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Estudantina Café
Overlooking the Praça Tiradentes, this old dance hall packs large, older crowds on the weekend, there to enjoy the excellent samba bands. The open-air veranda provides a nice spot to cool off if you've danced yourself into a sweat.
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Far Up
Featuring live music most nights of the week, Far Up is a good destination if you're hanging out in Botafogo. The program leans toward rock and MPB, although the Tuesday night karaoke session mixes things up.
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Fosfobox
This subterranean club is hidden under a shopping center near the metro station. Good DJs spin everything from funk to glam rock, and the crowd here is one of the more eclectic in the club scene.
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Fundição Progresso
Once a foundry for the manufacturing of safes and ovens, this building in Lapa now hides one of Rio's top music and theater spaces. A diverse range of shows is staged here, including big-name acts like Manu Chao and Caetano Veloso, as well as theater, video arts and ballet. The foundation is one of Lapa's premier arts institutions, and you can study dance, capoeira and circus arts here.
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Garota da Urca
A neighborhood crowd gathers over chope and salgados in the evening at this low-key spot.
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Garota de Ipanema
During its first incarnation, this small, open-sided bar was called the Bar Veloso. Its name and anonymity disappeared once two scruffy young regulars - Tom Jobim and Vinícius de Moraes - penned the famous song here that changed history (and the name of the street, too). Today, you'll find plenty of tourists here, but little inspiration aside from the ice-cold chope.
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Goia Beira
Another handsome bar on Largo das Neves, Goia Beira is a small, intimate spot serving a range of tasty cachaças . The open-air scene gets lively on weekends, with an occasional band playing out on the square.
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Guapo Loco
This colorful Mexican restaurant and bar is one of Leblon's livelier spots for the under-30 crowd. Things get rowdier as the night progresses, helped along no doubt by the wide variety of tequilas on hand. Guapo Loco also serves decent quesadillas, tacos and fajitas if hunger strikes after working the tiny dance floor.
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Hideaway
This fairly recent restaurant in Rio hosts live jazz and MPB concerts (at the time of writing, Tuesday nights - but call for the latest schedule), and the food isn't half bad.
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Horse's Neck
Formerly a British-style pub, this place has been reborn as a creature from Africa, with leopards being the animal of choice when it comes to the print on seat cushions and wall hangings. Just like before, it's still a peaceful place to grab a drink, with an inviting balcony overlooking the ocean.
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Jiló
This lively open-sided bar opened in 2005, adding a splash more color to an already festive street. Creamy chope, 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.
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Jobi
A favorite since 1956, Jobi has served a lot of beer in its day, and its popularity hasn't waned. The unadorned botequim (bar with table service) still serves plenty; grab a seat by the sidewalk and let the night unfold. If hunger beckons, try the tasty appetizers (the jerked beef and the codfish croquettes are tops).
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Jota Bar
This sleek, trim bar features DJs most nights (beginning at ), a young, fairly hip crowd and a talented group of bartenders. If Jota Bar doesn't suit, you'll find several other decent bars just around the corner.
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Lapa 40 Graus
Lapa's newest venture is an impressive multistory samba club with tables for lounging on the first floor, pool tables on the second floor, and the stage and dancing on the top floor. It's a few doors down from Democráticus, and at research time was the hot new place for hearing top-notch samba bands.
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Lapa Capadócia
Watched over by an enormous statue of São Jorge (St George, an important saint/deity in the Afro-Brazilian pantheon), Lapa Capadócia opened its doors in 2007 and offers a combination of live music, tasty appetizers and ever-flowing chope (draft beer) to small, chatty crowds. There's an outdoor space in back (that may eventually host a small creperie) and an upstairs, though overall the place feels small and intimate.
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Le Boy
Trannies and pretty boys gather at this festive Copacabana dance club for dancing, drinking and perhaps debauchery. Super popular, Le Boy shouldn't be missed.
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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 (around R$15 to around R$26 ), and unless you're a model (or have one draped on your arm), prepare for a long wait at the door.
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Lord Jim
Something of a novelty for Cariocas, Lord Jim is one of several English-style pubs scattered about the Zona Sul. Darts, English-speaking waiters and all the requisite expat beers - Guinness, Harps, Bass, Foster's etc - are on hand to complete the ambience. The pub hosts quiz nights on Wednesdays.
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Mangue Seco Cachaçaria
Set in a street lined with a mix of antique shops and bars, the two-story Mangue Seco has a casual bar and restaurant on the first floor and a cachaçaria ( cachaça bar) on the 2nd floor. Sample over 100 different brands of the fiery stuff while listening to live choro, bossa nova or samba bands (starting at Tuesday to Thursday, and Friday and Saturday).
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Maze Inn
Also known as the 'Casa do Bob' after owner Bob Nadkarni, this once-a-month event is well worth attending if you're in town. It's set in the guest house of the same name high up in Tavares Bastos (Rio's safest favela). Your around R$15 buys you a night of live jazz (usually a trio) and more importantly those fantastic views over the city.
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Melt
The sinewy Melt club is one of those places that couldn't possibly be anywhere but Leblon. Models and their admirers lie draped around the candlelit lounge, while wait staff glide between the tables delivering colorful cocktails. Upstairs, DJs break beats over the dance floor, occasionally accompanied by a few percussionists.
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Mike's Haus
This German-style pub attracts a mix of expats and Cariocas on weekend nights. It's a bit off the beaten path, so plan on sticking around a while before moving on.
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Mistura Carioca
Another classic samba club in Lapa, Mistura Carioca has two levels, with the band playing to a crowded first floor, and a quiet upper level, where you can look down on the band and dancers below. Big glass chandeliers add to the old-time charm.
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Nuth
This long-running club (pronounced 'nootch') is one of the city's favorite dance spots despite its location in Barra. Expect a friendly, well-dressed crowd grooving to DJs spinning electro-samba, house and hip-hop. If you don't like the venue - or the price tag - there's a handful of other bars and restaurants nearby.
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O Plebeu
In the liveliest stretch of Botafogo, O Plebeu is a handsome but unpretentious two-story bar with tables spilling onto the sidewalk and a second-floor balcony. Neighborhood regulars pack this place, drawn by ice-cold beer (served in bottles), codfish balls and the low-key garrulous crowd.
