Bar entertainment in Brazil
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A
Academia da Cachaça
Along with traditional Brazilian cooking, this indoor-outdoor spot serves over 500 varieties of cachaça. For a treat (and/or a bad hangover), try the passion-fruit batida (cachaça and passion-fruit juice).
reviewed
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B
Café Suplicy
Santo Grão's rival is smaller, with a refined industrial-chic feel and also outrageously good coffee and pastries.
reviewed
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Av Pinheiro Machado
The corner of Avs Pinheiro Machado and Presidente Dutra is the epicenter of Porto Velho's nightlife. Three bars in row - Emporium, Estação do Porto and Buda's Bar - serve up beer, mixed drinks, and a cool, bohemian-ish atmosphere that draws a mixed-age crowd. Weekends are busiest, of course, and occasionally feature live music.
Further down Av Pinheiro Machado - to about Rua Goncalves - are several more small bars, restaurants and cafés, if you're looking for something bit mellower (or just a bite to eat).
reviewed
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C
Londra
Rio’s glammiest bar is inside the newly opened Hotel Fasano, and offers a vision of decadence matched by few of the city’s nightspots. The cozy space, designed by Philippe Starck, has an enchantingly illuminated bar, leather armchairs and divans, and a DJ spinning a good mix of world electronica. As you might imagine, the crowd is pure A-list, the cocktails are pricey (R$15 to R$26), and unless you’re a model (or have one draped on your arm), prepare for a long wait at the door.
reviewed
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D
Adega Flor de Coimbra
In the same building that was once the home of Brazilian painter Cândido Portinari, the Adega Flor de Coimbra has been a bohemian haunt since it opened in 1938. Back in its early days, leftists, artists and intellectuals drank copiously at the slim old bar looking out on Lapa. Today, it draws a mix of similar types, who drink wine and sangria with Adega’s tasty bolinhos de bacalhau (codfish croquettes) or feijoada.
reviewed
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E
Bardobeco
This spirited bar has more than 40 brands of cachaça - beware! You can ask for meia doses (half shots served at half price) if you want to retain some semblance of sobriety while you sample. There are also creative caipirinhas (the unofficial national cocktail made from limes, sugar, ice and high-proof sugarcane alcohol; try the tangerina do beco), tasty snacks and live music.
reviewed
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F
Alto de Ponta Negra
The Alto de Ponta Negra , a neighborhood in the upper part of Ponta Negra, around Rua Manoel AB de Araújo and Rua Aristides Porpino Filho, away from the tackier after-dark scene nearer the beach, is dense with a variety of fun bars and restaurants. It's packed with locals and visitors having a good time till dawn, Wednesday to Saturday nights. Just wander along after 23:00 and see which places draw you in.
reviewed
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G
Saturnino
Another newcomer to the scene, Saturnino was quick to become a neighborhood favorite. In a large room with high ceilings and touches of tropical decor, the stylish 20-something crowd mingles over chope (draft beer) and fruity cocktails (that could use a touch more alcohol). The open-sided patio in front is a particularly fine vantage point for people-watching.
reviewed
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H
Ponto da Bossa Nova
On a lively street sprinkled with bars, Ponto da Bossa Nova is a cozy wood-lined space with a small outdoor patio that makes a peaceful spot for sampling daily lunch specials (R$13 to R$17), appetizers like carne seca com aipim (jerked beef with fried cassava) and well-made caipirinhas. True to its name, there’s live bossa nova on Tuesday and Saturday nights.
reviewed
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I
Bar Brasília
In the same vein as the classic bars from Rio and São Paulo, complete with a hardwood bar relocated from a pharmacy in 1928, and antique tiled floors. It’s great for draft beer, but note that staff will keep bringing you beer whether you ask them to or not. Don’t be afraid to tell them to stop. You can buy dishes (R$20 to R$35) here.
reviewed
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J
Bar do Calaf
Though technically a Spanish restaurant, the food is an afterthought to the wildly mixed crowd, all of whom rate the excellent live samba, pagode (popular samba) and choro (improvised samba) over the paella. Monday is the biggest draw for samba-funk. Located in the Ed Empire Center office complex.
reviewed
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K
Bar Do Serafim
On a lively stretch of Rua Alice, the Bar do Serafim is a simple, convivial boteco (small neighborhood bar) serving tasty Portuguese appetizers and plenty of chope (draft beer). It’s been around since 1944 and remains an institution (and popular happy-hour spot) among neighborhood regulars.
reviewed
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L
Orla Taumanan
Boa Vista's recently-refurbished waterfront, known as Orla Taumanan, has a handful of open-air beer gardens that fill up most weekend evenings and nights. While Orla Taumanan is well lit and a popular watering hole at night, the surrounding streets can be a bit seedy - be alert walking home, or just take a cab.
reviewed
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Riverbank Area
For something a bit edgier, the riverbank area by the Madeira-Mamoré train station has a slew of outdoor stands serving beer, and a couple of floating docks that double as bars. Saturday and Sunday nights has live music and dancing; things can get a bit seedy as the night wears on, so definitely be alert.
reviewed
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M
Leblon Esch Café
Billing itself as the House of Havana, Esch offers a blend of Cuban cigars and jazz. The dark-wood interior combined with the well-dressed over-30 crowd will probably make you feel like you’re stepping into a Johnnie Walker photo shoot. Groups perform on Friday and Saturday nights (admission R$25 to R$50).
reviewed
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N
Ultralounge
In the heart of Jardins, this smallish disco lays the attitude on thick, but by way of compensation the clientele - and especially the staff - tend to be easy on the eyes. Decor is distinctly Asian-inspired; there is a pleasant lounge area, and the music ranges from classic dance music to electronica.
reviewed
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O
Jiló
This lively open-sided bar opened in 2005, adding a splash more color to an already festive street. Creamy chope (draft beer), a tasty appetizer menu and the inviting, informal ambience have paved the way for its popularity, with the bar and its sidewalk tables packed on weekend nights.
reviewed
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P
Laranjinha Bar
On the waterfront in Ponta Negra, Laranjinha is a good place to start out your night. You can order beer and burgers, and check out live music and dance shows, held most nights at the bar’s large outdoor stage. A small cover charge may be added to your bill if you’re there for the show.
reviewed
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Q
Goya-Beira
Small but charming, Goya-Beira faces peaceful Largo das Neves, with the occasional tram rattling by. The open-sided bar draws a vibrant mix on weekends. It’s fine to arrive and leave by tram, but it’s unsafe to walk here from Largo do Guimarães – take a taxi instead.
reviewed
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R
Órbita
Reminiscent of a college town rock club (with way better looking people than your college or ours), the large, black-and-purple Dragão do Mar bar hosts live reggae, rock, surf and samba rock amid snooker tables and a legion of flirtatious upper-class clientele.
reviewed
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S
Sky Lounge
This beautifully designed lounge is a stylish but informal place for a drink, with a glass rooftop lending an open feel to the place. DJs spin house and techno to a young Zona Sul crowd. The open-air patio is particularly enticing in the moonlight.
reviewed
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T
A Lôca
Still the reigning queen of trashy chic, this sprawling club is the point of reference for Sampa’s alternativos – gay, straight, male, female and various combinations thereof. Music varies from punk to electronica to classic disco.
reviewed
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U
Espírito do Chopp
One of many open-air venues in the Cobal, Espirito do Chopp fills up its plastic tables most nights with a festive, low-key crowd. The beer flows in abundance and there’s always music nearby – either here or at one of the neighboring bars.
reviewed
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V
Habeas Copus
Habeas Copus is a popular old favorite in the Pelô's Praça Quincas Berro d'Agua, which has a few hip bars that back onto it and face a common stage area. Its sister venue in Barra is also popular, and tends to draw an older crowd.
reviewed
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W
Choperia Brazooka
This popular four-story beer house has lots of nooks and crannies where you can while away the night over ice-cold drafts and tasty appetizers. The 20- and 30-something crowd packs this place, so arrive early to score a table.
reviewed
