Casteloes

R. Jairo Gois, 126, Bras

11-3229-0542

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Sao Paulo's residents are madly obsessed with pizza, so much that they claim their pizza joints are better than in Italy. Those are fighting words. They'd put this, the city's oldest, most endeared pizzaria, in Round 1 for a knock-out. The super-grubby, out-of-the-way digs among bombed-out warehouses and ancient waiters are all the authenticity one needs to see why this one's bona fide. The ever-increasing layer of dust on the bottles is the only thing that changes—not if you count their yellowing labels. Diners order the renowned house Casteloes, spiced sausage with mozzarella, annihilating it in a simple dining room straight out of the back streets of Naples (or Rome, or Salerno).