Tag Archives: Sao Paulo

São Paulo is a mecca of pizza. In our relatively short stay in São Paulo we tried to sample as much pizza as possible, and we definitely found some of the most consistently good pizza outside of Italy. Many will vouch that the pizza in São Paulo is even BETTER than that found in Italy. One of our friends particularly recommended Speranza (R. 13 de Maio, 1004, São Paulo), a family restaurant that has been churning out pizzas since 1958. Speranza is quieter and less of a production than Braz, with which it vies for favorite pizza in the city. The menu at Speranza consists of pizzas and other Italian dishes including meats and pastas, as well as a tempting burrata appetizer.

There is a section of the menu dedicated to  authentic Neapolitan pizza, which for about 40R apiece (about $20) was a pretty good deal. It is worth noting that this restaurant was the first in Latin America to receive recognition from the Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana. We were highly recommended to get the classic margherita pizza, which was 56R for a large, and an extra 3R for buffalo mozzarella, which we felt was well worth the slight added expense. The pizza was fabulous. We loved the dense crust, the light sauce, and the generous hand with the buffalo mozzarella. While it may not have the fancy ambiance of Braz, we think we liked this little spot better.

We were completely stuffed from the pizza and bread, though we have to mention the restaurant’s very well-photographed menu of desserts. If you go there you will see what we mean. There was lemon tart and tiramisu, as well as something we’d never seen on a pizzeria menu before: Pastiera (Neapolitan Easter pie). This was definitely one of our top pizzas in Brazil, and we recommend Speranza to everyone looking for legit pizza in Sampa.

1900 Pizzeria
Rua Estado Israel, 240
São Paulo, 04022-002, Brazil

São Paulo is famed for its pizzerias, a fact of which Paulistanos are very proud. The city’s strong pizza heritage is thanks to waves of Italian immigrants that call São Paulo home. There are pizzerias of all stripes in Sampa, from utterly elegant to tiny one-woman operations. We were completely spoiled for choice in São Paulo and didn’t quite know where to start, so we were completely grateful when our hosts in São Paulo, Marciel and Angela, suggested we try 1900 Pizzeria.

1900 Pizzeria, which has several locations around Sampa, is an upscale establishment specializing in artisan Neapolitan pies. The name of 1900 Pizzeria comes from the fact that some iteration of the Pizzeria has been open since the year 1900. The recipe is also reportedly unchanged since that time. The restaurant itself was lively and bustling when we entered at the early, un-Brazilian time of 7 PM, and the partially open kitchen was working full-tilt. We could see pizza ovens burning, which was naturally a good sign.

The menu was divided into “Traditional (Tradicionais)” and “Specialty (Especias)” varieties of pizza – with the specialty pizzas having slightly more adventurous combinations like bacalhau and dried beef (and slightly higher price points). Pizzas came in individual, medium and large sizes, and the prices for a large pizza ranged from 47 to 62 reais (about 25-35 dollars). Across 2 large pizzas we sampled 4 varieties (1/2 of a pie each). First up was the endive and Margherita pizza. We had never tried endive on a pizza before, but the slightly spicy endive made for a very delicious and fresh pizza. The classic Margherita was lovely, with a perfect distribution of tomatoes, fresh basil and buffalo mozzarella (see below). Our second pizza (which we tried with a whole wheat crust) was ½ four cheese and ½ arugula. The winner of this pie was the 4 cheese, which included the delicious Brazilian staple Catupiry along with gorgonzola, mozzarella and provolone. We slightly preferred the whole wheat crust, since it added a little more substance to the pizza. For dessert there were also several sweet pizzas, with nutella, strawberries, etc, apparently an exceedingly popular option in São Paulo pizzerias.

Though it was more than we are used to paying for pizza, we felt the added cost was worth it. The pizzas at Pizzeria 1900 were excellent, and we are happy that we got to experience a slice of São Paulo pizza culture with our friends. We only wish we could have more time in Sao Paulo to try some more pizza spots.