Cervejaria Nacional

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Brewpub? São Paulo's gastronomy? At Cervejaria Nacional, they do the two together. They take the concept of an American brewpub by offering several different styles of beer, and weave in the rich diversity of São Paulo's dining scene by offering full fledged meals in a clean, air conditioned multi-level restaurant. And the execution...

Entering at the street level, you see brewing equipment right ahead and the hostess stand. There's a flight of stairs which you will be taking up to reach the 2nd and 3rd floors, where you will find the seating. There's a long bar and dark lighting (and the bathroom!) on the 2nd floor, the thrid floor which me, Sergio, and Fil ate and drank brings plenty of São Paulo daylight into the floor. The decoration has a bit of an Italian villa theme, and the brewery does a greart job reinforcing its beer with decorative placemats of their nectars.

Six different types of beer are offering, which includes one seasonal offering. The names have very interesting origins, but more importantly all the beers are of solid quality, though surprisingly the two lighter colored offerings were my favorites. Offered year-round are their weiss, pilsner, IPA, stout, amber ale, and their summer seasonal Umbabarauma Ale. You can get them in on a sampler platter (200 ml each), or drink them in 300 ml and 500 ml sizes. Trust us, the three of us did some ticking. Be warned that Brazilians love lots of head on their draft beer, so you may need to request "sem colarinho" if you don't want much head.

I hadn't eaten much, and neither had Sergio nor Fil. I'm going for the ravioli, and it's good. And bread before the meal....I like it. Service was a touch slower than expected, but is made up with the special requests we made. All this is nice, however be prepared to pay a little extra; R$25-40 for entree's, R$17 for a sampler of five beers. But how often are you in São Paulo? Your wallet will live another day.

Good beers and food in a comfortable environment in the arms of good company. That's a combination I like, and a combination I recommend.

Cervejaria Nacional (CN) is, I hope, the start of a movement in Brazil towards the establishment of many micro-brews. CN is a neat place tucked into a neat building on a main street in the Pineiros area of Sao Paulo. There are three floors that make up this establishment. The entrance is where all the brewery equipment is located. The second floor is the bar and restaurant over-flow. The top floor is the primary seating for sit downs and large group parties. The decor provides an industrial / swanky appeal. The quality of the beer and food were very good. The service was great, a little slow....but primarily due to how busy the place was. The selection as far a beer was only limited to their five offerings....which is bold yet respectable. When I first listed the place on BA I assumed other macros from Brazil were available. However during my second visit found out that they only serve their beers, no wine, and various hard alcohols. The food was AMAZING. The picanha appetizer and spicy sausage was excellent. Unfortunate is that the place is pricy due to being in Sao Paulo and the strengthening of the Real vs the US$. However....if you are in Sao Paulo and like to try beer....this is a perfect place to stop.