Curio is a local bar restaurant around where we were staying. My partner wanted to meet their friends locally here since it was new to them, and in the evenings, it appeared to be a very happening place. We were able to walk in for 4 people at around 6 PM without any issues. We had the option of sitting right in the outdoor area in front of the restaurant with security guards around, but we opted to sit inside toward the back.

Zeh Cozinha is located in the Midway shopping mall in Natal. It’s regarded as a local restaurant with many options of steak or seafood. The price is not too expensive for locals, and this restaurant is competing for business against Camarões and Outback in the same level of the shopping mall. Along with the foods, it also has a decent selection of drinks. We were really excited to try this restaurant out to get a feel for what’s a popular local restaurant.

Camarões is a very popular seafood restaurant which got its start in Natal, Brazil. If you meet anyone from this northeast region, they will say they love this restaurant. My partner has been talking about this since day 1 that I met them. Now, I have the opportunity to try this out to see what the rave is all about. Camarões has since expanded to more locations in Natal, as well as a location in São Paulo city, which is a food mecca for Brazilians.

In our last night in São Paulo, we met up with my partner’s friend at Nakka in Jardim. This was a sushi restaurant close to our hotel that offers Japanese fusion type food. At first glance at the menu, the items look exactly similar to anything and everything in the US. My partner was adamant that Brazilian Japanese food was much different than what I had. The friend made a reservation for 7 PM, so we were able to walk in and get seated.

A Casa do Porco (translates to House of the Pig) is a homage to pork as a whole. If you love pork as much as we do, this is a restaurant that you need to check out in Brazil. One accolade recently was that Janaína Torres was rated as “World’s Best Female Chef 2024”. The restaurant also has a Michelin green star, which means they are sustainability conscious. They control the entire food chain from farm to consumer.

Mani is a Michelin star Brazilian restaurant headed by chef Helena Rizzo and Willem Vandeven. My partner was adamant at getting reservations for this. Since the restaurant’s reservation system was a little odd at the time, my partner was talking to them through WhatsApp. Since Chef Helena Rizzo wasn’t going to be there during our reservation, she sent a birthday congratulations message thru Whatsapp to me, which I thought was very humble and extremely awesome.

My partner made a reservation for D.O.M. months in advanced because of a Brazilian chef, Alex Atala, featured on Chef’s Table. What was very attractive to me was how he is known for using indigenous Brazilian ingredients in the dishes. My partner had also contemplated bringing me to a Japanese or Asian type restaurant, but that could not really showcase what Brazil is about.

D.O.M. was rated at 53 on World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2022 and 33 on Latin America’s 50 Best Restaurants 2022, and it has also received a Michelin 2 Star rating.

Casa de Francisca is located in a rather sketchy part of São Paulo. The area reminds me a bit of the early pages of the Art District in Los Angeles or the early gentrification in Bed Stuy in Brooklyn. They have 2 areas, one which is a regular restaurant, and the other being a second floor space. The second floor has a very interesting, artistic space where all the views are generously focused at the stage. This was basically a meal + show package all in one.

This is our first trip together to Brazil and São Paulo together. I’ve met many Brazilians at work, but I did not have any idea what to really expect out of the gourmand food scene. Unlike New York City, many of these Michelin Star restaurants were easier to get into. My partner chose this recently rewarded Michelin 2 star restaurant, Evvai, because it was known for showcasing Brazilian ingredients in a refine way.

Long Island City is basically turning into an upscale, modern day Flushing-type environment. There has been a recent surge in the last few years of Asian restaurants popping up all over the place. Close to the popular Vernon Blvd area is a fermentation studio called “Little Banchan Shop”. They sell little Korean side dishes. The owner decided to open a restaurant in the back, Meju. We were able to get reservations a month in advance on Tock for 7 PM on a Saturday evening.