Maní — Restaurant in Região Imediata de São Paulo

I was curious to see how a Michelin-starred restaurant in Brazil would compare to those I’ve visited in Europe. My girlfriend, who is from Brazil, suggested we try Maní, as her family had heard many good things about the food, especially its use of local Brazilian ingredients. After making our reservation, we discovered that the restaurant is run by Masterchef Brazil judge Helena Rizzo, which heightened our anticipation. Unfortunately, our experience fell short of expectations.

Soon after we were seated, a waiter offered us bread and polvilho, asking if we wanted the "couvert." As a non-Brazilian, I assumed the bread would be complimentary, as is common in Europe, and placed on the table for us to enjoy. However, it wasn’t. Instead, we were charged 33 R$ per person for two pieces of bread per person, some butter, olive oil, and an excessive amount of polvilho—a simple snack made from inexpensive ingredients. In all the Michelin-starred restaurants I’ve visited in Europe, bread is complimentary and refilled generously.

We both opted for the degustation menu, which was priced at 680 R$. This is comparable to what I've paid at Michelin-starred restaurants in Europe, but it’s a steep price in Brazil. Given the cost, we expected the food to be of similar quality to what we've experienced at Michelin-starred establishments in Europe. Unfortunately, it wasn’t. Some of the flavor combinations were among the worst I’ve encountered at a Michelin-starred restaurant. It seemed as though the chefs were overly focused on incorporating local Brazilian ingredients, to the detriment of creating harmonious dishes.

My girlfriend couldn’t finish two of the courses—one was a reconstructed fish roe within a sausage blended into a vegetable sauce, which she described as "horrible." The textures of some dishes were also unpleasant; for instance, a watermelon-shrimp finger food fell apart when picked up, and the mouthfeel was unappealingly blubbery. The desserts were the highlight for me, but I would only consider one or two of the more than ten courses to be Michelin-star-worthy. Another positive was our friendly waiter, who explained the dishes to us in English. However, the overall service was mediocre, as the other waitstaff seemed to rely on the English-speaking waiter to place our food, indicating a lack of English proficiency among the rest of the staff.

In summary, the food at Maní did not meet the standards I expect from a Michelin-starred restaurant, particularly when compared to those I have visited in Europe. I would recommend that the chefs reevaluate their menu, and that bread be made complimentary, especially for a...

The four of us came for lunch on Wednesday November 30, 2022. We discovered “Mani” on Netflix with the show “Chefs Table”. We couldn't wait to taste Helena Rizzo's cooking! It was the best restaurant of our whole stay in Brazil. We took the “Executive” formula at 99R$ / pers: 1 starter (a salad, no other choice) + a dish (choice between meat, fish and vegetarian). Such good cuisine is, for this price, absolutely incredible! We ate really well! The flavors are very fine, balanced, it's delicious without ever going too much. Perfect!

I only give 4 out of 5 stars for the following reasons:

I did not find the desserts we ordered, in addition to the executive formula, up to the level of the dishes we tasted (Brigadeiros and ice cream) The kitchen enchanted me, the service less so. Attention, the servers were very welcoming, warm and caring towards us. The appetizers were not all served to us at the same time. It's a real shame, especially for an establishment of this reputation. No explanation of the dishes. Com on guys, you are a 1 star establishment in michelin, one of the best in Sao Paulo (and certainly in brazil) and you are not able to take the time to explain to your customers what is in their plates? For each of our dishes (appetizer, starter, main course, dessert), we had to call the waiters and ask them: what are we tasting? This part is disappointing. Finally, we are not offered a crafe of water at the table for free. Maybe it's because I'm French and we always offer a carafe of water, but I think that at this level of gastronomy it...

I m used to attend good restaurants and michelin ones. So, if you are like me you will understand my point. I went on Easter Holiday, April. I asked 3 times before if they could translate the menu to my partner, that doesn’t speak Portuguese, they said yes. The waiter that was talking, put efforts but could not speak very well. Beyond that, the food combination is not incredible as some friends described me. It’s very OK. The ambience is good but could have a nice music background, it was Sunday lunch time and there was no music. And the most negative thing is the price, it’s extremely expensive for Brazil. They just charged us around 1500 reais. The price announced 20 or 80 euros it’s just an illusion. I knew the price before because my friend has told me, so it was not shocking. I was just disappointing to pay this amount for something that is not exceptional. For foreigners that don’t know, this price is more than the minimal wage in Brazil. They need to improve many things and become more cosmopolitan, play bossa nova or brazilian songs, or Greek (because the decoration is more Greek than Brazilian), put more exotic food and try to offer more meat options. And of course, like in all michelin restaurants explain properly the menu, in details. It’s an experience that you sell and...