Consulado Mineiro

Mineiro is a Brazilian born in Minas Gerais, a state right in the middle of this great country – and a state that is often stated as a traditional, deep inland cuisine heaven. So, now, just imagine a place that calls itself an embassy of Minas Gerais cuisine, right in the middle of São Paulo...

First of all, the location. Consulado Mineiro sits right in Benedito Calixto Square. And what’s special about Benedito Calixto Square? It is a small square that has a traditional flee market where you can buy and sell almost everything (specially antiques, though) and taste delicious street food. It is a buzzling and vivid place, full of people from all around São Paulo (and a few tourists that discovered it in Lonely Planet), with people selling, buying, walking around, eating, drinking. Just watch your pocket if you go there, ok?

Consulado Mineiro is right in the middle of this square – and you can easily say which restaurant it is by looking at the queue size. Consulado Mineiro is simply the one with the biggest number of persons drinking a beer and waiting outside. Especially during the weekends, the affluence is amazing! Which tells a lot about the food quality – and it’s price!

The dining room is big but normal – nothing special on that. The food, though, is a different story. First of all, a much needed clarification. When I talk about inland cuisine, I am not talking about some fancy small dish with one or two small appointments. I am talking about real food, that can feed a man working in the fields for a full day – but that feeds not only his stomach, but also its senses. That’s how good “mineira food” is! You have many (and delicious) options around, but just remember an individual ordering is actually large enough for 2 persons. Now, some options: “feijoada” (red beans and pork meat) is always a traditional and good choice (it is Wednesday’s traditional dish, so, it should be your order if you stop by there on such a day), “tutu à mineira”, “leitão à pururuca” (a kind of suckling pig), “mexidão” or “vale do Jequitinhonha” are very good examples of this meat rich and inland vegetables food tradition. Just remember to wash them down with some good local beer.

Consulado Mineiro is a great choice for a nice lazy Sunday lunch with some friends and good, delicious, meaty food. The kind of food that will taste great and then demand that you sit outside in the Sun and slowly digest it.

Where: São Paulo - Brazil

Address: Praça Benedito Calixto nº 74

Phone: +54 11 3088 6055

Website: http://www.consuladomineiro.com.br/

Expensive: Around 90 BRR (40 euros) for 2 persons

Last visit: June 2012