Things to do in Recife
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Instituto Ricardo Brennand
From Tuesday to Friday afternoons, you can visit the scenic Instituto Ricardo Brennand, Oficina Cerâmica Francisco Brennand's cousin’s museum. This contains a massive collection of European and Brazilian art, swords, armor and historical artifacts in a fake medieval castle on lovely grounds.
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Socaldinho Guaiamum
This long, large, always bustling, semi-open-air restaurant pulls in families, couples and groups of friends for good-value, good-quality meat, seafood and pasta.
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Oficina Cerâmica Francisco Brennand
A surreal sculpture garden of bizarre sexualized earthworms, frogs and turtles covers the landscape at the unique Oficina Cerâmica Francisco Brennand. The artist Francisco Brennand, descended from 19th-century Irish immigrants and considered Brazil’s greatest ceramicist, revitalized his family’s abandoned tile factory to create his own line of decorative ceramic tiles. The rest of the huge space is dedicated to a seemingly exhaustive exhibition of his peculiar sculptures, including gardens with Moorish arches and rows of contorted busts. A trip out to the Oficina Cerâmica, set amid thick Atlantic rain forest some 10km west of downtown, is a regional highlight, so set asi…
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Boteco
Like most Brazilian cities, the boteco (Brazilian neighborhood bar) culture usually rules the nightlife and, though a chain, the obviously-named Boteco packs in the Recifenses. We’re not sure what whips through faster, the ocean breezes or the waiters loaded down with chope and Brazilian bar munchies such as picanha (choice beef cuts) and savory pesticos (bar snacks). It’s very hard to say no.
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Fundação Gilberto Freyre
Fans of Brazilian literature and history should visit the Fundação Gilberto Freyre, 8km northwest of downtown, home of the author of the revolutionary 1933 book Casa Grande e Senzala (published as The Masters and the Slaves in English) about life on Pernambuco sugar plantations. Catch the Sitio dos Pintos/Dois Irmãos bus west from Av Conde da Boa Vista downtown.
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Parraxaxá
Festive decor and staff in police and cangaceiro (outlaw) outfits spice up your meal at this fun Northeast-themed restaurant. The self-serve food is a cornucopia of tasty Northeastern dishes – carne de sol (salted beef), macaxeira (a type of cassava), baião de dois (a spicy rice, beans and cheese dish) and grilled meats – with good salads, too.
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Camarada
This modern restaurant does shrimp in endlessly creative ways – fondue, salads, beer-marinated, moquecas (stews) – but it’s also wildly popular for happy hour, as patrons flood the front deck with ice cold Brahma or Stella Artois draft in hand. If you’re not into crustaceans, there are a few meat and fish dishes as well.
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Leite
One of the oldest restaurants in the country, this famous traditional lunch place was opened in 1882. Though modernized these days and void of much historical air, it remains a power-lunch favorite of politicos and business-people. Go for the excellent Pernambuco shrimp in coconut sauce.
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A Casa Pub
This lively British-cum-Brazilian-style pub sits opposite Musique, with an airy verandah and live music most nights, ranging from samba and axé (a contemporary Afro-Brazilian pop style, incorporating samba, rock, soul and other influences) to forró and rock.
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Sinagoga Kahal Zur Israel
The first synagogue in the Americas, Sinagoga Kahal Zur Israel, now a Jewish Cultural Center open to visitors, still has a bit of its original 17th-century structure and interesting murals (in Portuguese and English) depicting the role of Jews in Recife’s development.
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Casa da Cultura
This place is a creepy colonial-era prison with shops in cells where prisoners languished until 1973 (cell 106 is preserved as it was). Pernambuco’s traditional handicrafts, such as clay figurines, wood sculptures, lace and leather goods, plus plenty of T-shirts, can be found here.
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Museu do Homem do Nordeste
The Museu do Homem do Nordeste, has anthropological exhibits on Northeastern life ranging from slave chains to Carnaval costumes, with good photos throughout. It's extensive and well done, but was closed for renovations at research time, so check to see if it has reopened.
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Mingus
An excellent spot to drop some extra reais for a stylish meal of contemporary Brazilian cuisine. From pan-roasted wild boar to fig-stuffed quail to whiting in peppermint pesto, there’s something for everyone, served amid larger-than-life B&W photos of jazz greats.
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Bangüê
This restaurant lovingly detailed in Peter Robb’s A Death in Brazil is a good spot for a meat or seafood meal, with a great setting on Pátio de São Pedro and its unique sugar-plantation decor. Call to reserve an outdoor table front-and-center for Terça Negra.
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La Plage
At first we found it irritating that a crepe and salad place wouldn’t be open for lunch, then we realized: it’s too trendy for daylight! La Plage serves up great-value savory and sweet crepes and fab salads in a near-bar atmosphere. It has good vegetarian options.
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Igreja da Ordem Terceira de São Francisco
The most important building to visit in the city center is the Igreja da Ordem Terceira de São Francisco, a church dating from 1697 with a Capela Dourada (Golden Chapel) that is one of the finest examples of Brazilian baroque architecture.
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Boa Viagem
The only beach worth visiting in Recife is at Boa Viagem. It's a busy urban beach, packed on weekends and a good place to watch or play beach sports, but very few people enter the water, which is unclean and subject to shark attacks.
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Memorial Chico Science
This new memorial highlights the work of former Nação Zumbi singer Chico Science, a revered musician and founder of the mangue beat cultural movement who died tragically in a car accident in Recife in 1997.
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UK Pub
This sophisticated lounge draws a sexy Anglophile crowd – especially on Thursday – for live pop, rock, samba rock and DJs, and proper pints (Guinness, Erdinger, Newcastle and 1664) – but you will pay dearly for the privilege.
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Parque 13 de Maio
A great place to hang out, especially on a Sunday, is Parque 13 de Maio in the Boa Vista district. There's a lot of action in the park, including capoeira, heated domino games and even more heated political debates.
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Guaiamum Gigante
This slightly upscale boteco was under renovation during our visit, but was packed nonetheless. Seafood sets this apart from its neighbor, Boteco, and its breezy outdoor patio serves as a decadent drinking den.
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Botequim Padaria
The big, busy Padaria, in northern Boa Viagem, serves fine grills, sandwiches, baked potatoes and inexpensive meals called pratos executivos, accompanied by the sea breeze blowing up the street.
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Boratcho
This grooving dance club with an artsy crowd often plays Recife's own mangue beat (modernized maracatu). Thursday is a big DJ party night. It's located at the northern end of Boa Viagem.
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Dona Carolina
This is the bola da vez (current hot spot) in Recife, a sleek, modern bar and restaurant with live MPB (Música Popular Brasileira), soul and jazz and enough hotness to melt Antarctica.
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Jardins Bar & Restaurante
A two-level restaurant in slick black, white and chrome with an roomy dance floor, Jardins hosts top local forró, rock and axé bands several nights a week.
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