished and safe.
- Vila Madalena — The bohemian creative heart, of street art (Beco do Batman), galleries, bars and cobbled lanes leading to buzzing nightlife. The city's most fun quarter.
- Centro & República — The historic downtown, of grand old buildings, markets, museums and a gritty, reviving energy (best by day). The city's dense, layered heart.
- Liberdade — The historic Japanese (and broader East Asian) quarter, of red torii-style arches, ramen shops, Asian groceries and a Sunday market. A world within the city.
Read the full São Paulo guide