Fun and entertainment São Vicente

The feet are right on the golden sand of Laginha, or almost, at Caravela you can enjoy a very pleasant terrace facing the superb bay of Mindelo, at the very end of the beach. Everyone agrees that it is the ideal place to have a drink while admiring the sunset, which explains why it is so popular in the early evening. It is one of the few places where you can eat until late at night, and it turns into a trendy disco where weekends are very lively: concerts, theme nights... summer atmosphere guaranteed.

This address, which has reopened its doors with a new concept, is dedicated to music and morna in particular. It's a warm place, where the atmosphere is in full swing at weekends and sometimes during the week. The cuisine, meanwhile, is crafted from carefully selected products, such as grilled fish or golden-brown baked cod, a nod to Portugal. If you're lucky, you might even bump into Tito Paris, the former owner of the restaurant, who maintains a strong relationship with the establishment... For a gastronomic and musical experience.

A beautiful contemporary art gallery on the first floor and a curious wine bar upstairs. It's a very pleasant and unexpected place just a step away from the People's Palace. You can have a drink with tapas in a beautiful room with oriental decoration, where the cosy atmosphere and good music add to the experience. As far as events are concerned, we can mention various rather heterogeneous proposals: environmental cinema with the projection of author's films, discussions around a theme, in short, a lot of culture!

The beach bar of the Oasis Atlantico hotel is open to the public and is the trendiest bar on Laginha beach. Here, you can enjoy lunch, a cool drink or an alcoholic beverage, or spend the whole day here, as you can rent deckchairs right on the sand - the only establishment of its kind, by the way. On the menu are hearty local dishes (cachupa) and international dishes, as well as a menu of snacks for the hungry (pizza, nuggets and hamburgers). Avoid if you're looking for authenticity, as the clientele is predominantly foreign.

Run by two artists, producer Miriam Simas and her husband, dancer António Tavares, this alternative venue claims to be "an idea provocateur", and that's all we ask. The bar's design is unique, and the eye is drawn everywhere at once. As for the events, they stand out from those held anywhere else in Mindelo. From movie nights to conversations, hi hop evenings, poetry or open-air or street theater, you have to come here for an experience that's both original and authentically Cape Verdean.

A tiny restaurant with a handful of tables, where Cristina, the friendly cook and manager of the place, works behind her stove and welcomes you with open arms all day long. Enjoy a typical breakfast or a meal of grilled octopus at noon, while chatting with the regulars while it simmers. All this at very democratic prices. Not to mention the more festive bar atmosphere in the evening with concerts sometimes improvised in the blink of an eye. The kind of place where you really feel like you're somewhere else.

On Mindelo's busiest main street, this tiny bar is run by the cheerful Alberto, an ex-professional soccer player who was a member of the Portuguese national team in his youth as a stalwart of Benfica in Lisbon. Today he runs this small bar that attracts Mindelo's trendy clientele, painters, singers... It's the kind of place that Cesaria Evoria liked to frequent. Don't miss the chance to have a drink, the spirit is friendly and there is a good chance to meet musicians.

A rendezvous for lovers of culture and music, this eclectic venue not only acts as a bookshop, as its name suggests, but also organizes many concerts. Jam session musicians, reggae and rock musicians, guitarists and singers of all kinds perform here on Thursday and Friday evenings from sundown onwards. Drinks and snacks are also available on site. Check out their website or the cultural calendar to find out what's on and make sure you don't miss a thing. Positive vibes on the horizon!

A veritable institution on the island, this Mindelo jazz club was founded in 1997 and continues to grow thanks to Vou Monteiro, its dynamic owner and musical events organizer, who is well known in the industry. In a sort of cellar, between walls decorated with old black & white posters, and sometimes spilling out onto the street in summer, jam sessions and concerts are regularly programmed, to the delight of music lovers. A journey through the music so dear to the hearts of the locals, and a jazzy atmosphere guaranteed!

Above Café Lisboa, this is a local meeting place. Sea-bottom" decor, with fish in relief on the walls. Watch out for the shark and moray eel: the teeth are real! The owner's imagination is overflowing, to say the least, and his artistic sense unrivalled. A magnificent shark swims open-mouthed along the wall in the first basement room. Elsewhere, the walls are decorated with multicolored fish. An air-conditioned musical atmosphere, with video screens to watch and listen to the Mindelense community's favorite bands.

The latest address to go out in Mindelo, inaugurated in August 2021, this space was designed to promote cultural diversity, arts, dance, but especially music, giving pride of place to African creativity. It is impossible to miss the contemporary architecture of this centre, in the form of three huts placed on the sea at the end of a pontoon. Eminent artists are expected there on a regular basis, throughout the year, so be sure to follow the program broadcast on social networks to not miss anything of the events.

Lounge decor for this bar restaurant made entirely of wood. Enjoy the panoramic terrace and its very privileged location on the beach of Laginha, while savoring the ponche of the house. Pizzas, grills and fresh fish are on the menu. The atmosphere is particularly festive on weekends when Cape Verdean music groups come to liven up the place ao vivo: Tutu Silva, Nick and Babitche and his band, ask for the program!