Where to Eat in Campos do Jordão

Without question, Campos is a town known for its food scene, with an enormous number of restaurants spread across the whole town, making it genuinely hard to pick just a few. So here are our tips on where to eat in Campos do Jordão, ranked in the order we liked them best.

There are places to eat not just in the central area, known as Capivari, but also in the more outlying neighborhoods. On top of that, the cold mountain climate of the Serra da Mantiqueira draws people here specifically for an intense culinary experience.

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, we decided not to list operating hours, since they kept changing based on state and city government orders.

Elio Cucina Speciale

First and foremost, Elio Cucina (Instagram) is simply the best restaurant we went to in Campos, and our top recommendation for where to eat in Campos do Jordão! Chef Maria Catão runs the kitchen, where the food is delicious and the atmosphere is extremely pleasant. It genuinely feels like you’re sitting on your living room couch being served, since the chairs and the space are that comfortable.

As soon as we arrived, we were served a complimentary starter of warm bread with olive oil and seasonings, which was delicious.

For our starter, we ordered arancini, Italian carnaroli rice balls filled with dried porcini mushrooms and cheese, six pieces to an order. The croquette was spectacular.

Main course: medaglione al roti, a medallion in roti sauce, served with mandioquinha (Peruvian carrot) purée and confit tomato — the presentation alone was stunning, and the purée was perfectly smooth.

Dessert: petit gateau, and this is where the restaurant fully won us over, since it was simply the best I’ve ever had, crispy on the outside and perfectly gooey inside.

Location: Avenida Pedro Paulo, 4755, Descansópolis.

Baden Baden

Restaurante Baden Baden (Instagram) has been around since 1985, and its brewery produced the first gourmet beer in Brazil. The building echoes German colonial architecture, and its main cuisine also has a German style, with beers paired to match the dishes. It’s located in Vila Capivari.

The atmosphere is cool and relaxed, and as a result, tables are in high demand, sometimes requiring more than an hour’s wait to be seated. Since we were hungry and it was cold out, we chose to eat inside — the building has three floors, all part of the restaurant.

The menu is varied, including both international and Brazilian dishes, along with vegetarian, vegan, and kids’ menu options.

Without question, the beer is the star of the show here, and it pairs really well with the food.

The shop sits off to the side, on a corner, where you can stop in to buy beer to take home. There used to be a guided factory tour, but it remains closed as of this post due to COVID-19 rules — the tour included beer tastings.

Main course: we ordered a pork knuckle, served with potatoes and sauerkraut, which was really good, along with several mustard sauces to try alongside it, all delicious and pairing perfectly with a passion fruit IPA.

Dessert: staying with the German theme, we ordered a strudel, served warm with a scoop of really tasty vanilla ice cream.

Location: Rua Djalma Forjaz, 93, Loja 10, Vila Capivari.

Gato Gordo Restaurante

We had high hopes for Gato Gordo (Instagram), but unfortunately it didn’t win us over. The space is beautiful and open, though the line is huge, and service was the most complicated part. Things were pretty disorganized — the server managing the tables was hard to track down, with seemingly no real system in place.

Once seated, service is fairly quick, but it lacked warmth, and we weren’t fans of the food either — worth thinking twice about.

Main course: we ordered grilled picanha on the hot plate with farofa and vinaigrette, plus an extra order of rice. We asked for the meat rare, and it came out practically well-done. Honestly, it felt like they weren’t prepared for the volume of people they were serving that day, and quality suffered as a result.

Dessert: brigadeiro in a cup with ice cream, which was the best part of the meal.

Location: Rua Leví de Souza e Silva, 24, Jardim Bom Tempo, Taboão da Serra.

Café Palácio

Café Palácio (Instagram) sits across the street from Palácio Boa Vista. The café has a modern feel and offers a beautiful view over the town.

The palace itself is closed because of the pandemic, but we still went to check out the café, and honestly, it wasn’t as good as its reputation suggests — service was extremely slow, and the food was just okay.

We ordered a brigadeiro in a cup, a slice of panettone with ice cream, and a pastel de nata, though the first two were too sweet for my taste.

Location: Av. Dr. Adhemar de Barros, 3100, Alto Boa Vista.

Manjericampos Restaurante

We arrived with a recommendation for where to eat in Campos do Jordão, but getting to Manjericampos Restaurante (Instagram) requires driving on a dirt road. So be careful if it’s rained, or if your car sits low to the ground. The spot has a beautiful view and is genuinely pleasant, though the food is just okay.

Starter: we ordered a gratinéed heart of palm with cheese, which was really tasty, though I thought it was pricey for what it offered.

Main course: we were with another couple. They ordered filet mignon parmigiana with rice and fries, and we ordered cupim with rice and mandioca purée with gorgonzola cheese, and everything was fine.

We ended up skipping dessert here.

Location: Avenida João Dória, 3120, Colinas Capivari.

Villa Montese Bar & Ristorante

Villa Montese (Instagram) has a great location, right on the main restaurant street in Campos, with an eclectic menu that suits every taste, whether you’re after chicken, fish, pasta, or meat.

Like most restaurants in Campos do Jordão, it also serves fondue. The decor has a homey feel with a comfortable atmosphere, and its beautiful wine cellar stands out. At night, there’s sometimes a live band.

Starter: fried cassava, a really generous portion, though a bit oily.

Main course: we ordered grilled picanha on the hot plate, easily enough for three people, served with white rice, farofa, vinaigrette, and fries, and it was delicious.

We ended up skipping dessert here too, since we were pretty full from the meal.

Location: Av. Macedo Soares, 508, Capivari.

Ti.co Gastronomia Descomplicada

Ti.co Gastronomia Descomplicada (Instagram) turned out to be a surprising pizzeria find in Campos, not just for how beautiful the space is, but also for the delicious pizza they’re serving.

All 4 savory pizza flavors we ordered were delicious, and even the strawberry-chocolate dessert pizza was great. They also sent out a starter of thin, really crispy dough with pesto sauce, really tasty.

So if you’re after a crispy, thin-crust pizza, Ti.co Gastronomia Descomplicada absolutely belongs on your list of where to eat in Campos do Jordão.

Location: Rua Altino Arantes, 145, Abernéssia.

El Fogón Parrilla Uruguaia

Also downtown, on the street parallel to the main one, El Fogón Parrilla Uruguaia (Instagram) is located in Pátio Paris, behind the replica Eiffel Tower.

The space is pleasant, with generously served, tasty dishes, easily enough for 3 people, making it a great spot for anyone after good value for the price.

Main course: we ordered grilled picanha on the hot plate, served with white rice, farofa, vinaigrette, and beans, though we skipped starters or dessert this time.

Location: Avenida Macedo Soares, 263, Capivari.

Read more about our trip in What to Do in Campos do Jordão.