Bars in Rio de Janeiro

Bar Veloso in Ipanema occupies a legendary spot in Rio de Janeiro history — its predecessor establishment was the original haunt of Vinícius de Moraes and João Gilberto, the creators of bossa nova, who developed and refined the genre that would transform global music at this very corner in the 1950s. Today's Bar Veloso honors this extraordinary musical heritage with live bossa nova performances in Ipanema, one of the world's most beautiful and culturally significant beach neighborhoods.

Bar do Mineiro in Santa Teresa is Rio de Janeiro's most legendary neighborhood botequim — a simple, authentic bar in the hillside bohemian district of Santa Teresa that represents everything that makes the classic Brazilian neighborhood bar great: cold beer, feijoada on Saturdays, and the warmth of Carioca community. Santa Teresa's extraordinary artistic character (it has attracted Rio's artists, intellectuals, and bohemians for over a century) and Bar do Mineiro's unpretentious perfection create a bar of genuine Rio de Janeiro cultural significance.

Rio de Janeiro's botequim bar tradition is one of Brazil's most beloved cultural institutions — informal neighborhood bars where ice-cold chopp (draft beer), petiscos (bar snacks), and the irresistible Carioca sociability combine to create a form of social life uniquely Brazilian and uniquely Rio. The city's extraordinary neighborhood botequim culture in Ipanema, Leblon, and Santa Teresa represents an entire philosophy of pleasure and community that defines what it means to be Carioca.

Bracarense in Leblon is one of Rio de Janeiro's most beloved and enduring neighborhood bars — a simple but extraordinary botequim where the ultra-cold chopp, the excellent pastel, and the warm Carioca atmosphere have made it a local institution and a pilgrimage site for lovers of authentic Rio bar culture for over 70 years. The bar's remarkable longevity and its embodiment of everything that is genuinely excellent about the Rio botequim tradition create a bar of considerable Carioca cultural heritage significance.