The best bars and cafés Brazil

For more than 20 years, Café Mostarda has been a lively spot in the nights of Campo Grande, ideally located on Afonso Pena Avenue, in the heart of the "morena" city. Mostarda is a bar-restaurant with a large outdoor terrace that is often crowded. The gente bonita spills out into the night on weekends. To drink a cocktail, to eat on the go at a good price, to attend a concert, the café Mostarda is a must. It's always lively on weekends. Some good bands play there some evenings!

This nice bar-restaurant is located directly on the largo das Forras. Normally, this is one of the only bars in the city where the beers served are cold. The atmosphere is lively, especially at the end of the week, when there are ao vivo concerts. On the scale of Tiradentes of course. Currently, only the restaurant is working. The pizzas, the Minas specialties, the Lebanese Quibés, the pasteis de angu, the fries gratinated with bacon and cheese, washed down with local beers or cachaça in moderation, leave a taste of return. A must-see.

The Mimobar is a pleasant space with a deliberately rustic decor. A lovely outdoor space with plenty of chairs for friends to relax in. The site is surrounded by a bar and a few food truck-style outlets (excellent burger served in a black bun). Good background music, young, hip clientele. It's worth noting, however, that if you go there in the evening, and cross the small park, you shouldn't walk around with your phone in your hand. At best, ask the cab to drop you off in the parking lot in front of the bar. A bit disorganized.

Café Ernesto is a small, contemporary and sophisticated café-resto about a 20-minute walk from the city's shopping centre (7 minutes by taxi). It has established itself as one of the best restaurants in its category. It serves a good coffee, but also some delicious international dishes based on local products (the slate is renewed every day) in a cosy atmosphere. Some dishes are more than enough for two people. The "pintado" (local fish) is excellent. Good and charming. Good music selection.

"Culture and gastronomy. Open since 1985. Part bistro, part café, part second-hand bookshop, Sebinho is a place where Brasilienses like to meet up and pick up a bit of reading material. If you forgot to bring a book to accompany you on your trip, this is the place to find one (books in French, English, Spanish, Portuguese...). You'll find some great classics. You can also eat in (very decent bistro cuisine) and start your reading on the terrace. Service, however, is a little disorganized.

Brazil, as many people do not know, is the other country of beer. The Bonito beer, as its name indicates, is entirely dedicated to this hopped beverage. Respecting the spirit of the times, it is a micro-brewery that produces its own beer. Beer lovers (and the not-so-lovers will also find themselves there) will not miss a visit to this cerveja bar where you can serve yourself directly from large stainless steel barrels. Good local beers to try and a slice of pepperoni pizza to wash it all down. Some evenings, ao vivo music.

The Rosario 26 is both a bar and a restaurant of Arabic specialities. A bar in the centre with a pub-like decor, to be recommended for a drink as well as to try some good Arabic specialities to munch on the terrace. Located on the lively Rua do Lazer, the establishment opened in 2014 and offers two "atmospheres", restaurant and bar. Specialising in Arabic cuisine, it offers a varied menu for those who want sophisticated dishes, and for those looking for a snack. Rosário 26 Pub specializes in Pirenópolis beer.

On the corner of Praça do Carmo and São Pedro, the Casbah Mourisco bar and pub is located on the first floor of a large Moorish-style house in Olinda. In recent years, it has become a meeting point for tourists and trendy locals alike. In the large and very pleasant "Casbah" courtyard, you can sample traditional dishes for lunch, in buffet form. Throughout the day and well into the night, sweet and savory snacks (petiscos) and alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages are served. A fine address.

This pub is a self-declared "the most welcoming place in the country". As you can see, it's an iconoclastic bar with a strong identity. An underground bar where the owner, a bearded gentleman always in flip-flops, serves bikers and a public of all kinds. The decor has gained in class after the renovation, but the place has not lost its special atmosphere. Various beers and portions to be shared concocted by the owner make the joy of the customers. Blues, Jazz, sometimes MPB, a place to know.

For more than 10 years now, on the praia brava, the Rocka has been attracting sunset lovers to this beautiful beach. And there are many of them. Bar-lounge and restaurant, the Rocka is an enchanting place by its location on the seafront. The fish dishes are certainly good, but the pleasure can also lie in this confrontation with the elements, lying on deckchairs. Out of season, supreme pleasure, one can sometimes meditate alone, his caipi in hand, lulled by the sound of the waves and sea birds.

The Sambarock Café is a sure bet in Jeri. Located in the main square, at the heart of the town's kiteboarding scene, the Sambarock is a musical bar, with a variety of musical groups providing a pleasant, festive atmosphere. In addition to its "bem gelada" beer and cocktails, Sambarock's other hallmark is its menu, which features dishes that are always well executed. Salmon, seafood, pestiscos, thin-crust pizzas - everything leaves a taste of home. The smiling service is undoubtedly a factor.

It is a botequim with a strong identity, of course, since it was bought by enthusiasts of the place who could not bear the idea of seeing it sold to Grand Capital to make a bar of a big chain without soul. The adega Perola has remained a place of conviviality, where discussions between people who did not know each other two minutes before are made around large tables. A zinc, affable waiters in white shirts who are busy. They serve small dishes in a bohemian atmosphere very Copa "pé sujo" or dirty feet, nickname of the "real" botequins.

If you haven't been to Brussels or Bruges recently, in the land of beer, you can go to the Délirium Café, named after a famous Belgian beer, which has also given its name to bars in Toulouse and Montpellier. For fans of hoppy beverages, this is the place to be. The reference is clearly displayed with the Belgian flag proudly hanging from the ceiling. The beers are varied, for all tastes and from all countries. There are several hundred references. The "estaminet" atmosphere is inevitably original in Rio!

Because all the excitement of Rio is not confined to the beaches of Rio, the Lagoa bar is a place to know. On the terrace or in a magnificent Art Deco style lounge with pistachio colored walls, inaugurated in 1934, you can enjoy a beer while eating some more substantial dishes like the famous potato salad or a fish with Lagoa sauce... You can find there a little bit of an old-fashioned side, maybe due to the white and black uniforms of the waiters, but it is undoubtedly what makes its charm. It is a botequim impossible to circumvent of the district!

Evenings in Lençois are often pleasant, over a gelada, caipirinha or other cocktail. The Catingueiro, pub and brewery, is a warm welcome for those who still have some strength left after long walks along the winding paths of the chapada diamantina. This pleasantly decorated craft brewery offers good beers (such as Viena and IPA). The establishment closes late on this busy street, and the music is very good. You can't eat here, but there are restaurants nearby.

Purists will recognize a Tom Jobim song. This space is dedicated to music. It's a bar with a very Brazilian boteco spirit. Its décor of brick, wood and black-and-white tiles on the floor gives it a traditional yet modern feel, and a wide variety of Brazilian beers and cachaças are served to the rhythms of MPB and samba. But Matita is also a restaurant serving "petiscos" and typical Brazilian dishes. Try the caipira de maracuja cocktail with chili pepper. Live music some evenings.

This concept is not unique, as it exists in many places in Rio de Janeiro and Sampa, but it is very pleasant. The Mercearia is a small friendly bar located in an old grocery store (mercearia in Portuguese). We come there to try the beer menu but also to fill a small hollow with excellent bolinhos. A real carioca-style boteco, it is a place to know, simple and authentic. One comes here to appreciate the atmosphere of the less. It's a less trendy establishment than the trendy bars of the city.

This old grocery store is one of the bars registered in the very official heritage of the city. Built in 1907, the Armazém appears today as a fusion between an old store and a "botequim". The heart of the Centro beats especially on weekends, when this honorable house is dressed in its festive finery. In a friendly atmosphere, one eats good appetizers (by weight) and the beer menu is very varied. Rodas de samba electrify the atmosphere on Thursdays from 5 pm to closing time and on Saturdays from 2 pm. Simple and not to be missed.

Like other establishments that are part of Carioca's cultural heritage, the Armazem Cardosao is now classified by the city of Rio de Janeiro. Like the Armazem do Senado, this establishment was a grocery store. It is considered the most traditional boteco in the Laranjeiras neighborhood. Elegantly installed in a corner of a busy street on weekends, samba bands animate it and give this place a soul of its own. You can have a drink. An excellent feijoada is offered on Saturdays. To discover!

An original address that has been livening up the evenings in São João del Rei for almost 15 years now. Like its namesake in Barcelona, in a retro atmosphere, as its name suggests, this bar is also a concert hall where regional or national quality bands perform. You can eat in a friendly and relaxed setting or just have a drink. You can check the program of events on the website or on the Facebook page of the establishment. It is also a cinema that shows the great classics of the 7th art.

In this beco das cores, "alley of colours", there are shops open late at night, but also several bars that offer concerts (from Thursday to Saturday). Nice atmosphere on the terraces, a good place to start the evening if it promises to be long, as it is often the case in Arraial d'Ajuda. Beco das Cores is another interesting place for those who want to listen to music ao vivo and/or visit art galleries. It is a very hip and relaxed environment, lively for those who want to enjoy the night.

Good music, refined lighting, rattan furniture, naturally talk to the neighbours. Grill, a good caipirosca.

The difference with caipirinha is that we put vodka instead of Cachaça Pitu. Beautiful sea view. Live music concerts, film projections, and there is a feast of the full moon every month.

In Rio Vermelho's lively, bohemian neighborhood, Novo Postudo has established itself as the place to be for live music concerts. It's the place to come to hear jazz and rock in a very pleasant setting on Tuesdays and Thursdays, the busiest days of the year. It's a place we love, frequented mainly by artists, journalists and academics. Novo Postudo is also a restaurant. If you arrive early, you can choose a seat on the terrace, where the view is superb. You can enjoy a cold beer as the sun sets.

The Mercado de Peixe, once a popular night spot for the city's young people, has undergone a facelift and become the "vila caramuru". Gone is the old-fashioned charm of the place, replaced by a more cosy atmosphere, although some would argue that it has lost some of its original authenticity. Whatever the case, the market's small bistros offer food and drink throughout the day and into the night. Ideal for a pick-me-up after visiting the previous addresses. Dishes and snacks at low prices, accompanied by beers and caipirinhas.

The small seaside resort asserts itself by the quality of its restaurant services and its pleasant bars. The Bar do Souza is an icon of Praia do Forte. It is both a bar and a pleasant restaurant. Its wooden tables, in the semi-enclosed courtyard with trees, and its red walls make for a pleasant stopover before a possible return to Salvador. The Bar do Souza offers excellent "ao vivo" music almost every night. Try the fish fritters(bolinho de peixe). The kiwi caipirinha is worth trying.

The Pireneus is "the" must-see café in Pirenopolis if you want to soak up the atmosphere of "Piri". It is a café, a restaurant and a cultural centre all in one. The dishes are original. The menu offers many vegan pasta dishes. Very good focaccia. On Saturday, it is the day of the feijoada, as in Rio. Big atmosphere. However, Pirenopolis is overflowing with tourists from Goiânia or Brasilia. It is necessary to reserve in advance or avoid the city at this time. The coffee is sprinkled with liquor... To be consumed with moderation.

This pleasant cafe, with a small garden, is also an art and biological store. His enough Zen spirit fits music over the weekend. The Bohemian spirit of Piri is respected. The service is efficient and smiling.

The Santa Teresa hotel bar is certainly a place of refinement, worthy of the hotel in which it is housed: it offers a relaxed lounge atmosphere, where Brazilian jazz notes are played. From 8pm, the bar offers ao vivo music. A DJ entertains on Fridays, and on Saturdays and Sundays, a jazz concert livens up the beautiful evenings of Santa Teresa. The sunset over Rio is magnificent. When you sip a caipirinha with red (or yellow) fruits, you are close to paradise... Nice cocktail menu.

The Garota de Urca is part of the chain of Garotas bars and restaurants. Of course, the first and most famous one will always be the one in Ipanema, but the Garota da Urca has its own little magic touch. A few steps away from the Sugarloaf, Rio's postcard, the Garota has a magnificent view of the Guanabara Bay. It is certainly an excellent place to nibble bolinhos de bacalhau (codfish balls) and drink a little chopp (draft beer) after visiting the Pão de Açucar, at sunset.

The origins of the city often appear to be a guarantee of quality, so, as you don't change a winning team, the team went for a gourmet break in this "Finnish café" between two races in this city founded by Finnish settlers. Good for us. It is certainly one of the nicest places in Penedo to sip a coffee or a hot chocolate, and to nibble a good quiche, sitting on the outside terrace. The cafe is made of wood, of course, so as not to feel out of place.

This café refers to the "cultural" origin of cafés in the France of the Enlightenment. This place is indeed at the heart of the cultural space of the city. The old stones give a little extra soul to the pão de queijo and/or the good espressos served on the local zinc. You can also refresh yourself with a beer! Very pleasant establishment, with beautiful brick walls, located in the tourist center of Ouro Preto. Coffee and bookshop united, like a profane thanks to the culture.

Paraty 33 is part of the legend of Paraty nights. Its name "Paraty 33", like the thirty-three grades of Freemasonry, refers to the builders of the city (Paraty was partly designed by Freemasons). It is one of the most festive places of Paraty: restaurant and musical bar at the same time, which welcomes rock bands, MPB... ao vivo: its dance floor is systematically filled every weekend. Nice choice of cachaças and whiskies. The "musical cover" has to be paid as soon as you enter the bar.

The Roxy bar has been a favorite of Belém locals since 1984, and is still one of the city's best addresses. Here, dishes and drinks are named after artists and other personalities. The atmosphere is vaguely Art Deco, casual, with walls and roof made of brick and thatch. Numerous paintings refer to the stars whom the food and drinks honor. There's another Roxy Bar in one of the city's shopping centers, but the atmosphere is less original and friendly than in the original bar.

An idealized pub by a Californian. More than 150 types of cocktails to be tasted.

Chopp da bixiga is a popular bar-restaurant. As in many places in Brazil, it has the traditional red or blue plastic chairs and tables and isothermal containers. A very famous place in Fortaleza that serves the original chopp de vinho (draft beer made with red wine). It is accompanied by "macaxeiras fritas" (cassava chips) and carne do sol. You have to arrive early to get a table. Close to the Dragão do Mar cultural centre, in a big house from the beginning of the 20th century. A nice place to know.

The "Bodega do Veio" chain of bars can be found in Recife and Olinda. In Recife, Bodega do Veio, located on Rio Branco Avenue in old Recife, is a pleasant place to enjoy a drink or petiscos after a tour of the restored city center. The decor is original and personal. Local regulars, Brazilian and foreign tourists meet in this typical bar to chat and catch up on old times, in the tradition of Brazilian "botequins". Some evenings, it's "forro" or "frevo".

La pousada com Verso e prosa offers a magical garden just a few meters from the heart of Paraty. Fortunately, this space is open to guests who are not staying at the establishment. Around cosy wooden furniture, surrounded by greenery, you can sample different coffee options, or even take advantage of the opportunity to combine business with pleasure, as the café offers a coworking space. Expresso, cappuccino, sweet cakes and spinach quiche are just some of the corpus delicti that will make you hesitate to leave the café!

The Geko Chill Bar allows you to enjoy the Paraty spirit with your feet in the water. It is a beach bar of the neighboring youth hostel (itself simple and pleasant), installed on the Pontal beach. The atmosphere is eclectic, friendly and lively and the cocktails are affordable, which is not or not always the case in Paraty. Live music some eveningsand caipirinhas galore, that you can sip with your feet in the sand facing the sea. You can watch the sun go down in a pleasant setting. It is a good alternative to change the historical center.

A very chic lounge bar right on the beach in Praia Brava, with white everywhere, worthy of a Barclay's party, and Buddha statues scattered here and there. Parties are sometimes organized. The Silk beach Club is the most exclusive club in Buzios. It's perhaps the happy few of La voile rouge on Ramatuelle's Pampelone beach. The gente bonita spills out into the night, listening to good music, bottle chilled in the champagne bucket. The best Brazilian DJs perform here.

The Agô bar ("thank you" in Yoruba, one of the idioms spoken during Candomblé ceremonies) is a great discovery in Santa Teresa. Kananda Soares, who created the concept store "Favela Hype", is behind this bar that honors the Afro-Brazilian origins of the place. Stylized paintings of orixas set the tone. The decoration mixes new and ancestral, like the cocktail menu. (Agua de Oxum, Vulgo Malvadao) and dishes (pork loin flambéed with cachaça). Very good music some evenings. A "place to be" in Santa Teresa!