In this Tan Tan São Paulo review, I’m going back to one of the places in the city that made sense to me almost immediately. I originally went because of the cocktails, but what keeps me coming back is the combination of everything else: Japanese-influenced food, a serious bar program, 1990s hip-hop, and a room that feels energetic without trying too hard.
I have been to Tan Tan more than once, and at this point I make a point of visiting at least one of chef Thiago Bañares’s places whenever I am back in São Paulo.
Tan Tan is still the one I associate most with the side of São Paulo nightlife I enjoy: very good food, interesting drinks, music with some personality, and none of the stiffness that can come with highly regarded bars and restaurants.
I travel for restaurants and cocktails, but I do not need every night to be a tasting menu, white tablecloths, or a three-hour production. Sometimes I want a great drink, a few dishes I actually want to eat, good music, and a room that feels alive.
Tan Tan does that very well.
Tan Tan São Paulo — At a Glance
Neighborhood:
Pinheiros, São Paulo
Style:
Japanese-influenced bar food and cocktails
Best For:
Dinner, cocktails, bar snacks, late-night energy
Atmosphere:
Lively, casual, music-driven
Music:
1990s hip-hop
What I Had:
Yardbird Katsu Sando, Kaki Ponzu, Aka Teba, Ajillo, Wonton Shio Ramen, Chocolate Pie
What I’d Order Again:
Yardbird Katsu Sando, Aka Teba
Cocktail I Remember Most:
Tsukemono
What I Want to Try Next:
Ikura Fries
Current Recognition:
#24, The World’s 50 Best Bars 2025
Would I Return?:
Absolutely.
My Take: Tan Tan gets the food, cocktails, music, and atmosphere right without trying too hard.
Why Tan Tan São Paulo Keeps Me Coming Back
There are restaurants I remember because of one dish, and there are bars I remember because of one cocktail.
Tan Tan is different because I remember the whole night.
The bar matters. The kitchen matters. The music matters. The crowd matters.
It feels like a place where you can have a genuinely good meal without the night becoming formal. That balance is harder to pull off than it sounds.
A lot of restaurants try very hard to look cool. Tan Tan does not feel like it is constantly reminding you how cool it is.
It just works.
The room gets busy, the music is part of the experience, cocktails keep moving across the bar, and the food fits naturally into the night.
That is probably the biggest reason I like it.
The Cocktail I Remember Most: Tsukemono
One of the drinks I still associate with Tan Tan is the Tsukemono.
It combined tequila, wasabi, cucumber, and orange bitters.
That combination sounds like it could easily become one of those cocktails that is more interesting to read about than it is to drink.
It wasn’t.
The cucumber kept it fresh, the wasabi gave it enough edge to make it different, and the tequila kept the drink grounded.
It was one of those cocktails where the ingredient list makes much more sense once you actually taste it.
The cocktail menu has moved on since those earlier visits, which is one reason I wanted to update this review instead of leaving an old menu frozen online forever.
Tan Tan’s Current Cocktail Menu: Perspective
The current cocktail menu is called Perspective.
The idea is built around ingredients connected to Brazil’s five regions, translating climates, flavors, and cultural references into cocktails through taste, texture, and contrast. ce37d670-997c-4145-8e8b-54168fa…
That interests me more than another menu full of complicated drinks with no real connection to where you are.
If I am drinking in Brazil, I like when the bar gives me something that could only really make sense there.
The current menu uses ingredients including black tucupi, cupuaçu, cashew, malagueta pepper, passion fruit, yerba mate, baru nut, cambuci, and cachaça.
Ramos Tucufizz
Amburana-aged cachaça, cupuaçu, black tucupi cordial, cashew-nut orgeat, and egg white. ce37d670-997c-4145-8e8b-54168fa…
That is the kind of drink I would want at Tan Tan because it pushes beyond the familiar without sounding random.
Caipora
Cachaça, cupuaçu cordial, black tucupi soda, and cashew nut. ce37d670-997c-4145-8e8b-54168fa…
This one sounds even more directly Brazilian and would probably be one of my first orders on another visit.
Amor & Café
Don Julio añejo, Ketel One, Cynar, passion-fruit cold-brew coffee, blue cheese, and honey. ce37d670-997c-4145-8e8b-54168fa…
Blue cheese in a cocktail is exactly the kind of thing that makes me stop and read the menu twice.
I have eaten and drunk enough unusual things that I am not interested in ordering something strange just because it is strange.
It still has to taste good.
But I would absolutely try that once.
Mi Mi Mi
Ketel One, Don Julio añejo, dry vermouth, and pickled baby-corn brine. ce37d670-997c-4145-8e8b-54168fa…
Again, very Tan Tan.
Tan Tan Still Keeps Some of Its Greatest Hits
The current menu also has a Hall of Fame section.
That tells you something about the bar.
Tan Tan is willing to change the menu, but it also understands when something has earned the right to stay.
The Hall of Fame currently includes Hello Suckers, Curupira, Dirty Dance, Libertine, and Cavagna Kakigori. ce37d670-997c-4145-8e8b-54168fa…
I like that approach.
There is nothing wrong with creating a new menu, but there is also nothing wrong with admitting you made something worth keeping.
What I Ate at Tan Tan
The food is a major reason I would not describe Tan Tan simply as a cocktail bar.
Some of the dishes I had on earlier visits are still on the menu. Others have changed or disappeared.
I would rather tell you exactly what I ate and then separate that from what is available now.
Yardbird Katsu Sando
The Yardbird Katsu Sando was one of the dishes I had, and it is still on the current menu.
It is a breaded ground-pork patty with chuno sauce on shokupan. ce37d670-997c-4145-8e8b-54168fa…
This is exactly the kind of food I like with cocktails.
It is rich, crispy, easy to eat, and not remotely precious.
There is a time for tweezers and perfect plating.
There is also a time for a fried pork sandwich.
Tan Tan understands both sides of that equation.
Kaki Ponzu
I also had the Kaki Ponzu.
The current menu still serves fresh Santa Catarina oysters with ponzu and mignonette. ce37d670-997c-4145-8e8b-54168fa…
Oysters make sense in a restaurant like this because they reset your palate after something fried or rich.
Aka Teba
The Aka Teba was another dish I tried.
It remains on the menu as crispy fried chicken wings with homemade sweet chili, sesame seeds, and peanuts. ce37d670-997c-4145-8e8b-54168fa…
It is straightforward bar food, but that is not a criticism.
A great bar does not need to reinvent every single thing on the plate.
Sometimes wings should just be really good wings.
Octopus and Mushrooms Ajillo
I remember this as the Ajillo: mushrooms, garlic confit, octopus, and olive oil.
The current menu calls it Octopus and Mushrooms Ajillo and serves it in an iron pan. ce37d670-997c-4145-8e8b-54168fa…
This was one of the more savory dishes I had and exactly the kind of thing that stands up well next to a stronger cocktail.
Wonton Shio Ramen
On an earlier visit, I had the Wonton Shio Ramen with chicken broth, pork wonton, chicken chashu, and ajitama egg.
That exact ramen is no longer on the current menu.
The noodle section has changed, which is another reason this old review needed to be updated.
Chocolate Pie
I also had the Chocolate Pie.
The current menu still offers Chocolate Pie, now described as milk-chocolate custard with English cream, along with a Daily Sorbet. ce37d670-997c-4145-8e8b-54168fa…
A bar like Tan Tan does not need a twelve-item dessert program.
Two options are plenty if they are good.
What’s New on the Tan Tan Menu
The current menu gives me several reasons to go back.
Spring Rolls Royce
The Spring Rolls Royce is a cold harumaki with tuna tartare, sesame seeds, mayonnaise, and nori powder. ce37d670-997c-4145-8e8b-54168fa…
The name alone tells you something about the personality of the place.
It sounds playful, but the ingredients still make sense.
This would probably be one of the first things I order on my next visit.
Pork Gyoza
The current Pork Gyoza is filled with pork and vegetables and served with soy sauce and vinegar. ce37d670-997c-4145-8e8b-54168fa…
Simple, familiar, and probably very easy to order another plate of after the first one disappears.
Shrimp Wonton
The Shrimp Wonton comes with chili crunch, soy sauce, and sesame. ce37d670-997c-4145-8e8b-54168fa…
I find this particularly interesting because the wonton has moved from the older ramen I ate into its own snack.
Ikura Fries
The Ikura Fries might be the new dish I am most curious about.
They are tempura-style fries with salmon roe, mayonnaise, and aonori. ce37d670-997c-4145-8e8b-54168fa…
Fries and ikura sounds completely unnecessary.
Which obviously means I need to order them.
Squid Roll
The Squid Roll is fried squid with red onion, pickles, and nirá mayonnaise on a bun. ce37d670-997c-4145-8e8b-54168fa…
Again, this is the kind of food that makes sense here.
You are not being asked to sit silently and analyze every bite.
You are supposed to eat, drink, talk, listen to the music, and enjoy yourself.
Unadon and Ikuradon
The larger dishes now include Unadon, with unagi, teriyaki eggs, and rice, and Ikuradon, with salmon roe, marinated soft egg yolk, green onion, wasabi, and roasted seaweed. ce37d670-997c-4145-8e8b-54168fa…
Those make Tan Tan more viable as a full dinner rather than simply somewhere you stop for drinks and snacks.
The Noodle Menu Has Changed Too
The older Wonton Shio Ramen I had is gone, but noodles are definitely not gone from Tan Tan.
The current lineup includes:
Chashumen
Chicken broth seasoned with mushrooms and shoyu tare, pork-belly chashu, ajitama egg, scallions, and sesame.
Kinoko Men
Stir-fried noodles with mushroom sauce and Cantonese broccoli.
Dan Dan Mian
Noodles with ground pork, Asian peppers, oyster sauce, and vegetables. ce37d670-997c-4145-8e8b-54168fa…
That gives me another reason to revisit the kitchen instead of going back and simply ordering the same things I already know.
The 90s Hip-Hop Is Part of the Experience
One of the things I remember most about Tan Tan has nothing to do with food or cocktails.
It is the music.
The 1990s hip-hop gives the room personality.
It helps keep Tan Tan from feeling like one of those cocktail bars where everyone whispers because the drinks are too important.
The atmosphere is lively, but I would not describe it as chaotic.
I like serious food and serious drinks.
I just do not always want them served in a serious room.
Tan Tan gives you quality without draining the fun out of the night.
Why Tan Tan Feels Like São Paulo to Me
São Paulo has changed the way I think about food cities.
My relationship with the city originally grew out of Formula 1.
Now Formula 1 is only part of the reason I keep going back.
The restaurant and cocktail scene has become just as important to me, and places like Tan Tan are a big reason why.
It is not trying to feel like New York.
It is not trying to feel like London.
It is not trying to recreate Tokyo.
There are influences from all of those places and more, but the final result still feels connected to São Paulo.
That is what makes a city interesting to me.
I do not travel halfway around the world because I want exactly what I already have at home.
You can read more about how São Paulo changed the way I travel in The Trip That Changed Everything.
For more restaurants I have actually eaten at in the city, see São Paulo Restaurants: 10 Memorable Places I’ve Eaten.
One of the World’s Best Bars
Tan Tan’s current menu notes its #24 ranking in The World’s 50 Best Bars 2025. ce37d670-997c-4145-8e8b-54168fa…
That recognition matters.
But it is not the reason I would go.
Rankings can get you through the door once.
They do not make you come back.
The repeat visits matter more to me.
Who Should Go to Tan Tan?
I would recommend Tan Tan if you like:
- serious cocktails without an overly serious atmosphere
- Japanese-influenced food
- dishes designed to share
- bars where you can actually eat a full meal
- music that contributes to the room
- places with enough personality that you remember them after the trip
If you are looking for a quiet, formal dining room, this probably is not the place.
That is also exactly why I like it.
Would I Go Back?
Yes.
And I already have.
That is usually the simplest answer I can give in a restaurant review.
I can talk about rankings, ingredients, technique, cocktails, atmosphere, or service.
But repeat visits tell you more than any score ever will.
Tan Tan is one of the places I continue to associate with São Paulo.
And when I return to the city, there is a very good chance I will end up back here again.
Completely Unnecessary. Absolutely Worth It.
Useful Links
Tan Tan Official Website:
https://www.tantan.com.br/
Tan Tan Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/tantannb/
Tan Tan Reservations / Linktree:
https://linktr.ee/tantan.sp
Richard Jarocki Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/richard.jarocki/
RJVIPGP:
https://rjvipgp.net/
São Paulo Restaurant Guide:
https://rjvipgp.net/sao-paulo-restaurants/
The Trip That Changed Everything:
https://rjvipgp.net/the-trip-that-changed-everything/
Formula 1:
https://rjvipgp.net/formula-1/