Rei do Mate

mate here is the obvious starting point, cold or hot, and if you haven't tried it prepared properly in são paulo's centro histórico, this is a reasonable place to begin. av. são joão has been a working street for a long time, the kind of thoroughfare that doesn't slow down for anyone, and rei do mate sits right in the thick of it. the regulars who keep coming back aren't doing so out of habit alone. you get the sense that whatever they're serving is landing the way it should, consistently enough to matter. skip the indecision and order the mate gelado if the afternoon heat is doing what it does in central são paulo. that's the move.