Restaurant in São Paulo, Brazil
São Paulo's sharpest Japanese. Book early.
KANOE earned its 2025 Michelin star after a 2024 Michelin Plate — a progression that signals a kitchen building with intent. At the $$$$ tier in Jardins, it is São Paulo's strongest argument for serious Japanese dining. Booking is hard post-star; plan well ahead. For Japanese dining at a lower price point, Jun Sakamoto is the practical alternative.
At the $$$$ price tier, KANOE earns its place as one of São Paulo's most considered Japanese restaurants — and its 2025 Michelin star confirms what diners who discovered it a year earlier already knew. If you're comparing it against the city's broader fine-dining field, the question isn't whether the quality is there; it's whether Japanese cuisine at this spend level is what you want. For São Paulo's leading value-for-money Japanese dining, Jun Sakamoto operates at $$$ and is easier to book. KANOE sits a tier above in ambition and price, and the Michelin recognition backs that positioning.
KANOE is a Japanese restaurant in Jardins, São Paulo's most concentrated fine-dining neighbourhood, operating under chef Tadashi Shiraishi. It held a Michelin Plate in 2024 — recognition that signals consistent quality without star status , and was awarded one Michelin star in 2025. That progression from Plate to star in a single guide cycle tells you something useful: this is a kitchen that has been building rather than coasting. For a value-seeker, that trajectory matters because it means you're paying 2025 star prices, but the kitchen has been executing at close to that level for longer than the award implies.
The address on Alameda Itu puts KANOE in a residential stretch of Jardins that houses several of São Paulo's more serious restaurant operations. It is a neighbourhood where the dining room design tends toward the restrained and the room tends to be quieter than the city's louder, more scene-driven spots. If you are comparing KANOE against restaurants like Kinoshita or Kuro, the Jardins address and Michelin credential put KANOE in a distinct tier of formality and intent.
Chef Tadashi Shiraishi leads the kitchen. Without verified biographical detail beyond the database record, it would be overstepping to narrate a personal journey here , but the Michelin committee's endorsement is a verifiable signal of technical command. At the $$$$ level in São Paulo, you are in the same price territory as D.O.M. and Evvai, both of which carry their own Michelin credentials. The argument for KANOE over those two depends entirely on whether Japanese cuisine is what you want from a splurge dinner in this city.
São Paulo has a substantial Japanese-Brazilian community , the largest outside Japan , which means the city has more depth in Japanese dining than almost any other food city in South America. That context matters for a value-seeker: you are not paying a premium because Japanese food is rare here. You are paying because KANOE operates at a level of precision that sits above the city's already strong Japanese baseline. Restaurants like Huto, Kan Suke, and Oizumi Sushi occupy positions further down the price range. If you want a point of reference for how KANOE-level precision translates globally, the equivalent positioning in Tokyo would be somewhere in the range of Myojaku or Azabu Kadowaki , serious, awarded, and not casual spending.
One angle worth flagging for anyone planning a late dinner: Jardins restaurants at the $$$$ tier in São Paulo generally operate on a single or double seating model, and confirmed hours are not available in the verified data for KANOE. Before you plan a post-theater or late-night arrival, confirm the last seating time directly with the restaurant. At this price point and booking difficulty, arriving to find the kitchen closed would be an avoidable problem. If late-night Japanese dining in São Paulo is a specific requirement, the city has more casual Japanese options that run longer hours , but none with KANOE's current Michelin standing.
Reservations: Hard to secure , book as far in advance as possible, particularly since the 2025 Michelin star will have tightened availability significantly. Contact directly via the Alameda Itu address or inquire through hotel concierge for priority access. Budget: $$$$ , expect a spend in line with São Paulo's top-tier tasting-menu restaurants; confirm current pricing when booking. Dress: No confirmed dress code in the data, but $$$$ Jardins fine dining strongly implies smart attire; arrive underdressed at a Michelin-starred table at your own risk. Group size: No seat count is available in the verified data , contact the restaurant directly for group inquiries above four covers. Location: Alameda Itu, 1578, Jardins, São Paulo.
If you are building a broader Brazil itinerary around serious meals, KANOE is the strongest argument for São Paulo as a Japanese-dining destination. Elsewhere in Brazil, the fine-dining conversation tends toward Brazilian and regional cuisine , Lasai in Rio de Janeiro, Manga in Salvador, Manu in Curitiba, and Mina in Campos do Jordão all operate in that register. KANOE occupies a different category entirely. For a more complete picture of what São Paulo's dining scene offers beyond Japanese cuisine, see our full São Paulo restaurants guide. If you're staying in the city, our São Paulo hotels guide can help you position yourself for Jardins access. For pre- or post-dinner options, our São Paulo bars guide covers the neighbourhood's cocktail options.
Specific menu items are not available in the verified data, so naming dishes would be guesswork. What the Michelin 1 Star (2025) and the progression from Michelin Plate (2024) tell you is that the kitchen's output is worth trusting at a tasting-menu or chef's selection level. At $$$$ in a Japanese restaurant with this credential, ordering the full menu progression rather than selecting individually is usually the better approach to value. Confirm the current format when booking.
No seat count or group booking policy is confirmed in the available data. At $$$$ with Michelin star status in a Jardins address, the room is unlikely to be large. Contact the restaurant directly before planning any group above four covers , and do it early, given booking difficulty.
No formal dress code is confirmed, but a Michelin-starred, $$$$ Japanese restaurant in Jardins implies smart casual at minimum. Think of it this way: you would not wear shorts and trainers to D.O.M. or Evvai. Apply the same logic here. Business casual or above is the safe call.
Yes, on the evidence available. A Michelin star in 2025, a $$$$ price point, and a Jardins address combine to make KANOE a credible special-occasion choice in São Paulo. If the occasion is specifically about Japanese cuisine, this is the strongest argument in the city at this level. If the cuisine is secondary and you just want maximum occasion impact, D.O.M. has more name recognition and may carry more weight with a guest who doesn't follow the Michelin guide closely.
No confirmed dietary policy is available in the verified data. Japanese tasting menus at this price tier typically require advance notice of allergies and restrictions , the more detail you give when booking, the better. Contact the restaurant directly when you reserve, not on arrival.
No counter seating or solo policy is confirmed in the data. São Paulo's Japanese fine-dining category , like Kinoshita , sometimes offers counter seats that suit solo diners well. It is worth asking KANOE directly whether a single cover at the counter is an option; it can also improve your booking odds since a single seat is easier to place than a table for two.
| Venue | Cuisine | Awards | Booking Difficulty | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| KANOE | Japanese | Chef: Tadashi Shiraishi document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", function() { var el = document.getElementById("Achievements_chefs"); if (el && el.parentNode) { el.parentNode.removeChild(el); } });; Michelin 1 Star (2025); Michelin Plate (2024) | Hard | — |
| 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 | — |
How KANOE stacks up against the competition.
Specific menu items aren't confirmed in available records, so ordering strategy is best handled at the time of booking. What is confirmed: KANOE holds a 2025 Michelin star under chef Tadashi Shiraishi, which signals a tasting-format experience rather than à la carte flexibility. Ask at reservation whether a set menu or omakase format applies — that will shape your entire visit.
At the $$$$ tier with a 2025 Michelin star, KANOE is not a casual group-dinner venue. Parties larger than four should check the venue's official channels at booking to confirm table configurations and whether private dining is available. Larger groups may find the format constraining if everyone isn't aligned on a tasting-menu experience.
No dress code is explicitly documented, but a $$$$ Michelin-starred Japanese restaurant in Jardins — São Paulo's most concentrated fine-dining neighbourhood — warrants polished dress. Smart attire is a safe baseline; trainers, shorts, and casual beachwear would be out of place. When in doubt, dress closer to business casual.
Yes, straightforwardly. A Michelin-starred meal from chef Tadashi Shiraishi at the $$$$ price point in Jardins is a strong frame for a meaningful dinner. Note the reservation difficulty: since the 2025 Michelin star, availability has tightened significantly, so book as far ahead as possible and treat securing a table as part of the planning.
No dietary policy is documented for KANOE, but at a $$$$ Michelin-starred level, kitchens at this tier typically accommodate common restrictions when notified at the time of booking — not on the day. Contact KANOE directly when reserving and give as much lead time as possible, particularly if the format runs as a fixed tasting menu.
KANOE is a reasonable solo option if you're comfortable with a tasting-format, high-focus meal. A Michelin-starred Japanese restaurant in this category often features counter seating, which suits solo diners well. Confirm the seating format when booking — a counter spot is preferable to a table-for-one in a room configured for couples and groups.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
