The Mercado Central is the main public market of São Luís, a lively indoor-outdoor market near the historic centre where the city does its everyday food shopping. Fish, crabs, prawns, and shellfish fresh from the bay occupy one hall; vegetables, spices, and dried goods fill another; and a ring of restaurants and snack bars serves market workers and shoppers.
Come in the morning when everything is freshest and the market is at its most active. The crab stalls in particular are worth seeing — crabs from the Maranhão coast are among the best in Brazil, and the market is where you'll see them at their freshest. Even if you're not buying food, the market is a genuine cross-section of São Luís life.