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Luiz Filipe, who is a trained French chef with a background in a three Michelin star kitchen in Spain’s north, explained the pairing of eel and chicken broth.
In fact, the owner of São Paulo’s leading restaurant Evvai is entirely self-taught, rebelling against his engineer father and teacher mother to master the stove instead.
After working with his mentor in the destination restaurant Reale (Italy), he knew he’d be a chef star at home.
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His story reflects the efforts of several chefs to turn this city that has been unfairly maligned into one of foodie destinations of 2026. With a third star tipped for Evvai – and possibly for equally brilliant Tuju – when the seventh Michelin Brazil guide lands in May, go now before prices rocket.
Ivan Ralston insists that Tuju is one of the top five cities in the world to eat. He spent seven years in Spain at El Celler de Can Roca and Mugaritz – once the forefront of global cuisine.
He was there during the golden age of Spanish restaurant culture, when Spain was reinventing what a dining experience could be. It was part laboratory, part theater, part philosophy workshop. After service, he says “It’s an extraordinary time”, the embers still glowing from an amazing nine-course tasting menu in the open kitchen.
He had other ambitions at first. Ralston was determined to become a musician and studied music at Berklee College of Music, in the United States.
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What can a double bass teacher teach a chef about cooking?
He explains, “Music is mathematics, structure, and rhythm.” It teaches you how to think in patterns. “This is very helpful for creativity.” He pauses. He pauses.
Tuju’s first years were rough. São Paulo rents are unforgiving, diners demanding and investors impatient. Survival seemed to be more important than fame for a while.
But perseverance paid off. Ralston, who bought out his former partner, now preside over an impressive three-storey space, where diners can be guided on a whimsical journey, almost narrative, inspired by Alice in Wonderland with unmistakably Brazilian flavours.
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When Michelin first arrived in Brazil in 2017, launching simultaneously in São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, many wondered whether the inspectors would truly grasp the country’s culinary complexity.
The numbers are telling their own story.
São Paulo has surged ahead, now boasting 17 starred restaurants and more than 30 Bib Gourmands.
Rio is lagging behind, while Buenos Aires remains competitive but distinctly in the rear.
Michelin has not yet officially arrived in Lima. The city is long considered the gastronomic capital of South America.
The mood has also been influenced by politics. Several sectors of Brazilian culture have become more optimistic since the arrest of former president Jairbolsonaro.
Chefs, whether they are directly involved or not, have a newfound confidence: the belief that Brazilian identity can finally break out of Europe’s shadow.
On a culinary tour lasting a full week, it becomes apparent that there is a pattern. Many of the city’s brightest talents are prodigal sons and daughters who left to train abroad – many in Spain – before returning home.
It is striking how similar the parallels are with Spain’s revolution of the 1990s and 2000s. Then, as now, many young cooks travelled to France, the US, and the UK in order to reinterpret the terroir of their home countries.
“We learned so much from Spain,” says Viviane Gonçalves, the dynamic force behind the restaurant at the Hotel Emiliano.
Gonçalves spent four years cooking in China and two in Bristol before returning to São Paulo with sharpened technique and broadened horizons.
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“I love Granada,” says she. “The chefs’ use of local products is amazing.” Spain’s regional diversity is incredible – though Brazil might rival it.”
She is right. Brazil has more biodiversity than any other country on Earth. The pantry is awash with everything from Amazonian fish and unusual fruits to coastal shellfish.
For many decades, European imports and techniques dominated the fine dining scene, with a large portion of its products being underused.
It is changing.
Like New York, London or Barcelona, São Paulo offers virtually every global cuisine imaginable.
Italian and Japanese influences, a reflection of waves of immigration which have shaped Sao Paulo’s identity, are especially strong. But what distinguishes São Paulo is how confidently these traditions are being fused with Brazilian produce.
Why such diversity? Gonçalves laughs. “We have 22 million residents in our city. We work continuously. There are no mountains or beaches in this area. We escape through food. “Restaurants are our living rooms.”
The intellectual caliber of chefs is also a notable trait. Many chefs are graduates or have had careers in completely different fields.
Adriano De Laurentiis (Italian) and Catarina Feraz (Brazilian) left architecture and advertising to work at Cais in search of a more tangible experience.
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De Laurentiis confesses: “I felt bored and frustrated.” “Cooking was my purpose.”
After a successful performance at Tuju he continued his journey, spending time at Maaemo, Oslo to absorb the Nordic precision, before returning home.
Cais offers a world of flavours and textures that are influenced by the freshest ingredients.
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Metzi is a similar story. Eduardo Nava met Luana after they studied music and medicine in New York.
Inspire by their time in Mexican kitchens they created a Brazilian-Mexican dialog that is lively, generous, and unpretentious. This is, simply put, a joyous cuisine.
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Guillerme Bragaholi, 25, runs Kotori, an orientated Japanese spot. After training locally, he spent a year in Napa Valley absorbing Californian polish before returning to São Paulo.
He says that Brazil is still catching-up with Europe. “But we learn fast.” We support each other.
That camaraderie may be São Paulo’s secret ingredient. Unlike other, older, hierarchical cultures of dining, there’s little guarded competition here.
Chefs are often seen dining at one another’s restaurants. They also share suppliers and exchange techniques. It seems that the rising tide is really lifting all boats.
There is warmth. Even in France, fine dining may still be a bit formal and austere. In São Paulo, even at the highest level, there is an unmistakable informality. You are not merely a customer; you are a guest in each chef’s ‘home’.
My week is ending, and it’s tempting to attribute the city’s rise to Michelin mathematics or political mood changes. This would miss the main point. What is happening in São Paulo is deeper: a generation reclaiming its ingredients, its confidence and its voice.
The rest of the globe will catch up soon, if not already. Reserve your table today. Three Michelin stars await you in May.
SAO PAOLO’S MUST-VISIT RESTAURANTS
TUJU
At the end of a cul de sac in the business district you are led into a courtyard by ‘Eddy’ with a very London accent, but clear strains of Brazilian jazz in the background. Three floors of a journey, with three amuse-bouches including the best seaurchin I’ve eaten and a fantastic fino from Jerez.
On the second floor, you’ll find the classic show cooking in an open-plan setting. You will be met by Ivan the chef and Katerina the wife who is running the show. Over three fabulous hours the nine course menu just gets better and better, starting with a seared scallop in a tucupi XO fermented sauce and leading on to Caruncho pork, a rare Brazilian breed with ‘white truffle on top’.
The red snapper with cod roe, a watermelon radish sauce and hibiscus shaved into a puddle-like effect is another highlight. Pannacotta, with Brazil nut and caviar milks, is also a must-try. Before it is served, you can smell the crayfish paired with palm heart and a pil pil red vanilla.
Ralston has become a legend, and a walking wordsmith. “I am half catholic, part Jewish – but totally atheist – my god is temperature …food must be at the right one,” he insists. This is a perfect example.
EVVAI
Evvai means ‘let’s go’ in Italian and it’s one hell of a roller coaster ride from start to finish – not in an anarchic way, but in the most drilled, organised and slick journey I’ve had in years and reminiscent of Madrid’s Diverxo or Azurmendi, in Bilbao. There is a Brazilian/Italian Fusion menu with so many experiments, only matched in size by the wine list, which has over 2000 references.
Luis Filipe’s palacio gourmet offers a level of luxury that is out of this world. The originality of the plate decoration and the Japanese-style pine trees in the middle is still there.
The tasting menu is one of the best I have ever eaten and I particularly loved the ‘textured salad’ served on a green beans puree, scooped up off a plinth. The crab dish arrives with its postcard, Batman-style, ‘Holy Crab!’ “It screams!” This is quite correct. It’s a winner. A crab tartare on a shell of scallop with caviar generously topped. Then it’s a ‘Tramazino’ sandwich from Turin, actually a meringue stuffed with blue fin tuna and slices of pitanga an exotic fruit from the Amazon. You get the picture and thankfully every course – and there were 12 – came with its very own postcard to remember it by. Genius.
CAIS
This coolest cottage is located in the trendy Vila Madalena neighborhood. It has a soulful kitchen. The decor is retro 70s, with the majority of tables arranged in a line on one side. Old wooden doors and windows have also been restored. Like the TV series the Bear, there are two bosses – male and female vying for the top billing and its cuisine is centred around fresh fish and seafood, while the menu is seasonal with lots of vegetarian dishes and most of the wines are natural wines so all very on a real hipster message.
METZI
The chefs Eduardo Nava & Luana Sabina first met in New York. They fell in love while cooking and decided to combine their culinary skills for the benefit Sao Paulinos. Their cooking is a combination of Mexican techniques and traditions and Brazilian ingredients – lots of them – with careful attention paid to the seasons and freshness. Expect a nice mescal cocktail to start, while the staff come from a melting pot of nations – Peruvian, Chilean and Mexican.
KOTORI
It’s the cool zen place that works on a January Friday night for kids. There were no adults in sight. The focus here is on Japanese culture and the cuisine, which is a reinterpretation of Western dishes for Asian tastes.
Home of chef Thiago Bañares, the menu is simple and not overburdened – effectively two dozen dishes all rolled into one. This includes the incredible courgettes, cooked on the yakitori with Banbanji Sauce and chilli crunch. Scallops – come as a carpaccio in a yellow bell pepper sauce while a duck heart comes on a stick, and with manioc and parsley sauce. Eryngui Mushrooms are also a must: they come in a sauce with wild cassava broth and chicken.
PICCHI
This elegant Italian won a Michelin Star in Brazil’s first Michelin Guide in 2017, which is even more impressive considering it was only the second year for the guide. The warm interior features beautiful stone flooring and teak walls. It’s also great to see the giant wooden ice buckets on wheels filled with sparkling wines and Champagnes. Choose from a la cart or 3 tasting menus. My meal began with sea urchins and seaweed Nuri, along with a salmon roe. Then a false olive – a grape – marinated with olive oil and put inside. Tortellini with pomodore and eggplant sauce made a delicious warm dish on a rainy afternoon. The pappadelle with duck ragu and foie gras cream on top was also delicious. A dish fit for kings.
EMILIANO
Viviane Gonçalves (Chef Vivi) is known as a ‘classical’ chef in Sao Paolo but she has a lot more in her locker from her near decade abroad. She is a huge fan of vegetarian dishes, like smoked cauliflower cream in olive oil with sauteed spinach. Her home made tagliatelle with caviar and Beurre Blanc was a favorite. Her sea bass dish was an intricate one with pak Choi, tiny mushrooms and a Dashi soup that she brought back from China. Confit of duck is sat on red rice with diced vegetables in a red-wine reduction. The pork ribs were delicious and generous. The 3 course lunch for 152 Reales is a great deal.
How to Get There
Tap Air is the leader in Europe-Brazil flights, flying daily from Europe to Sao Paolo as well as 13 other Brazilian destinations. It continues to expand its network recently adding Curitiba and Florianópolis with direct flights from Porto and Lisbon. Visit www.flytap.com for more information.
WHERE TO STAY
Jon Clarke stayed at Sao Paolo’s stylish five-star Pulso hotel (www.pulsohotel.com) and the hip grande dame Emiliano (www.emiliano.com.br). He also stayed at the stunning Barracuda hotel in Itacare (www.thebarracuda.com.br).
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