Welcome to Backstage Meat And Heat

“ Today we're visiting Backstage Meat and Head, located at Rua Bartolomeu de Gusmão, 78 in Vila Mariana. This casual dining restaurant's concept is to bring the behind-the-scenes feel of a film set to life, with dishes prepared over hot coals. Outside, there are tables with crates that serve as benches, and dogs are welcome. There's a hook on the wall to attach a leash, and a small bowl of water is provided. Inside, spotlights and reflectors serve as lighting, and the parrilla (grill) is the star of the show. The menu is displayed on a clipboard in script format, even using Courier News font, and divided into 5 scenes. Scene 1 is for sharing, with 5 options, and we chose the Chicken Fingers ($28.50) with house sauce. Two other popular options are the mushroom croquettes and the smoked eggplant – 6 large, succulent strips. Scene 2 features snacks, and Scene 3 offers grilled meats and sides. We chose the Bife de Vazio ($59), a flavorful and tender cut of beef, similar to flank steak, very traditional in Argentinian barbecue, served with chimichurri and vinaigrette. And the Bife Ancho ($73), a more tender cut of sirloin, grilled over charcoal with an extra smoky touch from applewood, served with chimichurri and vinaigrette. The meats were cooked to perfection and were very flavorful. Being cooked on a parrilla with applewood gives them a distinctive taste. For sides, we chose the potato salad and the mini fresh salad. Both salads were generously portioned and delicious! The potato salad had crispy onions on top, adding a special touch, and the mini fresh salad had a lemon and sesame seed crumble topping that was excellent. The vinaigrette ingredients were finely chopped and very tasty. Nete ​​said it was the best she'd ever eaten. To finish, scene 4 features the Wonka dessert ($16), a dense semi-sweet chocolate cream topped with vanilla whipped cream and red fruit sauce. For Good Friday and Easter, Backstage created the Beetroot, Red Bean and Chickpea Burger, on a brioche bun with avocado mayonnaise and topped with Minas cheese, strained yogurt, tomato, red onion and arugula. It will remain on the menu for two weeks. We loved Backstage and highly recommend it! We received excellent service from André. ”

“ Delicious and very original combination of ingredients. We go there every week! ”

“ The place is half steakhouse, half diner. If you want grilled meat cuts, it's a good place. If you want a sandwich with barbecue in the middle, it's also a good place. The sandwich I ordered was great overall, with a barbecue flavor in the ciabatta bread. Just to have something to mention, maybe the bread was a bit disproportionate to the filling, making the sandwich dry. But even so, it was worth it. Average price, okay service, okay atmosphere. I want to go back to try more things. ”

“ I live in the neighborhood and I was pleasantly surprised by their lunch menu. During the week they have some dishes with great value for money, because in addition to being tasty, they're reasonably priced! The staff are super attentive and friendly! I highly recommend it!! ”

“ Simple restaurant, but super well-organized, with some backstage-themed decor. As Bia explained, the playlist features movie soundtracks and the menu imitates a script, very cool! They specialize in meats and burgers. We loved it! We started with the crispy fries, which were very generously served. They are thin fries with paprika and (lots of) crispy onions on top. I ordered the excellent and super original Cheese Pandalho, a 150g burger on brioche bread with garlic paste, crispy leeks, vinaigrette, and cheese. My boyfriend ordered the Backstage Burger, the classic brioche bun, 100g meat, cheese, and mayonnaise, but with the addition of another 100g burger patty. It was also very good! To drink, we chose the excellent caipirinhas made with two types of lime and with yellow fruits, perfectly balanced. The service was super attentive, especially from Bia. That's great! @gigicomidinhas ”

“ Great place for burgers and meats but they also have vegan friendly dishes. ”

“ Great experience at Backstage! Delicious burgers and snacks, a variety of appetizers and drinks, options with craft beer! On Wednesdays, there's a double draft beer promotion! We really enjoyed it. The traditional fries were crispy and dry, accompanied by a delicious garlic mayonnaise. The burger was cooked to perfection and was super tasty! There's the option to add various items and customize your burger. In my case, I got a traditional one and added crispy onions! Good service, the space is small but it was okay on Wednesday! ”

“ It was a more than surprising experience. A simple and extremely welcoming place. Those who see the simplicity of the place wouldn't imagine that elaborate dishes, charming and delicious, come out of there. I saw this place on the list of restaurants participating in São Paulo's "Restaurant Week" and went with friends to check it out, and I can only say it was sensational!!!! We ordered the three suggested dishes and my God.... what a delight!!! The unique and flavorful appetizers, the main courses with spectacular presentations, especially the shrimp with pumpkin puree, were divine. Wonderful desserts... the rice pudding is supreme!!!! ”