AN ENTIRE RESTAURANT TUCKED UNDER A 200 YEAR OLD TREE

[SAO PAULO, BRAZIL] — Nicely tucked into the leafy Jardins neighborhood is the famous restaurant Figueira Rubaiyat, an outdoor restaurant set under about the biggest tree I’ve ever seen — a 200 year old banyan tree planted in the 1890s

Figueira Rubaiyat exterior tree
Figueira Rubaiyat large tree

There must be seats for a couple hundred people underneath its limbs, with an ingenious glass canopy built under it all. I first noticed it while taking a short walk from the Fasano, right around the corner and instantly knew I had to come back.

Figueira Rubaiyat dining room

I was there over a Monday lunch, and as I sat there a host of SP’s business elite came to have long lunch meetings over grilled steak and some of the most attentive service I’ve seen at any restaurant….I take a dip of the appetizers and instantly a fresh plate arrived to replenish.  I actually had to tell them to stop replenishing.  

Figueira Rubaiyat bread holder

I love purpose-built devices. This one is just for the house made pretzel-shaped focaccia.

Figueira Rubaiyat restaurant under a tree

Great choices of grilled steak that you can choose from which country and method of raising (Uruguay, Argentinian, grassfed, Brazilian, etc.). Like a wine list, but for beef. You can get a sampling, each grilled piece comes with a flag of origin in it.

Figueira Rubaiyat grilled meats
Figueira Rubaiyat sauce pans

Read about it here on Trip Advisor and Frommer’s, which calls it “the most beautiful restaurant in Sao Paulo.

You should also check out Gero, just a block up the street in the Jardins neighborhood. Excellent Italian food, impeccable service. Great people watching.  Also owned by the Fasano family…man oh man, do they know how to do it right.

Gero Sao Paulo
Gero Sao Paulo lamb
Fasano Sao Paulo entrance
Fasano Sao Paolo

— Last Visited March 2012 —

Leave A Comment

Your email address will not be published.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Follow Us on Instagram @youshouldgohere