Restaurant in São Paulo, Brazil
Serious Korean food, accessible price, Michelin-noted.
Bicol Korean Cuisine in São Paulo's Liberdade neighbourhood holds two consecutive Michelin Plate awards (2024 and 2025) and a 4.5 Google rating across 2,500 reviews — all at a accessible $$ price point. It is the strongest case for Korean dining in the city, easy to book, and genuinely worth the visit for first-timers and returning guests alike.
Book Bicol Korean Cuisine if you want serious Korean food in São Paulo at a price point that won't force a difficult conversation with your bank account. Two consecutive Michelin Plate recognitions (2024 and 2025) confirm this is not a neighbourhood novelty act — it is a kitchen producing food that holds up against a formal quality standard. At $$, it is among the more accessible Michelin-recognised options in the city, which makes it an easy yes for first-timers to Korean cuisine in Brazil, and a reliable return for anyone already familiar with the genre. Booking is direct; this is not a table you need to plan a month in advance.
Bicol sits on Rua José Getúlio 422, deep in Liberdade — São Paulo's historic Japanese and Asian immigrant neighbourhood, and the most coherent address in the city for this kind of cooking. Liberdade has been the anchor for Asian food culture in São Paulo for decades, and Korean restaurants here operate in a context where the surrounding streets offer real competition and a genuinely informed customer base. That matters: kitchens in Liberdade are not cooking for novelty-seekers alone. Bicol is not the only Korean option in the neighbourhood, but consecutive Michelin Plate acknowledgements put it at the leading of that local hierarchy.
For a first-timer, the atmosphere here is what you would expect from a well-run neighbourhood dining room in Liberdade: functional, direct, and focused on the food rather than on spectacle. The energy is steady rather than loud. This is not a venue designed around a high-decibel weekend crowd; the room reads as a place where regulars come with purpose. If you are looking for a high-energy bar scene alongside your meal, set expectations accordingly , Liberdade's Korean spots prioritise the table experience. Come early in the evening if you want the room at its calmest and the kitchen at its most attentive.
The cuisine type is Korean, and the $$ price range positions Bicol squarely as an accessible, everyday-serious restaurant rather than a special-occasion splurge. For context within São Paulo's broader dining map, this sits well below the price tier of D.O.M. or Evvai, and closer to the value band of A Casa do Porco , though the cuisines are entirely different. If you are calibrating spend across a São Paulo trip, Bicol is the kind of venue where you eat well without needing to offset it with a cheaper meal the next day.
Two Michelin Plates in succession is a meaningful signal. The Plate designation , awarded by the same inspectors who assign stars , indicates consistent, quality cooking that meets Michelin's standards without yet reaching the star tier. For a Korean restaurant in São Paulo, that credential is not trivial. Korean cuisine is a competitive and technically demanding category; doing it well enough to attract Michelin attention in a city where inspectors are also evaluating Maní and Tuju speaks to genuine kitchen discipline. If you are comparing Bicol to Korean dining at the upper end of the global spectrum , say, Mingles or Kwonsooksoo in Seoul , the format and ambition are different, but Bicol's Michelin recognition places it in serious company for the Brazilian market.
Google's 4.5 rating across 2,500 reviews is a strong volume signal. A high average across that many data points is harder to sustain than a high average across a few hundred, and it suggests consistent execution across a wide range of diners and visits. That consistency is what you are buying at $$ , not a one-off spectacular meal, but a kitchen that delivers reliably.
For broader São Paulo context, see our full São Paulo restaurants guide. If you are planning a wider trip, our São Paulo hotels guide, bars guide, and experiences guide cover the rest of the city. For Korean dining specifically, Komah is the other São Paulo Korean address worth knowing. Beyond São Paulo, serious restaurant-focused travel in Brazil points toward Lasai in Rio de Janeiro, Manga in Salvador, Manu in Curitiba, and Mina in Campos do Jordão , each operating in a different register but all carrying meaningful credentials.
Booking difficulty is rated Easy. You do not need to plan weeks ahead to secure a table at Bicol. For weekend evenings, a few days' notice is sensible; for weekday visits, you may well find same-day availability. The accessible price point and neighbourhood setting keep demand manageable compared to higher-profile São Paulo restaurants.
Address: R. José Getúlio, 422 , Liberdade, São Paulo, SP, 01509-000, Brazil.
Quick reference: $$, Michelin Plate x2, Google 4.5/5 (2,500 reviews), Easy booking, Liberdade, São Paulo.
Bar seating specifics are not confirmed in the available data for Bicol. The venue is a neighbourhood dining room in Liberdade rather than a bar-forward operation, so the experience is oriented around table dining. If bar seating matters to your visit, contact the restaurant directly to confirm options before booking.
Yes, clearly. At $$, Bicol is one of the most accessible Michelin-recognised restaurants in São Paulo. Two consecutive Michelin Plate awards (2024 and 2025) combined with a 4.5 Google rating across 2,500 reviews confirm the kitchen earns its recognition. For comparison, A Casa do Porco operates in a similar price band but in a completely different cuisine category , Bicol is the go-to at this price point for Korean specifically. If you are spending more at Maní or further still at D.O.M., the format and ambition differ significantly. Bicol represents strong value for the quality tier.
Booking is rated Easy. For weekday visits, same-day or next-day availability is plausible. For Friday and Saturday evenings, a few days ahead is sensible. The $$ price point and neighbourhood setting mean demand is less pressured than at São Paulo's harder-to-book addresses like D.O.M. or Tuju. Book ahead for groups, but solo diners and pairs should find this manageable with minimal lead time.
Tasting menu availability is not confirmed in Bicol's venue data. Korean restaurants at the $$ price tier in Brazil typically operate à la carte or set-menu formats rather than full omakase or tasting progressions. If a tasting format is central to what you are after, check directly with the restaurant. For tasting-menu-driven experiences in São Paulo at a higher price point, Evvai and D.O.M. are the relevant comparisons, though both operate in entirely different cuisine categories.
Specific dish data is not available for Bicol, so ordering recommendations based on the menu are not possible here without risk of inaccuracy. What is confirmed: the kitchen has earned two consecutive Michelin Plate recognitions, which indicates consistent quality across the menu rather than a single standout dish carrying the rating. For first-timers to Korean cuisine, ordering a range of shared plates rather than individual mains is typically the higher-value approach in this format. Ask the team on arrival for current recommendations , this is a venue where staff guidance is likely well-informed.
Yes, with appropriate expectations. Bicol's Michelin Plate credentials and strong Google rating make it a credible special-occasion choice, but the setting is a neighbourhood dining room in Liberdade rather than a formal event-dining space. At $$, it works well for a meaningful dinner that does not carry the price pressure of a full splurge. For higher-ceremony occasions where the room and service formality matter as much as the food, D.O.M. or Evvai are the relevant alternatives. Bicol is the right call for a special occasion defined by food quality and neighbourhood authenticity over grandeur.
| Venue | Cuisine | Awards | Booking Difficulty | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bicol Korean Cuisine | Korean | Michelin Plate (2025); Michelin Plate (2024) | Easy | — |
| D.O.M. | Modern Brazilian, Creative | Michelin 2 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
| Evvai | Contemporary Italian, Modern Cuisine | Michelin 2 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
| Maní | Brazilian - International, Creative | Michelin 1 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
| Jun Sakamoto | Sushi, Japanese | Michelin 1 Star | Unknown | — |
| A Casa do Porco | Regional Brazilian, Brazilian | World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
Side-by-side comparison to help you decide where to book.
Bar seating details are not confirmed in available venue data for Bicol. Given the $$ price point and neighbourhood dining format in Liberdade, this reads as a table-service restaurant rather than a bar-led concept. Call ahead or show up and ask — at this price tier, the worst outcome is a short wait.
Yes. Bicol holds two consecutive Michelin Plates (2024 and 2025) and sits in the $$ price range, which makes it one of the stronger value cases for Michelin-recognised Korean food in São Paulo. You are paying neighbourhood restaurant prices for cooking that has cleared a credible editorial bar twice. Compare that to Jun Sakamoto or Evvai, where the same recognition costs considerably more.
Booking difficulty is rated Easy, so you do not need to plan weeks out. For weekend evenings, a few days' notice is sensible given the Michelin attention. Weekday lunches or early dinners are likely walkable without a reservation, but confirming in advance is always the lower-risk move.
No tasting menu format is confirmed in the venue data. Bicol reads as a full-menu Korean dining format rather than an omakase or fixed-course operation. If a structured tasting experience is your priority, Jun Sakamoto or Evvai are better fits — both operate in that format at higher price points.
Specific dishes are not available in the venue record, so ordering recommendations would be guesswork. What is confirmed: Bicol serves Korean cuisine and has earned Michelin Plate recognition in both 2024 and 2025, which suggests consistent kitchen output rather than one standout dish. Ask your server what the kitchen is running well that day — that is a reliable approach at any Michelin-noted restaurant.
It works for a low-key special occasion, especially if the group appreciates Korean food and values a well-priced meal over a formal dining room. Two Michelin Plates give it enough credibility to mark an occasion without the ceremony or cost of A Casa do Porco or Maní. For a high-formality celebration, those options set a different tone — but Bicol delivers substance at a price that leaves room for a good bottle of wine.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
