Eating in SP - Snacks

Pão de Queijo

These “cheese rolls” are original from Minas Gerais, a neighboring state, but they have spread around the town in such a way that I challenge you to find a café where pão de queijo cannot be found; even Starbucks will have it. One large chain of coffee shops is so specialized that it’s called “Casa do Pão de Queijo,” namely the ‘house of the cheese roll’. I bet you’ll even have it for breakfast at your hotel. Most are quite good, although in some simpler places they might be too doughy and rubbery. The ideal one is crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside. I suggest you try one from the “Casa do Pão de Queijo", which is the best in my opinion. Prices around the city will range from R$1,50 to 3,50.

            Some shops will also offer ‘mini pães de queijo’, so you may buy a large paper cup with some 10 or 12 small units for 6,00 to 9,00.  In case you really love it, it is possible to buy the mix to take back with you and prepare it at home, just of course it won't be the same...

Why are we doing this?

The first time I went to Paris I spent one month there learning French. When I arrived I only had some basic notions of it, but three weeks later, when my mom met me there, she was astonished to see that not only could hold a conversation in French but I moved about the city quite confidently. I remember she said I didn’t look like a foreigner at all. I always thought how a foreigner would feel here in São Paulo, for in this huge and confusing city only recently some thought has been given to how a tourist might get about here; for example, the subway system has just started translating its signage to English. But I’m always stricken by the fact that most bus stops have no indication whatsoever to which buses stop there. And those that do say little more than the destination of the bus, so if you don’t know the city it doesn’t help you much. Which means this would also be hard for Brazilians from other parts of the country, who would have to resource to the next person standing there to get this information. Yes, São Paulo is not for beginners. And what can you do if you don’t speak Portuguese? Who can you ask? Our proposal here is to be this someone you can turn to…