São Paulo - The Rough Guide to Brazil - page 509

GAY SÃO PAULO
São Paulo has a large gay population but, with some exceptions, clubs and bars tend to be
mixed rather than specifically gay, with the scene mainly in the Jardins area. Since 1997, the
city has hosted a Carnaval-style annual Gay Pride parade on a Sunday in May or June, along
Avenida Paulista. The first parade attracted just two thousand participants but organizers now
claim well over three million revellers, making it by far the largest event of its kind in the world.
For dates and other information, see W paradasp.org.br.

Espírito Capixaba Rua Francisco Leitão 57, Pinheiros
T 11 3062 6566; M Fradique Coutinho; map p.499.
Unique in the city, this quiet side-street restaurant
specializes in food from the overlooked state of Espírito
Santo. Lots of seafood dishes are on offer - most notably
distinctive moquecas (fish stews) cooked in tomato sauce,
rather than in coconut milk as in Bahia. A moqueca made
with caçao (rock salmon) is R$101 for two people, or with
robalo (sea bass) it's R$121. Mon-Fri noon-3pm, Sat
noon-10pm, Sun noon-5pm.

ELSEWHERE
Jun Sakamoto Rua Cel Lisboa 55, Vila Clementino
T 11 3088 6019; M Vila Mariana; map pp.486-487. São
Paulo's top Japanese restaurant, with attractive steel-and-
wood setting and a daring chef who adds modern twists
to otherwise classic dishes. The sushi is creatively presented,
and the tempura, in a light batter with sesame seeds, is
excellent. It's wise to book ahead here, particularly on
weekends. Tues-Thurs 7pm-12.30am, Fri & Sat

7pm-1am.

DRINKING AND NIGHTLIFE
The city has four main centres for nightlife: Bela Vista , with mixed crowds and live music; Vila Madalena and adjoining
Pinheiros , which host the lion's share of trendy bars, including some with a slightly bohemian feel; Jardins , offering
both quieter, high-end bars, popular with an older crowd, and gay bars; and Itaim Bibi and Vila Olímpia , together best
known for their flashy baladas (clubs). Wednesday and Thursday nights are often as popular (and arguably more hip) than
weekend nights, particularly in the summer when the middle class head out of town on Friday evenings. For current
listings , consult the weekly Veja magazine, the daily Folha de São Paulo newspaper (especially its Friday supplement) and
the website W obaoba.com.br.

8

Bar do Sacha Rua Original 45, Pinheiros T 11 3815
7665, W bardosacha.com; M Vila Madalena; map
p.499. Situated on a hillside opposite a pleasant grassy
garden, this is a good spot to come for a chopp or a
caipirinha on a sunny day or a warm evening. Daily
noon-midnight.
Barnaldo Lucrecia Rua Abilio Soares 207, Paraíso
T 11 3885 3425, W barnaldolucrecia.com.br;
M Paraíso; map pp.486-487. Located in an easy-to-spot
yellow house, this bar draws a young crowd. There is live
music most evenings, but it's especially festive on Fridays.
Tues-Fri 7pm-late, Sat 8pm-late.
Cachaçaria Paulista Rua Mourato Coelho 593,
Pinheiros T 11 3815 4756, W cachacariapaulista.com
.br; M Fradique Coutinho; map p.499. Small and with
limited nocturnal hours, this is nonetheless a great place to
sample different cachaças , of which they have over 200. Fri
& Sat 11pm-3am.
Caos Rua Augusta 584, Jardim Paulista T 11 2365
1260; M Consolação; map p.499. Bar-cum-antique
shop, decorated with old toys and film memorabilia,
mostly from the 1980s, which are all for sale. The
dancefloor is small and the music usually retro, but
it ranges widely - anything from Motown to rock'n'roll
- it's always fun, and by the second half of the evening,

BARS
The liveliest bars in the city are found around Rua 13 de
Maio in Bela Vista (often with live music) or
in fashionable Vila Madalena and Pinheiros. A cover charge
is levied in most places, making a bar crawl an expensive
prospect. The amount you pay varies according to the day,
time and your sex (men usually pay double the amount
women do), but count on an average of about R$20.
Astor Rua Delfina 163, Vila Madalena T 11 3815
1364, W barastor.com.br; M Vila Madalena; map
p.499. This well-established bar done out in Art Deco
style, with an impressive stack of Johnny Walker bottles
behind the bar, is one of the neighbourhood's trendiest
meeting points. Excellent beer and petiscos (snacks)
make it a great place to start or end a night out in Vila
Madalena. Mon-Wed 6pm-2am, Thurs-Sat noon-
3am, Sun noon-7pm.
★

Bar Brahma Av São João 677 (at the corner with Av
Ipiranga), Centro T 11 3367 3600, W barbrahmacentro
.com; M República; map p.489. Opened in 1948, this is one
of the city's oldest bars. Once a haunt for musicians,
intellectuals and politicians, today it draws a post-theatre
crowd to the bar and insomniacs to its 24hr café. There are also
various live acts - stand-up comedy as well as music - with a
cover charge and sometimes obligatory reservations.