The story
Mocotó Vila Medeiros is a restaurant of comida sertaneja – the hearty, soulful cooking of Brazil’s rural northeast – rooted in the north zone of São Paulo. It was founded in 1973 as a casa do norte by José de Almeida, a Pernambucano who arrived in the city at 25. Today his son, chef Rodrigo Oliveira, leads the kitchen, carrying forward a tradition while gently pushing it forward.
The guiding philosophy is inclusivity: “a experience for everyone, a restaurant that welcomes the most different palates, social levels and cultures.” As Rodrigo puts it, the cooking is done “with eyes on the world and feet always firm in the sertão.” That balance between heritage and openness defines every plate.
Rodrigo Oliveira has commanded Mocotó for more than twenty years. He is the author of the book Mocotó – o pai, o filho e o restaurante and has opened other projects including the Balaio IMS inside Instituto Moreira Salles and a second Mocotó unit in Vila Leopoldina. He also works on agroecological projects at Sítio Mulungu and Fazenda Maniva. The kitchen team includes longtime collaborators like Gilberto Silva, sub-chef who started washing glasses on weekends and now runs the line alongside Rodrigo.
The menu is built around classics that have been on the stove for decades. The caldo de mocotó – a rich, slow-cooked cow’s foot soup – is made the same way it has been for over forty years. Baião de dois, the iconic rice-and-beans boosted with coalho cheese, sausage and jerked beef, appears in portions from mini to grande. Dadinhos de tapioca – crispy cubes of tapioca with coalho cheese, served with a sweet chili sauce – are a signature starter. There are also daily-changing petiscos like bolinho de arroz on Mondays and pasteizinhos de carne-de-sol on Fridays.
Larger plates include carne de sol assada (homemade salt-cured beef on the grill with butter and roasted garlic), moqueca sertaneja (a vegan stew of cashew, banana da terra, maxixe and pumpkin), and weekend specials like costelinha de porco à moda do engenho (stuffed pork ribs with pineapple and honey sauce) on Saturdays and paleta de cordeiro do Velho Chico on Sundays. The kitchen also accommodates vegan and gluten-free diets with clear menu markers.
Mocotó’s work has been noticed far beyond the neighborhood. It holds a Bib Gourmand from the Michelin Guide (2024/2026), a seal that rewards good quality cooking at a good value. In 2023 it ranked 63rd among the best restaurants in Latin America according to Restaurant magazine, and in 2019 it was named the world’s best restaurant in the “no reservation required” category by the World Restaurant Awards. These honors reflect a place that has stayed true to its roots while earning international respect.
The restaurant is informal and welcoming – air conditioning, outdoor seating, wheelchair accessible, and pet friendly. The bar pours a carefully selected list of Brazilian craft beers and caipirinhas, and the Empório Mocotó sells pantry items to take home. Whether you come for lunch or dinner, the feeling is one of generous hospitality: “acolher bem sem olhar a quem” – to welcome well without looking at who you are.
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