Yes, the Mocotó deserves all the nice things said about it. It's a rare Brazilian Northeastern restaurant in São Paulo that satisfies both those looking for tradition and those preferring a re-interpretation, in this case that of Rodrigo Oliveira, the Paulistano son of Pernambuco migrant Zé Almeida, creator of the bodega where it all began.
Among traditional dishes is sarapatel (offals), sun-dried meat and cartola —a dessert with fried banana and cheese. Among the new ones are dadinhos de tapioca ("dices" of fried tapioca), manioc chips and cachaça (distilled sugarcane alcohol) ice-cream.
Since the price is also good, the entire São Paulo middle class has discovered Vila Medeiros district. The resulting line-ups are a nightmare, and on weekends the wait can be up to 4 hours.
