Did you know that São Paulo is technically the biggest italian city in the world ? With almost 60 % of its +12 millions inhabitants of italian descendance, it is far from Rome’s 2,8 million people ! The consequences are multiple in the city’s culture, and especially when it comes to gastronomy !
What is Eataly?
One interesting example is the Eataly store. It is an Italian chain of grocery stores, mainly based in Italy, and with several locations in the US, in Europe and of course, in São Paulo ! Here, the store was opened in 2015, it offers over 8000 products of the finest italian brands displayed over a 4500 square-meter building. But Eataly is not just a grocery store. And that’s where the concept becomes very interesting : it also has various restaurants, divided over the 3 floors and separated by specialty : on the ground floor, you can find a cafeteria and an ice-cream stand, on the first floor a seafood restaurant, a meat restaurant, on the last floor there is a wine bar, a pasta restaurant and a pizzeria… The hardest part is to make a choice between all these delicious specialties !
Eating at Eataly
Despite the size of the store, the restaurant are well integrated, and set in alcoves so that you can eat in a quiet space, away from the busy atmosphere of the shop… Well that is, once you’ve finished waiting in line for a table ! The restaurants are multiple but they are all small, with little seating, so you need to get there early or be very patient. If you don’t feel like waiting, Eataly also has a catering stand with a large menu of takeaway options. Keep in mind it is best to order in advance.
Italian groceries at Eataly
If you are more of a cook, you will of course find all the necessary groceries in the shop, but Eataly also offers cooking classes, as well as fully-detailed printed recipes. All you need is to add some wine from the store’s large offer, and some coffee to finish the meal. Basically, Eataly is a true pleasure to the eye and to the taste !
Getting to Eataly
There is however a downside I need to mention : Eataly is a very popular store, it is located on a very busy road and has little parking space. Which means it soon becomes complicated to access the store, especially on weekends. There is a parking lot just a little further but I can only advise you to prefer going to Eataly early, around its opening time at 10am. And if you plan on eating at one of its restaurants, make sure to get there before noon.
Buon appetito !