Ana Clara Watanabe is a Brazilian visual artist, fashion designer and curator of a vintage furniture store. Born and raised in a small city called Pindamonhangaba, she moved to São Paulo to study Fashion Design in 2016 and has been living there ever since.

Ana Clara Watanabe

Recently moving to Bompton Retiro, Ana describes the São Paulo neighbourhood as ‘one of the coolest’ in the city.

“I recently moved there and I instantly felt in love with the place, the energy, the people… Bom Retiro is a neighbourhood that has traditionally been immigrants’ first stop in the city. In the 1960s, Orthodox Jews were the neighbourhood’s main residents. Koreans comprised the next wave and now Bolivians. So it’s crazy because you’re walking down the streets and you suddenly hear someone speaking in Korean, then in Spanish, then in Portuguese. It’s also funny ‘cause sometimes you go get a coffee and you find a traditional Korean bakery and you have no idea from what that really cute sweet is made.”

From fashion to gastronomy, you can find and do anything at Bom Retiro, spending short money and having a little good time in the neighbourhood. Check out Ana’s favourite spots:

São Paulo

Pinacoteca de São Paulo is a museum dedicated to Brazilian Visual Art. With an emphasis on Brazilian production from the nineteenth century to the present day, the place also dialogue with the cultures of the world by collecting, studying, preserving, exhibiting and communicating its collections to promote the public’s experience with art, stimulate creativity and the construction of knowledge. Founded in 1905 by the São Paulo State Government, it is the city’s oldest art museum.

SESC is a non-profit Brazilian private institution that makes available Education, Health, Culture and Recreational programs and events and well as provides Social Assistance to workers and their dependents. Since its foundation, Sesc has contributed to socioeconomic and cultural development in Brazil through social and educational actions and a wide variety of services that encourage the exercise of citizenship.

At SESC you can do anything for a really affordable price. You can have a good meal, visit a nice exhibition or even watch a special concert for a R$10. Some SESC's in São Paulo have pools, gyms and a few activities for you and your family/friends.

Casa do Povo means “house of people” and that’s literally what they are. It’s a place that provides many cultural activities for those who can afford. You can find there sewing classes, social activities like Empreendedoras Sin Fronteras, choral, dance lessons, meetings and a really comfortable place to spend the afternoon learning, listening and meeting nice people.

The old building of the "Sorocabana Railroad" is now "Sala São Paulo", home of the São Paulo State Symphony Orchestra and one of the most important concert and event venues in the country.

Designed by Christiano Stockler das Neves in 1925 ―a period when the city, stimulated by coffee and the railway, was growing at a fast pace― the building, marked by the sobriety of the ornaments and details of the Louis XVI style, would only be completed in 1938, when the urbanization of São Paulo was already characterized by the presence of automobiles, minimizing the use of trams and trains.

One of my dearest friends once told me about this place where a couple of Korean immigrants serves their traditional family recipes. They don’t speak Portuguese very well, but the place, their energy and the food makes you feel like home.

Good price and one of the best Korean foods that I ever tried. Really worth it to visit and it’s also located near to the best fabrics and trims stores! They don’t have a website, but you can get more infos at their Instagram page.

José Paulino is a famous fashion street where you can find clothes and accessories from several different brands and designers. It’s a street where you can visit a fancy shop, a shop that has another 10 shops inside of it, buy clothes on the streets... It’s really worth it the visit ‘cause you can find anything there, meet brands that you may never heard about but with well-made pieces, clothes for a popular price, things that are trending right now…

This part of the town has already suffered a lot of “bad judgments” ‘cause a lot of immigrants work in this part of town in bad conditions, so be careful and ask from where and how that piece was made.

If you’re looking for a good meal in a good and beautiful restaurant, here’s your place. Darê is one of the best Korean cuisines that I ever tried, and they have two options: the first one, where you serve yourself at a table with cold and hot Korean food; and the second and “fancy” one, where you can check their menu with more different options.

The Chef Paulo Shin revisited the mix between the traditional and the modern Korean Cuisine. “We privilege the cozy and casual experience, with the commitment to bring a meal with the care of the production taught by Dona Myung (Paulo’s mom), the flavor that refers to the Korean roots and the experiences of different refinements.