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I recently spent five days in São Paulo, which was my first time in Brazil, and my first time anywhere in South America. One city, a schedule full of meetings, and a colleague gracious enough to show me around in between. What follows isn’t a guide but rather my first impression of a city I barely got to know.
Avenida Paulista, São Paulo
The Trip
I was in São Paulo in mid-March for work. I stayed at the Westin (read my review here). My days were structured around meetings, but my colleague – São Paulo-based and endlessly patient – made sure I didn’t spend the entire week inside a conference room. She showed me around, took me shopping, and introduced me to authentic Brazilian food. Seeing a city through someone who actually knows it is a different experience than working through an Instagram highlights reel on your own.
The view from my room at The Westin
The City
São Paulo is enormous. I’d read the statistics, but experiencing the scale is something else. It has a population of 22 million people, it sprawls and the skyline goes on forever.
Vila Olímpia, São Paulo
One of my favourite things about Brazil (and Latin America in general) is that the people are warm. I noticed early on that it’s completely normal to greet someone with a kiss on the cheek, even when you’re meeting them for the first time. It happened in professional settings, not just social ones. Coming from a culture of firm handshakes and polite distance, the warmth of it caught me off guard in the best way.
Tenente Siqueira Campos Park
Dress
São Paulo is hot and humid, and people dress accordingly. Showing skin is normal, even in professional settings. It registered as a notable contrast for me, as my last several international work trips were to the Middle East, where modesty norms require lots of wardrobe planning, especially as a female. I love that Brazil operates on the opposite end of that spectrum. People dress for the climate and for themselves, which made wardrobe planning so much easier and more practical.
Food
Boteco São Paulo
The highlight of my week was dinner at Boteco São Bento in Itaim Bibi. It’s a sprawling covered bar and restaurant with completely open walls, like you’re half inside, half outside. We arrived just after 5pm with another colleague and had our pick of the room but it didn’t stay that way for long. The after-work crowd poured in, the music got louder, and the place came alive. By the time we left, it was buzzing. The kind of vibes that make you want to order another round just to stay in it a little longer.
Traditional Brazilian Dinner at Boteco São Bento
The menu is built around classic Brazilian petiscos and grilled meats straight off the chapa. We ordered a sizzling cast iron platter of mixed grills – chicken, linguiça, baby potatoes – served with farofa on the side. Farofa is toasted cassava flour, a Brazilian staple I’d never encountered before. It sounds unassuming and looks like breadcrumbs, but is absolutely delicious.
Caipirinhas at Boteco São Bento
The drink menu was designed by Laércio Zulu, recognized as the best bartender in Brazil by the Diageo World Class awards (basically the Oscars of bartending). The caipirinhas reflected that. Made with cachaça, lime, and sugar, they’re simple on paper but they are so flavourful.
Boteco São Bento – Bar
I don’t have the vocabulary to write about Brazilian food with any authority yet but what I can say is that everything I ate that night (and all week) was incredible, the drinks were excellent, and if I go back to São Paulo, I’m going back to Boteco São Bento.
Lunch in São Paulo
Safety
Before I left, I heard about it from everyone. Friends, family, colleagues. The warnings were consistent and well-meaning but this is a pattern I’ve noticed in my travels: the gap between perception and reality tends to be widest in the places people feel most compelled to caution you about.
That said, some warnings are worth heeding. Both my colleague and my cab driver told me to keep my phone out of sight at all times, including in the back of a taxi. Phone theft is a serious issue in São Paulo, and thieves on motorcycles will target passengers who have their phones out in slow-moving or stopped traffic. Keeping your window up isn’t just comfort advice; thieves on foot, bikes, or motorcycles move through stalled traffic, break a side window, grab a phone, and vanish. If you’re planning to visit, make sure to put your phone away in public.
My overall experience: I never felt unsafe. I was aware, as I always am somewhere new, but there was no moment of unease. I was also with someone who knew the city well, which helps a lot and I don’t want to discount it. I’m not suggesting São Paulo doesn’t have real safety challenges, because it does. I’m just saying that for my particular week, in the areas I was in, I felt fine.
What I Can’t Tell You
Brazil would take months to properly explore, and I spent five days in one city. I didn’t see Rio. I didn’t see any of Brazil outside São Paulo. I didn’t navigate the city solo without a local guide, or move through it at different hours, or get a real sense of it beyond a work schedule. This is an honest accounting of five days with significant constraints, so take it accordingly.
