Take the lift to the 11th floor at sunset and central São Paulo unfolds in every direction, which is exactly the moment Esther Rooftop was built for.
Published June 10, 2026 · By Daniel Okafor
Esther Rooftop crowns the Esther Building at Rua Basílio da Gama 29, the first modernist tower São Paulo ever raised, looking straight over Praça da República. The Rooftop Guide lists it among the city's standout rooftop bars, and the address alone tells you why. Few terraces in the centre give you this much sky.
French chef Benoit Mathurin runs the kitchen, and the menu reads as French bistro with Brazilian and Asian turns. The cooking is precise without being precious, which suits a room that wants you to linger over a second glass. This is a place to eat well while you drink rather than an afterthought bar bolted onto a view.
The drinking program earns its keep. The wine list runs deep, the beer selection is broad, and the cocktails lean local, with a passion fruit caipirinha that regulars order on repeat. Anyone planning the evening around the skyline should also read our guide to the best rooftop bars in São Paulo.
The room itself trades on contrast. A modernist landmark below, a plant framed terrace above, and the República square humming on three sides. Lunch is a quieter, light filled affair, while the evening service brings the candlelit version that suits a slow date or a small celebration.
The crowd shifts across the day. Office workers from the centre take the early lunch, couples claim the dusk tables, and a dressed up weekend group fills the terrace late. Resy handles the bookings, and the weekend window goes fast, so a reservation is the difference between the rail seat and the inside table.
Go for the hour before sunset on a clear evening, when the light turns the centre gold and the kitchen is still running the full menu. Sunday is the gentle option, with service winding down by five. Avoid arriving without a booking on Friday or Saturday night, when the best tables are long gone by eight.
Esther pairs well with the rest of the city's high level drinking. For more of the skyline circuit, Skye Bar at Hotel Unique and the terrace at Camarões Rooftop sit a short ride away. All three belong to the wider São Paulo rooftop scene worth working through over a few nights.
For what to order, the passion fruit caipirinha is the house signature and the right opener at a window table. Follow it with a plate from Mathurin's French side of the menu, then close on a glass from the wine list, which the venue treats as a headline rather than a footnote. The beer selection covers the table that does not want spirits.
The República setting gives the place an edge that the glossier Jardins rooftops lack. You are drinking above the working centre of the city, not above a manicured shopping district, and the contrast of a 1930s modernist tower under a modern bar gives the night a sense of place. It rewards anyone curious about the historic heart of São Paulo rather than only its money.
What guests praise most is the pairing of a real kitchen with a genuine view, a combination the city does not offer as often as its skyline suggests. The recurring caution is the central location, which means traffic and parking near República test your patience, so a ride share beats driving. Prices land in the $$$ band once wine joins the meal.
Sources: The Rooftop Guide São Paulo; Esther Rooftop official site; Resy São Paulo listing; Yelp and Tripadvisor República reviews.