São Paulo’s Michelin Moment: Inside the 2025 Guide and the City’s Evolving Culinary Power
In May 2025, the MICHELIN Guide Rio de Janeiro & São Paulo once again placed South America’s largest city on the global culinary map. Known for its energy, complexity, and cultural layers, São Paulo continues to rise as one of the world’s most dynamic food destinations — and this year’s guide proves it.
With new stars awarded, a strong showing of Japanese-Brazilian excellence, and a culinary culture built on fusion, biodiversity, and bold storytelling, São Paulo now stands shoulder-to-shoulder with Paris, Tokyo, and New York as a must-visit for gastronomes.
Whether you're visiting for business, Formula 1, or pure indulgence — São Paulo is no longer a hidden gem. It's a culinary capital.
🥂 São Paulo’s Culinary Rise: Innovation & Identity
What makes São Paulo’s food scene magnetic is its fearless originality. This is a city where:
- Indigenous ingredients meet Japanese technique
- Italian heritage fuses with Brazilian terroir
- Afro-Brazilian flavors command center stage
It’s not just fine dining. It’s flavor as a language — and every plate tells a story.
🌟 2025 Michelin Guide Highlights
🥢 New One-Star Restaurants
KANOE – Jardins
An omakase-only experience by Chef Tadashi Shiraishi. With fewer than 10 seats, Kanoe is about precision, restraint, and storytelling through temperature and texture. One of the hardest reservations in Brazil, and now a Michelin-starred one.
RYO GASTRONOMIA – Reimagined Kaiseki
After a major relaunch, Chef Edson Yamashita’s Ryo returned with a minimalist dining room, exceptional service, and a seasonal kaiseki menu. Michelin took notice — and awarded it a well-deserved star in 2025.
⭐ Returning Two-Star Icons
🍃 D.O.M. – Chef Alex Atala
Still the benchmark of Brazilian fine dining, D.O.M. explores the Amazon on a plate. Ingredients like ants, priprioca, and tucupi tell stories of land, history, and innovation.
🇧🇷 Evvai – Chef Luiz Filipe Souza
The Oriundi concept shines through every playful, deeply personal dish. Amazonian risottos, Italian-Brazilian mashups, and progressive tasting menus make Evvai a must for Grand Prix guests.
🌿 Tuju – Chef Ivan Ralston
Tuju is a celebration of biodiversity, restraint, and vegetable-forward haute cuisine. A true comeback story that proves São Paulo’s scene isn’t just rising — it’s sustaining.
🇧🇷 What Makes São Paulo’s Dining Scene Unique?
1. Multicultural DNA
São Paulo has the largest Japanese population outside Japan, a deep Italian legacy, and rich Afro-Brazilian traditions — a mix unlike any other.
2. Ingredient Innovation
From pirarucu to jabuticaba, native Brazilian ingredients are center stage — and prepared with world-class finesse.
3. Story-Driven, Sustainable Dining
Restaurants are embracing narrative menus, local sourcing, and climate-conscious cooking — blending experience with ethics.
🔥 Michelin Beyond the Stars: Ones to Watch
Metzi – Modern Mexican-Brazilian tasting menus by Eduardo Nava Ortiz and Luana Sabino.
Nelita – Romantic, elevated Brazilian-European fusion by Tássia Magalhães.
Kazuo – A visually stunning pan-Asian concept from Chef Kazuo Harada with growing buzz.
🏁 Why This Matters for the F1 Traveler
If you're attending the 2025 São Paulo Grand Prix, this isn’t just foodie news — it's your gastronomic itinerary. With reservations already secured for our guests, Richard Jarocki Experiences seamlessly blends Formula 1 adrenaline with world-class dining.
Imagine this:
- Race day at Autódromo José Carlos Pace
- Sunset drinks at Skye Bar, Hotel Unique
- Dinner at Evvai, Tuju, or Kanoe — no waitlist, no stress
That’s not travel. That’s luxury, curated.
🗺️ Your Michelin Hit List for 2025
Two Stars:
- D.O.M.
- Evvai
- Tuju
One Star:
- Kanoe
- Ryo Gastronomia
- Maní
- Kuro
- Kazuo
- Murakami
Future Stars:
- Metzi
- Nelita
- Fame Osteria
- Cora
✈️ Final Thoughts: São Paulo Has Arrived
The 2025 Michelin Guide confirms what insiders already knew: São Paulo is no longer an emerging food city — it’s a global heavyweight. From omakase to moqueca, from heritage to experimentation, this is where fine dining meets soul.
And for our Grand Prix guests: your seat at the table is already waiting.
Ready to experience São Paulo through taste?
Apply now for our curated luxury experience during the 2025 São Paulo Grand Prix.
While Michelin stars have long been associated with European culinary capitals, Brazil’s continued rise is shifting that global narrative. The 2025 Michelin Guide doesn’t just validate São Paulo’s culinary maturity — it reinforces Latin America’s growing role on the world’s fine dining stage. For years, cities like Paris, Tokyo, and Copenhagen dominated the global food conversation. Now, São Paulo stands confidently in that conversation, offering a culinary experience that’s not only diverse and inventive but deeply rooted in heritage and identity. It’s a city where global luxury travelers can taste the past, present, and future in a single meal.
At D.O.M., Chef Alex Atala’s story is as important as his food. Once a DJ and punk rocker, Atala trained at École Hôtelière de Namur in Belgium before returning to Brazil with a mission: to elevate native Brazilian ingredients and redefine what Brazilian cuisine could be. Signature dishes like heart of palm fettuccine and ant-infused beef tartare challenge conventional palates while celebrating biodiversity.
At Evvai, Chef Luiz Filipe Souza’s playful approach to fine dining brings emotion to the table. Having represented Brazil at the Bocuse d’Or, he brings technical rigor to every dish. His Oriundi concept is not just cuisine—it’s cultural exploration, fusing his Italian ancestry with Brazilian soul. His tasting menus are built like operas, each course a crescendo of flavor, texture, and nostalgia.
Tuju’s Chef Ivan Ralston, meanwhile, stands at the intersection of science and sustainability. With a background in music and a passion for botany, Ralston crafts seasonal menus that are equal parts avant-garde and intimate. A meal at Tuju is a quiet rebellion against convention—proof that Brazilian fine dining can be elegant, earth-conscious, and emotionally resonant all at once.
For those exploring beyond the stars, São Paulo’s neighborhoods each offer distinct culinary identities. In Jardins, elegance reigns supreme—home to Evvai, Kanoe, and fashionable bistros where luxury and innovation meet. Pinheiros is São Paulo’s culinary frontier, buzzing with creativity and cool. Here you’ll find Metzi’s modern Mexican fusion, Nelita’s romantic flair, and casual yet elevated venues loved by locals and critics alike.
Vila Madalena, known for its bohemian charm and artistic soul, offers an exciting blend of street food, wine bars, and neo-Brazilian tapas. Meanwhile, Itaim Bibi caters to the upscale business traveler, with polished Japanese-Brazilian establishments and high-end steak houses.
Each neighborhood reveals another layer of São Paulo’s flavor map—making it one of the most exciting cities in the world for culinary exploration.
At Richard Jarocki Experiences, curating a luxury itinerary isn’t just about picking restaurants—it’s about storytelling, trust, and relationships. I personally dine at each establishment, often more than once, to understand its atmosphere, consistency, and culinary perspective. I meet chefs, ask questions, and look for those intangible moments that turn a meal into a memory. It’s that obsessive attention to detail that allows me to deliver not just great meals, but unforgettable dining narratives. Whether it’s a quiet omakase or a grand tasting menu, if it’s on our itinerary—it’s been personally vetted and deeply felt.
There’s never been a better time to experience São Paulo. With its Michelin stars shining brighter than ever and the Grand Prix promising a week of unmatched energy, the city is ready to welcome the world. And when you travel with Richard Jarocki Experiences, you won’t just attend the São Paulo Grand Prix—you’ll taste its soul, meet its culinary legends, and leave with stories worth savoring. Your seat—and your table—are waiting. Apply now to reserve your place.
