A vegan guide to Sao Paulo, Brazil

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Sao Paulo, the fourth-largest city in the world, is big on culture, food, and art. More recently, vegan food is catching up too. According to the IBOPE (Brazilian Institute of Public Opinion and Statistics), 14 percent of the population are vegetarian, and plant-based companies are increasing at 40 percent annually.

See also: Editor’s pick: the most stylish men’s vegan leather goods

Larissa Maluf, our contributor for this month's guide, gives us the scoop on her favorite vegan and vegan-friendly restaurants to dine at. She credits the change to consumers who are becoming aware and demanding vegan options from stores and restaurants.

Is Sao Paulo a vegan-friendly city? She describes it as an "extremely vegan-friendly place" due to the affordability and variety of options. Apart from being an active member, Larissa Maluf works as the communications and project manager for the Brazilian Vegetarian Society. She's also a volunteer with Vale da Rainha Sanctuary, one of our non-profit partners.

See also: How a hamster named Rupert helped Earthling Ed go vegan

She has been an animal activist with Alpa Limeira (ALPA) since 2013. The NGO initially focused on caring for pets, but once they received complaints about animal abuse cases in factory farms, they started rescue missions for farm animals.

"At this point, I realized there was no difference between animals we have at home and the animals that suffer in the industry."

larissa Photo: @larissamaluf

Larissa started to follow Meatless Monday (a movement to discourage people from consuming meat on Monday). Two years later, she came across a video of a cow being torn apart from her baby. This was a turning point in her life and made her quit animal products altogether.

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Vegan Restaurants

Pop Vegan Food

Green Kitchen

mac and cheese Mac and cheese. Photo: @diogof

Larissa says the kitchen opens throughout the day and is known to have one of the best burgers in town. "They are good at mimicking non-vegan food to look like vegan ones." According to Larissa, must-tries include the Pancetta, a vegan take on pork belly, and the burger with "eggs."

Da Vila

For a boozy vegan catch-up over lunch or dinner, Larissa recommends visiting Da Vila. She reviews it, saying, "it's one of the places you'll want to sit and try a bit of the entire menu." All their dishes are gluten-free, including the beer. The restaurant is in the neighborhood Pinheiros, equally well known for its trendy cafes and art galleries. Why should you visit this spot? Everything is served fresh and healthy. Plus, the ambience and service are great, Larissa tells us.

pic Tostada defumada. Photo: @veggiegabis

Purana Co

Purana Co hopes to inspire customers to connect nature through food with its menu. Larissa says the beautifully decorated space is so comfortable that you can spend long hours trying everything on the menu. It's one of her favorite brunch places, but they also offer lunch and dinner dishes. Get their avocado and mushroom toasts, barbecue tofu, and buddha bowls for hearty lunch options.

pic Torta de painço. Photo: @larissamaluf

Prime Dog

prime dog Vegan hamburger. Photo: @larissamaluf

Sushimar Vegano

Sushimar Vegano is the place to visit for vegan Japanese food. It certainly lives up to its reputation as it’s the first vegan Japanese restaurant in the city. Some must-tries are the coconut nigiri, the red cabbage salad with tomatoes and the shiitake gyoza. Larissa says, "because all their dishes are beautifully presented, you can write lots of reviews on abillion." Customers can order two ways: menu-based or an all-you-can-eat style. Pro tip: come here early, or be prepared to wait in a long queue!

sushi Rodízio Vegano. Photo: @inazurcher

Bacio di Latte

It's all about the ingredients at Bacio di Latte. The gelato shop was founded in 2011 by two brothers, Edoardo and Luigi. Born in Milan, Edoardo completed his degree in 2009 and volunteered at a hospital in Northern Brazil. While he was on his journey back home, he learned about the craze of gelato in Sao Paulo and they were in short supply.

ice cream Crema De Cioccolato E Avelã. Photo: @larissamaluf

This inspired the brothers to start a gelato shop made with top-notch ingredients that pay homage to their hometown in Milan. Currently, this Italian gelato chain has more than 140 locations with vegan options. Larissa recommends trying their chocolate and hazelnut (Cioccolato & Avelã) made from oat milk.

Check out the Sao Paulo collection here. If you’re a member who is interested in sending your guide to your city. Comment below and one of our staff members will get in touch.

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Responses

@vikas profile image
Wow so much amazing vegan food in São Paulo. Brilliant! 🤩🤩🤩
REPLY
@franciscasotz profile image
Awesome! 🇧🇷
REPLY
@jashment profile image
Can’t wait to go one day to try these (and also to visit all the Masters, of course 😉)
REPLY
@larissamaluf profile image
Hope to see you here sometime! :)
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