Mocotó

Top choice in São Paulo


It's worth the trek to Zona Norte for a meal at this darling of regional restaurants, where the city's most likeable and impressive young chef took over his father's simple emporium and started churning out Northeastern specialties. Suddenly, Rodrigo Oliveira's kitchen found itself a destination restaurant for Paulistanos who otherwise couldn't have told you where the hell Vila Madeiros was.

For weekend lunches, it's a full-on gastro-party, with everyone digging into seriously homey comfort food at friendly prices, chased by hundreds of artisan cachaças (sugar cane alcohol beverages). Take the metro blue line until the end at Tucuruvi; from there, it's a R$10 off-peak Uber ride.