The 10 Best Cafés of Sao Paulo

Cafés serve coffee and tea most of the time, but they share some similarities with restaurants and bars as well. They also offer food such as beagles, sandwiches, soups, desserts and other small meals, and some of them even serve alcoholic beverages.

A Café was always the place where people came to socialize, to go on a date, write, read and enjoy some good coffee to top it all off. There are plenty of new Cafés opening in Sao Paulo each year, which makes it hard for some of them to stand out.

The ones that are usually crowded maintain their popularity by, first of all, providing a good environment for people to spend time in. For that, a calm and cozy space is required, and with that said, comfortable furniture is indeed necessary.

By serving great lattes, Cafés seal their visitor’s dedication. For the enjoyment of the customers’ eyes, latte art is very welcome. By providing great wifi and good magazines to read, they manage to become dear to customers’ hearts. They make them return more than just once and make it become a place that provides their daily coffee consumption and entertainment.

Here, you will read about 10 Cafés in Sao Paulo, which we choose as the best ones out there. There are plenty of similar coffees that we have already seen in our article about The Top 10 Cafés of New York City. Only this time we went a little South. You will see how they attract so many locals and tourists as well.

10. Cristallo

• Address: Rua Oscar Freire 914, Sao Paulo, State of Sao Paulo 01426-002, Brazil
• Telephone: +55 11 3082-1783
• Opening hours: Sun – Sat 09:00 – 21:00
• More information about the coffee house: http://cristalloonline.com.br/

While walking towards Cristallo café you will first see their porch on the sidewalk. It is in a well-shaded area, so it’s the perfect place to visit on the really hot days. Here you can enjoy your seat while being surrounded by a lot of people that create a great, lively atmosphere.

There are a lot of shops around it so it is usually always full both inside and outside, it is a perfect place to stop by while on a shopping tour. The side of the café that is looking at the street has lovely big glass walls through which you can enjoy a very pleasant outdoor view. The interior design of Cristallo is modern, well decorated and cozy, with some beautiful wall mosaic designs.

The ambient is pleasant, and the staff is great. They are friendly and really seem to like what they do. They have various types of cappuccinos, coffees on offer that are all delicious and look beautiful aesthetically.

They serve some really tasty food as well, but they still provide more coffees and desserts so you can enjoy some scrumptious cakes and sweets as well. The Cristallo café is quite affordable too, so if you are ever passing by, do try their pastries and coffee.

9. Cafe des Fleurs

• Address: Rua Gabriele d’Annunzio 1291, Sao Paulo, State of Sao Paulo 04619-005, Brazil
• Telephone: 551150932003
• Opening hours: Sun 09:30 – 20:00 Tue – Fri 12:00 – 20:00 Sat 09:30 – 22:00
• More information about the coffee house: https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/

Café des Fleurs is one of the most beautifully decorated cafés on this list. By approaching it you will see a simple gallery type look with bulky glass windows. Café des Fleurs has spacious indoors with retro, vintage, pop-art design.  It also has a very cozy and friendly environment in all its corners. It is like walking into a tiny wonderland.

With that said, it can be seen that the atmosphere is delicate, lovely and has some great music to top it off. The staff in Café des Fleurs is friendly, helpful, but unfortunately, some of the new staff is known to be not so pleasant. Yet, even with that in mind, you probably wouldn’t recognize it because of the café’s beauty.

They have many interesting coffees and fine espresso which are greatly served. But the thing they are most famous for is their sweets. Even though they have some quite non-standard sandwiches, croissants, and other food, they offer really delicious cakes, muffins. Their customers have really grown fond of these sweets.

So If you are craving for some delicious sweets and good coffee, you should try Café des Fleurs.

8. Flor Café

• Address: Praca da Luz 2, Sao Paulo, State of Sao Paulo 01120-010, Brazil
• Telephone: (11) 3872-1192
• Opening hours: Tue – Sun 10:00 – 18:00
• More information about the coffee house: https://www.facebook.com/cafeteriaflorcafe

Flor Café is a great relaxing café to visit. It has a big patio outside that is located beside a Museum and next to the Parque da Luz, with a wonderful view to it. It allows you to listen to some beautiful birds chirping while being surrounded by a lot of plants as you are enjoying your stay.

While walking into Flor Café, you enter a long room with some modernistic decorations and beautiful pictures of nature and the world on its walls. The atmosphere is quite lovely, especially the outside one. The staff is friendly and helpful, although sometimes a little slow, so if you ordered some food that requires a longer period of time to make, you will probably be waiting for a while.

But the view will definitely keep you occupied. They have many sorts of strong coffees, and they are famous for their good traditional Brazilian coffee, so definitely try it if you can. Flor Café is known for serving various breakfasts, lunch food, soups, many delicious salads and fun desserts.

7. Casa Bauducco

• Address: Rua Olimpiadas 360 | Shopping Vila Olímpia, Sao Paulo, State of Sao Paulo
• Telephone: +55 (11) 30476075
• Opening hours: Sun-Sat 09:00-22:00
• More information about the coffee house: http://www.bauducco.com.br/casabauducco

Casa Bauducco is a tiny coffee shop set in the corner of a building. They sell many different types of cookies that go really well with their coffee. When entering Casa Bauducco from the inside, you can see its whole interior because it is in a semi-opened room.

Their interior decoration is based on bricks and wood, with a kind of bakery vibe added to it. The café is not the biggest one but greatly succeeds to hold on customers. Their ambience is great and their staff is pleasant, friendly, so it won’t take you long to make yourself feel comfortable. They have some delicious coffees, serve everything professionally and aesthetically well.

Their second best beverage is hot chocolate. So if you are a chocolate lover who wants to warm up on a cold day this place is definitely for you! Casa Bauducco offers you some tasty muffins, croissants, and really good toasted sandwiches as well, to fill your belly with.

6. Cafe Martinelli Midi

• Address: Rua Libero Badaro 508, Sao Paulo, State of Sao Paulo 01008-000, Brazil
• Telephone: 551131042970
• Opening hours: Mon – Fri 07:30 – 19:30
• More information about the coffee house: https://www.facebook.com/CafeMartinelli/

Café Martinelli Midi was opened in 1993, and since then it had a  good reputation. The exterior of it is simple, without an outside porch to sit on. While walking in you go through a big glass door, on the right side there is a counter where you can order what you want as you come in. You can also just sit and wait to be served.

The interior of Café Midi is in the 1920’s vibes, with some interesting minimalist decorations. The whole atmosphere is lovely, it beautifully combines the aesthetics of an old school 20’s style and our modern days. It’s quite nice walking into a vintage café. Café Midi has a pleasant, helpful staff that enjoys their job.

They have many different white coffees to choose from, and they are served well. You can even order a latte with some nice art on it. They offer these to you on the menu along with some nice foods, like croissants, pizzas, interesting pies, yummy cakes and such. But they really focus on coffee making without a lot of other beverages to offer.

So this place is mostly for coffee lovers who enjoy sipping their coffee in calm and cozy environments.

5. Le Botteghe Di Leonardo

• Address: Rua Oscar Freire, 42, Sao Paulo, State of Sao Paulo 01426-000, Brazil
• Telephone: +55 11 2532-0376
• Opening hours: Sun 10:00 – 23:00 Mon – Thu 12:00 – 23:00 Fri 12:00 – 00:00 Sat 11:00 – 00:00
• More information about the coffee house: http://www.lebotteghedileonardo.com.br/

When coming towards Le Botteghe Di Leonardo you will first set your eyes on a public parklet with vintage wooden elements nicely arranged. The interior of the café and their outside area is divided by a long counter, leaving some opened space for customers to come and sit inside.

The inside dining part is really beautifully designed, with some trees inside, lots of light and cute modern paintings on walls. Truly, the whole atmosphere of Le Botteghe Di Leonardo is lovely. The staff is friendly and helpful. Le Botteghe Di Leonardo café has a good reputation serving some outstanding coffee varieties.

They are providing a various number of coffee types and it is very nicely served. If you are ever visiting, make sure you don’t leave without trying their ice creams. They provide some of the best ice creams in Sao Paulo, and they even have ice cream for dogs. Other than that, they sell also very good popsicles and some really tempting pastries.

4. Little Rock Coffee

• Address: Avenida Sao Luis 258, Loja 6 | Centro, Sao Paulo, State of Sao Paulo
• Telephone: 1136579762
• Opening hours: Mon – Fri 07:30 – 21:00 Sat 08:00 – 16:00
• More information about the coffee house: https://www.facebook.com/littlerockcoffeebrazil

The exterior of Little Rock Café has a simple, minimalistic style but somehow still tends to attract the people that are walking by. While entering the café you see some really great interior designs with a Rock-ish vibe to it, keeping it simple yet interesting and cool. There are two floors; the lower one is a cozy environment and the upper one is like an opened terrace with barriers.

The café’s environment is nice and it has comfortable low armchairs and wooden chairs. The baristas are present in what they’re doing, cheerful and will definitely make your stay joyful. There are many different types of coffees, some nice and cold cappuccinos for really warm days, and they have various types of brewing methods they use. All of them are quite delicious.

Customers are intrigued by Little Rock Café with having some really affordable prices of coffees, food, and beverages and yet everything that they serve is delicious and well served. For the food, they have some nice soups, salads, sandwiches and a big selection of desserts.

3. Nespresso Expertise Center

• Address: Rua Padre Joao Manuel 1164, Sao Paulo, State of Sao Paulo 01411-000, Brazil
• Telephone: +55 800 777 7737
• Opening hours: Tue – Sat 10:00-18:00 Sun 14:00-18:00
• More information about the coffee house: https://www.nespresso.com/nec/

As you walk up to Nespresso Center, the first thing you see is a patio that is surrounded by glass barriers, walls, and doors. Near the entrance, there are high counter chairs to sit on and many modern coffee related designs and images. A Nespresso Center has a VIP room that can be reserved, or used if it has not previously been reserved.

They even have a veranda on the second floor, so you have some options to choose from. The atmosphere is nice and the staff is friendly. Nespresso Center allows you to hold small meetings there if you want by reserving a VIP room.

Also, you can pick and buy a Nespresso machine along with various offers of different coffee beans and capsules, which can be delivered to your house too by making a membership card. With that said, the coffee there is one of the best ones in the city with really many offers to try. And they have fine food and desserts but don’t be surprised if those are too expensive.

2. Santo Grao

• Address: Rua Jeronimo da Veiga 179 | Itaím Bibi, Sao Paulo, State of Sao Paulo
• Telephone: +55 11 3071 3169
• Opening hours: Sun 08:00 – 00:00 Mon 09:00 – 01:00 Tue – Fri 07:30 – 02:00 Sat 08:00 – 02:00
• More information about the coffee house: http://www.santograo.com.br/

With an extensive environment and some beautiful trees surrounding the porch, Santo Grao is a place frequently visited by young people. The unique design of the place makes the atmosphere quite fun and entertaining.

The spacious indoors is a lovely and comfy place for a lot of foreigners that come, it allows you to sit on a high counter, get cozy in low armchairs or sit on big table chairs. The staff is generally responsive, friendly and very knowledgeable. In Santo Grao the coffee is amazing, there is a various assortment to choose from and you can even buy some really good packages of coffee beans there.

It is a nice place to have your daily meals because it has many types of foods to offer. They serve plenty of different tasty meals from eggs to other salty light meals, many fine salads, and desserts. At night it lights up and allows you to enjoy different types of alcoholic beverages.

1. Coffee Lab

• Address: Rua Fradique Coutinho 1340 | Vila Madalena, Sao Paulo, State of Sao Paulo
• Telephone: (11) 3375-7400
• Opening hours: Sun – Sat 10:00 – 20:00
• More information about the coffee house: http://loja.coffeelab.com.br/

By approaching Coffee Lab you will see a medium, cozy wooden terrace and another outdoor space which will give you some hothouse vibes and is surrounded by plants. While entering the Coffee Lab, the smell of coffee is everywhere and it indeed has the laboratory interior.

There is a small store where you can buy coffee related things and blends if needed. Workers have their own open laboratory for coffee making. They have amazing brewing techniques and they are a friendly staff which makes the environment even more appealing. And even though it is not a big place, if there are no seats it is worth waiting for, because the coffee is one of the best ones in the city.

They have various types of coffee and they really are the best scientists in their little laboratory. The purity of their water is unbelievable and they serve you with various desserts. Coffee Lab is known for having some delicious coffee desserts and fine sandwiches. For true coffee lovers, this place is like heaven.

Summary

Brazil has always been one of the world’s largest coffee producers, and one of the most complex ones at that. There was a second boom that was happening from the 1880s to the 1930s, relating to a period in Brazilian politics called café com leite, which means ‘coffee with milk’.

The name alludes to the biggest states’ that are dominating industries: coffee in São Paulo and dairy in Minas Gerais. The state of São Paulo is a standout amongst the most conventional espresso developing territories in Brazil and is the home to the Port of Santos (where coffee departs Brazil). The area is planted with 413,027 sections of land of one hundred percent Arabica coffee.

Brazil is producing more than 40 percent of the world’s coffee. The vast majority of this is lower grade Arabica and low-grade Robusta, yet there are some exceptional Brazilian coffees there. In case you ever have had an espresso or cappuccino, there is a large probability you have had a Brazilian coffee without even knowing.

There are plenty of good Brazilian coffees. The greatest quality coffee in Brazil is nutty, low acid, soft and with a hint of bittersweet chocolate tastes. The cafés that we wrote about definitely kept their traditions of tasty and quality coffee, yet, made it affordable for their customers.

If you are interested in some more coffee shop reviews, do check out the newest article about The Ten Best Coffee Shops In Bangkok.