On Instagram, Mila, recently opened in Itaim Bibi, presents itself as an urban osteria. Then you walk through the glass sliding door, hoping to whip up a good plate of noodles, and you’re not disappointed. The pasta is fresh, made daily by chef Pedro Pineda.
But the pappardelle with white ragu (without tomato sauce), is served with a portion of sheep curd and another of kimchi — the proposal is to mix the Korean spicy preserves with the noodles.
The strangeness will not be less in the pizza section: the zucchini pizza has kale pesto, while the chicken and cheese curd is finished with coriander leaves.
Opened in January 2021 by Tito Paolone, who worked on the implementation of Eataly in São Paulo, Mila is part of the new generation of Italian restaurants that opened their doors in São Paulo from 2020 onwards.
There were not a few, close to two dozen, and the list continues to grow — on the 16th, in Pinheiros, Rosso Cucina was opened, which belongs to Mario Rosso, also owner of Osteria del Rosso, in Tatuapé.
The familiarity of the paulistano with Italian recipes helps to explain why so many entrepreneurs continue to bet on an already so competitive segment. Chef Rodolfo De Santis alone is ahead of four of them, including the new Ninetto Trattoria, which opened in October 2020.
“The Italian colony in São Paulo is gigantic, with many descendants. It’s an easy to understand cuisine, reminiscent of family cooking”, says Fabio Dante, owner of Barletta, opened in December 2020, attached to the store of the importer Grand Cru, in Paulista Garden.
Although the classic cuisine of Italy serves as the basis for this new wave of restaurants, the way of interpreting it (and eventually transgressing it) differs a lot.
Dating with other nationalities, as happens at Mila, also appears at Basilicata Trattoria, where chef Rafael Lorenti prepares porchetta sandwiches inside the bao, steamed Asian bread.
Several dishes from Nelita, a new venture by chef Tássia Magalhães, also have an oriental accent — foie gras goes to the table with green apple and matcha, while a uni (sea urchin) goes on top of the putanesca bigoli.
Another common trait is the openness to national ingredients, something unthinkable for more conservative Italian restaurants.
Chef André Mifano, who opened Donna in September 2021, makes a point of informing on the menu that the supplier of his burrata is Laticínio Almeida Prado, from Bocaina (SP), while the sausages come from Pirineus, in the south zone of São Paulo.
At Pasta Shihoma, a mix of restaurant and pastry shop by Marcio Shihoma, the sprinkled cheese is not Parmigiano Reggiano, but tulha, produced at Fazenda Atalaia, in Amparo (SP). The ricotta from Brivido, from Jacareí (SP), enters the filling of the pasta.
Yes, there are even Japanese descendants running Italian cuisine here. Egress from the financial market, Shihoma learned to make pasta in Canada, is a partner at Jojo Ramen, in Paraíso, and opened his new house in August 2021.
“Italian cuisine fascinates me because of its similarity with Japanese cuisine. Both value ingredients, technique and simplicity, there’s not much to hide”, he says.
As far as ambiance is concerned, there are those who stick to the recipe for elegant salons, with more formal service —Barletta and Donna among them. And who goes much further than that, as is the case of French celebrity chef Erick Jacquin, who didn’t skimp on the palatial decor of Lvtetia. Its first Italian cuisine venture has been operating since December 2021, in Jardim Paulista.
Overall, though, the new spaces are stripped down. Gabriel Fullen, a partner at Locale Trattoria, in Itaim Bibi, sprinkled typical elements in the salon — half a scooter, built into the wall, serves as a backdrop for selfies, while the red checkered napkins speak to the memory of the public who, although young, attended. Brás canteens with parents and grandparents.
At Luce Trattoria, in Jardim Paulista, the balcony is reminiscent of a pub — and the spinach and buffalo mozzarella lasagna, renamed lasagna bites, is served in cubes as an aperitif.
Even more laid-back is the atmosphere of Handz, which opened in October 2021 at Casa Verde. The house, with tables arranged on a balcony, has Rodrigo Einsfeld as a partner, who participated in the Masterchef Professionals and was responsible for the kitchen at Tartuferia San Paolo until 2020.
“I didn’t want the resident of the North Zone to look at the house and think ‘it’s not for me’. There are customers who come in flip-flops”, explains the chef, who classifies his dishes as homemade food with an Italian soul.
“There is no one who doesn’t like pasta, it’s a food even more popular than the Brazilian one. Macaroni is more present in our daily table than baião-de-two or vatapá”, he compares.
Einsfeld was not the only one to bet on an address outside the Pinheiros/Jardins/Itaim Bibi axis. Mauro Ferrari, born and raised in Mooca, remained in the neighborhood when he opened Cozinha dos Ferraris. The offspring of a buffet, which he and his family have run for two decades, the restaurant was set up in the company’s old garage and resembles the canteens, with t-shirts and football team flags in the decoration.
While his sister, Maíla Ferrari, and his wife, Dani Abrahão, take care of the service, Ferrari runs the open kitchen, improvised at the back of the store, and prepares essential dishes from the canteens, such as polpetone and filet parmigiana. São Paulo changes, ma non tropo.
The new wave of Italians, opened between 2020 and 2022
barletta
Al. Tietê, 360, Jardim Paulista, tel. (11) 97103-6425
Basilicata Trattoria
R. Joaquim Antunes, 197, Jardim Paulistano, tel. (11) 3897-9660
Bosco
R. João Moura, 976, Pinheiros, tel. (11) 93422-9554
Ferrari kitchen
R. Tobias Barreto, 1467, Mooca, (11) 98724-8384
lady
R. Peixoto Gomide, 1815, Jardim Paulista, (11) 97593-9047
Osteria fame
R. Oscar Freire, 216, Jardim Paulista, tel. (11) 99364-4442
Di Felice Family
R. Pedroso Alvarenga, 583, Itaim Bibi, tel. (11) 94214-0320
handz
R. Saguairu, 595, Casa Verde, tel. (11) 94195-3954
Il Capitale
R. Oscar Freire, 608, Jardim Paulista, (11) 97832-3460
Locale Trattoria
R. Manuel Guedes, 369, Itaim Bibi, tel. (11) 3071-0482
luce
R. Oscar Freire, 45, Jardim Paulista, tel. (11) 99457-4554
Lvtetia
R. da Consolação, 3585, Jardim Paulista, tel. (11) 91222-9260
Mezza Luna
R. Father João Manuel, 1105, Jardim Paulista, tel. (11) 3082-1662
mila
R. Bandeira Paulista, 1096, Itaim Bibi, tel. (11) 2925-8442
Nelita
R. Ferreira de Araújo, 330, Pinheiros, tel. (11) 3798-9827
Ninetto Trattoria
Rua da Consolação, 2967, Jardim Paulista, (11) 3368-6863
Shihoma paste
R. Medeiros de Albuquerque, 431, Vila Madalena, tel. (11) 3819-2333
Pippo Lemon
R. Joaquim Floriano, 295, Itaim Bibi, tel. (11) 99974-7443
Rosso
R. Simão Alvares, 31, Pinheiros, tel. (11) 3037-7304
I am currently a news writer for News Bulletin247 where I mostly cover sports news. I have always been interested in writing and it is something I am very passionate about. In my spare time, I enjoy reading and spending time with my family and friends.
