Restaurant in São Paulo, Brazil
Michelin-recognised Mexican worth the $$$ price.

Metzi earns consecutive Michelin Plates (2024 and 2025) by taking both Mexican technique and Brazilian ingredients seriously rather than trading on novelty. At $$$, it is the most creative option in its price tier in Pinheiros and one of the better choices for a date or small celebration. Former Cosme chefs Eduardo Ortiz and Luana Sabino keep the kitchen consistent — a 4.1 rating across 481 reviews backs that up.
If you have been to Metzi once, coming back reveals what the first visit might obscure: this is not a novelty concept riding a cross-cultural hook. The Mexican-Brazilian combination that chefs Eduardo Ortiz and Luana Sabino brought to Pinheiros has earned consecutive Michelin Plates in 2024 and 2025 precisely because it holds up on repeat. Book it for a date, a small celebration, or any meal where you want something that feels considered without requiring the full ceremony of São Paulo's $$$$ tier. At $$$, it delivers more creative ambition than most restaurants in its price band.
Metzi sits on Rua João Moura in Pinheiros, a street that does steady evening traffic without the circus of the Vila Madalena blocks nearby. The address puts it in comfortable walking distance of the neighbourhood's better bars, which matters if you are planning a night that extends past dinner. The space is compact enough to feel intentional rather than sparse, and the layout rewards intimate groups of two to four. For a special-occasion dinner, the scale works in your favour: you are not lost in a large room, and the kitchen's output is visible enough that the meal has momentum.
Ortiz and Sabino both came through Cosme in New York, which gives Metzi a specific culinary reference point. Cosme built its reputation on treating Mexican technique as a serious foundation rather than a shorthand for casual eating, and that sensibility travels. Here, Brazilian ingredients and preparation methods are worked into that framework rather than layered on leading of it as decoration. The Michelin description points to dishes such as a mushroom quesadilla and fish a la talla as evidence of how that dialogue between the two kitchens functions in practice. These are not fusion flourishes; they reflect a menu built around what happens when two culinary traditions are taken seriously on equal terms.
A Google rating of 4.1 across 481 reviews is more instructive than it might first appear. In São Paulo's competitive restaurant environment, it reflects consistent satisfaction rather than viral novelty. Venues that spike on buzz often settle lower. Metzi's score, holding across nearly five hundred visits, suggests the kitchen is reliable and the experience repeats well, which is exactly what you need when bringing a guest somewhere for the first time.
Pinheiros is one of São Paulo's more functional neighbourhoods for an evening that moves between venues, and Metzi's location is a practical asset if you are building a night around more than one stop. Dinner here before moving on to one of the area's bars is a well-worn sequence for a reason. The restaurant's portion of the evening is substantial enough to anchor the night without running so long that you lose the window for whatever comes after. Hours are not confirmed in our data, so contact the restaurant directly to confirm last-seating times, particularly on weekends when Pinheiros bars run late and dinner bookings can compress.
For a late dinner specifically, Metzi is a better choice than nearby options that close their kitchen early or shift to a reduced menu. The neighbourhood has enough activity that arriving at 9 PM or later is not unusual, and the compact room does not feel like it is winding down the way larger dining rooms sometimes do in the final hour of service.
Metzi earns its place on a São Paulo itinerary most clearly for two profiles. First, anyone who wants Michelin-recognised cooking without moving to the $$$$ tier: D.O.M. and Evvai both sit a price tier above, and while the ambition at those addresses is different in scale, Metzi is not making up the gap with shortcuts. Second, anyone who wants a creative menu for a date or small celebration that does not require navigating a tasting menu format. The à la carte structure gives the meal flexibility that a fixed progression does not.
If you are specifically seeking Brazilian cuisine with the same level of creative intent, Maní is the closest peer at the same price tier, though the cooking there leans into Brazilian-international rather than the Mexican framework Metzi operates within. Tuju is another option if the creative angle is your priority. For a wider view of what São Paulo's restaurant scene offers, see our full São Paulo restaurants guide.
Outside São Paulo, the Mexican-influenced creative cooking at Pujol in Mexico City represents the benchmark in that tradition. Metzi is not attempting to replicate it, but if your frame of reference runs through that kitchen, the Cosme lineage shared by Ortiz and Sabino will be apparent. Elsewhere in Brazil, Lasai in Rio de Janeiro and Manu in Curitiba represent how other cities are approaching creative cooking at the same level of seriousness.
| Venue | Cuisine | Price | Leading for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Metzi | Mexican-Brazilian | $$$ | Creative date night, Michelin-level at mid-tier price |
| D.O.M. | Modern Brazilian | $$$$ | Full tasting menu, top-end occasion |
| Evvai | Contemporary Italian | $$$$ | Refined Italian-influenced cooking, special occasion |
| Maní | Brazilian-International | $$$ | Creative Brazilian, same price tier as Metzi |
| Jun Sakamoto | Japanese Sushi | $$$ | Precision sushi, counter dining |
| A Casa do Porco | Regional Brazilian | $$ | Leading value in São Paulo's serious dining tier |
| Venue | Cuisine | Awards | Booking Difficulty | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Metzi | Mexican | Chef: Eduardo Ortiz & Luana Sabino document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", function() { var el = document.getElementById("Achievements_chefs"); if (el && el.parentNode) { el.parentNode.removeChild(el); } });; Michelin Plate (2025); A Mexican-Brazilian taste sensation from a former Cosme duo, Metzi offers a unique blend of Mexican cuisine with traditional Brazilian ingredients and techniques. The menu, which includes dishes like mushroom quesadilla and fish a la talla, is a brightly colored reflection of the two cultures.; Michelin Plate (2024) | Moderate | — |
| 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 availability is not confirmed in Metzi's public record, but the Pinheiros address on Rua João Moura suggests a mid-sized neighbourhood room rather than a large counter-dining setup. Your safest move is to check the venue's official channels before assuming walk-in bar seats are an option. At $$$ pricing, a confirmed table is worth the extra step.
Metzi holds a Michelin Plate for both 2024 and 2025, which puts it in recognized territory for São Paulo dining at the $$$ price point. The kitchen's dual Mexican-Brazilian approach — mushroom quesadilla, fish a la talla — is the format's actual argument: you're paying for a composed point of view, not just individual dishes. If you want à la carte flexibility at a similar level, Maní in the same neighbourhood is a closer comparison. Metzi's tasting format earns its price if the cross-cultural concept interests you.
No dietary policy is documented in Metzi's available data. Given the fixed or semi-fixed format typical of Michelin Plate restaurants at this price tier, flagging restrictions at booking is essential, not optional. The menu's Mexican-Brazilian construction — mushroom quesadilla and fish preparations are documented dishes — suggests some vegetarian options exist, but confirm specifics directly before arriving.
Metzi's Pinheiros location and neighbourhood-restaurant scale make it a reasonable solo option compared to São Paulo's more formal tasting-room venues. At $$$, solo dining here is not a value stretch the way it would be at a longer omakase-style format. The composed, multi-course approach also gives a solo diner something to engage with. If counter seating is available, it improves the solo experience further — confirm when booking.
For Mexican-Brazilian at a similar price, there is no direct peer in São Paulo — Metzi occupies that position alone. For broader Michelin-level dining at $$$-$$$$, Maní (also Pinheiros) and Evvai offer strong Brazilian-rooted tasting menus. A Casa do Porco is the move if you want something more casual and São Paulo-specific at a lower price. D.O.M. and Jun Sakamoto are the step up in formality and price if Metzi feels like a warm-up.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.