Packed with architectural treasure, São Paulo’s old-fashioned Centro presents a thoroughly unexpected side to the sprawling, high-rise megacity. Beyond the Mercadão (municipal market) and the Pinacoteca art museum — the area’s traditional tourist attractions — a growing number of galleries, restaurants and nightspots are making a visit to Centro de rigueur. A taxi is the way to go here, especially for those unfamiliar with the city, so hail a cab and check out these top downtown picks.

Cine Joia

Just off the Centro circuit in the traditionally Japanese neighborhood of Liberdade, this beautiful, former 1950s cinema was given an exciting new lease on life in 2011 by the São Paulo nightlife impresario Facundo Guerra. The venue’s well-curated program has quickly made it a go-to spot for live music, enhanced by a state-of-the-art projection system that sets images and animations marching across the walls behind the band.

COURTESY OF CINE JOIA

Pivo

Like an immense, modernist ocean liner in a sea of concrete high-rises, the curvaceous Copan building is one of the city’s most iconic buildings. Among other things, it houses São Paulo’s newest, most eclectic cultural hub: Pivô. Opened in September 2012 during the art Bienal (the city’s biennial art exhibition), the contemporary art center hosts occasional gallery exhibitions and an assortment of pop-up, don’t-miss events.

COURTESY OF PIVO

SOSO Arte Contemporânea

One of downtown’s best-kept secrets, this contemporary African art gallery is hidden away on the second floor of a nondescript office building. The owner is Angolan art lover and restaurateur Mario Almeida (who also owns the restaurant Bahia in Luanda, Angola).

Ramona

Glowing invitingly on a corner of São Luis, one of Centro’s finest avenues, Ramona is the see-and-be-seen restaurant of the moment. It’s also a fine place to indulge in some hearty, contemporary Brazilian fare. Drop in at Alberta #3 two doors down for a nightcap, but beware: You might find yourself still there hours later, shoulder-to-shoulder with the hip crowd on the intimate dance floor downstairs.

Bar da Dona Onça

Another gem set inside the Copan building, this stylish bar-restaurant does a mixture of classic Brazilian cookery and international favorites. Kick off with a cashew-fruit caipirinha (a Brazilian cocktail made from cachaça, the local sugarcane spirit), and if it’s Saturday, don’t miss the chance to try the country’s most emblematic dish, feijoada — a rich stew of beans and assorted meats.

COURTESY OF BAR DA DONA ONÇA