It takes a while to become a classic: but Café Floresta, which stays underneath the Copan Building, overcame a harsh period of potential decadency and it's been alive, with the same owner, for a long time.
Few places in São Paulo can brag about resisting the temptation of modernization and this coffee shop is one of these rare cases.
It is simple, a bar-based coffee shop, which can't fall under the "gourmet" label. The coffee is excellent and they have a great cornbread. This is very important!
In the background they have a painting of an old coffee farm, still running on slave work - the kind of "politically incorrect" thing - another proof that this place resisted the new times.
Typically, the place used to share its habitués with Copan’s - elderly people who lived in the building, transvestites and people who were broke wanting just a sip of coffee - it was the most democratic coffee ever!
Today it's more of a mix of audiences, a lot of designers and hipsters go there, but it's still a very nice experience.
Up till today I schedule meeting at Floresta to be held standing up, really, at the bar - that way is quicker, if you have no time to waste like me!