Casa Manioca - São Paulo - SP

Amazing experience with Brazilian food and ingredients. Although it’s a pricey restaurante it is quite rustic and very welcoming, and the portions are well served. Very different from anything we’ve had before, congrats to the chef.

Sophisticated, detailed and tasty. Arugula, broccoli, edible flowers...Lamb, Brazil nut crumbs, eggplant and onions... crawfish, fish stew and delicious sauces... worth it.

We enjoyed a thoughtfully crafted and delicious dinner last night at Mani. We did not have the tasting menu, but chose 3 dishes each from the menu. We received a complementary ceviche de caju, starters: lua lamen and sopa frio de jacuticaba and langoustine, mains: grilled octopus and lamb, and desserts: chocolate torte and the Motel California. It was very pricy, but worth a visit as a special occasion dinner.

Very nice experience. Good vegetarians options and the desert (A Roça) was super good

Super elegant food. Brazil meet Europe on the plate. Maní is at the top 3 list of restaurants in São Paulo you want to visit if you want to try Brazilian food at a high gastronomic level

Tried the tasting menu and was disappointed. Half of the dishes tasted mediocre for a mid to high end restaurant, one of them (the one with fish soup with edamame beans and fried banana) was near random. The presentation of the dish was consistently beautiful, but why don't they spend more time to give the more substance to the taste beyond appearance and mixture of ingredients that just sounds creative. Would probably still come back to try the a la carte as some dishes were nice. Also I asked beforehand for a small desert with candle at the end of the dinner as it was the birthday of my boyfriend, this was confirmed by email on the same day of the dinner, but it never arrived. I also explained dietary restrictions by email beforehand and the staff confirmed that this would be passed onto the kitchen, but when we arrived they had no idea and had to explain everything again.

Although Helena Rizzo studied architecture in college her career took an unexpected turn in 1997, a cook position yielding internships with names such as Troisgros and the Roca brothers that finally led to her opening Maní in 2006. Now a Michelin 1* recipient, Chef Rizzo having gone on to open a casual Restaurant inside a bookstore at Iguatemi Shopping plus two Bakeries, it is at Rua Joaquim Antunes 210 that the flagship remains, a 13h00 arrival on Sunday finding the entry hall filled as diners attempted to escape pouring rain outside. Built rustic, a bustling kitchen visible through slotted windows up front and tree-lined courtyard behind, it was in the latter’s corner that a table for one was offered, the complete lack of spoken English surprising for such a highly acclaimed space and service clearly focused on regulars including a showy middle-aged couple who sat at room’s center just short of fondling one another in public. Trying not to hold patrons or language barriers against Chef Rizzo, though the fact that waiters could not describe her Tasting Menu negated any attempt to order it, lunch at Maní began with a bag of Bread for which guests are charged 24 Real, the Corn Baguette from Padoca do Mani easily trumping their Brioche tasted earlier while Tapioca Starch Chips crackled like Chicharrón with added flavor from two types of cheesy Spread. Opting for a blend of Green Grapes and Coconut Water to compliment Lunch, the inclusion of a substantial amount of Mint not announced and unappreciated, it was sticking with Water that savories started with Maní’s Foie Gras Bonbons, the cost a bit steep for what amounts to six half-bites of Liver mostly overwhelmed by Port Wine Gel and Guava Paste. Best thought of as modernist-Brazilian Cuisine, Rizzo’s accolades as both Latin America and the World’s Best Female Chef in 2014 by San Pellegrino based on a collection of plates that remain largely unchanged today, it was not long after Bonbons were gone that seven tiny “Gnocchi” arrived, the use of two local Roots generating yielding pillows bathed in Manioc Juice while a follow-up “Pasta” featured shaved Palm Hearts as Noodles amidst creamy Tulha Cheese and the shaved center of Caryocar brasiliense. Fully packed with locals by 13h30, the Restaurant thus humid with noise level reaching a dull roar, it was thankfully not long before Dessert arrived, “A Roça” using Corn less successfully than Tanit to create a textural landscape while “From Mud to Chaos” touched on a wide range of tastes and textures with balanced sweetness and a slightly savory finish.

Such an amazing food experience. A great place for any food lover. The people are friendly and caring. I highly recommend going here.