30 Best Bars in São Paulo, Brazil

The riffs heard at Madeleine place it in an exclusive stratum of São Paulo music clubs, but it's the mix of music, food, drinks, and atmosphere that lends the bar its comprehensive appeal. Jazz ensembles play in the exposed-brick lounge, which has clear sightlines from the mezzanine. Better for chatting are the candlelit tables in the well-stocked wine cellar, and the seats on the veranda, with its panoramic views of Vila Madalena. Wherever you sit, the gourmet pizzas go great with the craft beers poured here.

Tables here are as disputed as a parking spot in front of a downtown apartment. An intimate corner bar on a quiet cobblestone plaza, Veloso dispenses some of São Paulo's best caipirinhas, including exotic versions such as tangerine with red pepper, and coxinhas (fried balls of chicken with cheese).

A linchpin of the nightlife revival pulling hipsters back to Centro, this club across from the Novotel Jaraguá caters to crowds from happy hour to the bewitching hours. Head upstairs to the lounge for cocktails and imported beers or downstairs to shake it out on the dance floor to indie and classic rock. Cover fees average R$20.

People come here to listen quietly to good jazz and bossa nova in an intimate environment—there's even a CD store upstairs with more than 3,000 discs. Local musicians jam from 10 pm on except on Sunday. The club gets crowded on weekends, when it's best to reserve a table.

The 1960s and 1970s bohemian-chic decor here sends you back in time. The quality draft beer and tasty snacks and meals mean that Astor is always hopping—the menu is full of specialties from classic bars in Brazil. Don't miss the picadinho: beef stew with rice and black beans, poached eggs, banana, farofa, and beef pastel (a type of dumpling). To finish up, head downstairs, where SubAstor, a speakeasy-style sister bar, serves the kind of cocktails that inspire you to attempt knockoffs at your next house party.

First opened in 1948, Bar Brahma used to be the meeting place of artists, intellectuals, and politicians. The decor is a time warp to the mid-20th century, with furniture, lamps, and a piano true to the period. This is one of the best places in São Paulo for live music, with traditional samba and Brazilian pop groups scheduled every week. Caetano Veloso immortalized the intersection of Ipiranga and São João Avenues, where the bar is located, in his 1978 song "Sampa." Cover fees range from R$15 to R$50.

More than 500 types of the rumlike liquor cachaça—the main ingredient in caipirinhas, Brazil's national cocktail—line a huge wall at this traditional Brazilian botequim. These casual bars generally specialize in cold bottled beer, snack foods, and caipirinhas.

In a huge colonial blue house in an old industrial neighborhood, Blue Space is one of the largest gay nightclubs in São Paulo. Every Saturday and Sunday, two dance floors and four bars, along with lounge and private rooms, fill with a large crowd, mostly 40 and over, interested in the house DJs and go-go-boy and drag shows. Cover charges average R$30.

With a name right out of New Orleans, it's no wonder that Bourbon Street is where the best jazz and blues bands, Brazilian and international, play. Most performances start at midnight, but Sunday shows tend to start earlier. Cover fees average R$30.

Disco balls dangle over the dance floor at gay Bubu, where shirtless is the new fully clothed. Drag performers strut their stuff at Sunday matinees, and the last Thursday of the month is girls-only night. Cover fees average R$50.

At what's widely considered the best place in town to dance forró (music/dance from Brazil's Northeast), you'll find people of different ages and styles coming together on the dance floor. Xiboquinha is the official forró drink, made with cachaça (a Brazilian sugarcane-based alcohol), lemon, honey, cinnamon, and ginger. The doors open at 8:30 pm Wednesday and Thursday, and 10:30 pm Friday and Saturday; the hours on Sunday are from 7 pm to midnight.

A carioca is a person from Rio de Janeiro, and Carioca Club has the decor of old-style Rio clubs. Its large dance floor attracts an eclectic mix of up to 1,200 college students, couples, and professional dancers who move to samba, gafieira, and pagode from Thursday through Saturday starting at varying times. Cover fees average R$30.

Giving new meaning to the concept house party, Casa 92 was fashioned out of a converted domicile. The living room has been fitted with disco lighting; the patio and terrace each have bars. An upstairs dance floor resides where a bedroom otherwise would. The music is eclectic with an emphasis on (what else?) house. Cover fees average entry R$50.

Electronic music is the main attraction at this popular club with a Death Star–meets–Studio 54 appeal. As many as nine DJs, often including internationally renowned turntablists, spin music several nights a week. The terrace here has views of a park of Oscar Niemeyer design. Cover charges dip as low as R$20 but sometimes exceed R$100.

Put your name on the list ahead of time or arrive early to pay a discounted rate, depending on the event.

When it comes to ending the night, Filial is considered by many to be the best bar in town. Many musicians stop by for an after-hours taste of its draft beer, along with the flavorful snacks (such as bolinho de arroz, or rice fritters) and meals (try galinha afogada, a stew with incredibly moist chicken and rice).

A flirtatious clientele frequents this hot spot. Named for a Barcelona neighborhood, Gràcia is clothed in Catalan imagery and serves tapas and Sangria from the region. Sidewalk seating is available when the weather cooperates.

Rock and pop cover bands perform at this Down Under–themed pub. Seven international draft beers and happy hour specials make Kia Ora popular after businesses close. Cover fees average R$40 women, R$50 men.

A self-proclaimed "gringo" hangout, this is a good place to catch international sporting events, perhaps that major one back home it's killing you to miss. O'Malley's has three bars, a game room, and more than a dozen TVs spread across two floors. Seven beers are on tap, along with more than four dozen by the bottle. Bands play nightly, so there's always a cover after happy hour ends. Cover fee averages R$20.

One of four comparable and fashionable bars at the corner of Mourato Coelho and Aspicuelta streets, Posto 6 pays homage to Rio de Janeiro and its Botafogo soccer club. The bar gets gold stars for its chopp and escondidinho de camarão (a lasagna-type dish with shrimp).

Salsa, merengue, zouk, and Latin pop predominate at Rey Castro; and during the breaks between live performances, you can take dance classes. The Caribbean-influenced drinks and snacks include mojitos and ham croquettes. Cover fees range from R$22 to R$70.

A major lesbian hangout in Itaim, this venue offers dining, live music, and dancing. Ten acts divvy up the showtimes from Wednesday to Saturday; on Sunday a nine-piece all-girl samba band takes the stage. When the bands stop playing, DJs spin music late into the night. Cover fees average R$20.

This is the place to dance to American country music and sertanejo, Brazilian country music. The huge club has a restaurant, bars, shops, game rooms, and a big dance floor. The decor is strictly Old West. Cover fees range from R$30 (women) to more than R$100 for special events.

Occupying a nearly 6,000-square-meter (64,500-square-foot) space, this club popular with gay men has two dance floors, three lounge rooms, a deck with a swimming pool, six bars, and a massage bed. Several DJs playing house, electro, and techno animate an often shirtless crowd on Friday and Saturday night. Cover charges average R$100.

Most patrons stop at Empanadas for a beer en route to another Vila Madalena bar. It's a good place to "warm up" for an evening out with a quick drink and a bite to eat on the bar's sidewalk tables. Appropriately, the empanadas (filled pastries) are particularly appealing.

Indie rock—live or recorded—is on the musical menu at two-story Funhouse, though these days the focus is more on DJs than on bands. The place is often near empty, but sometimes it hosts cool, well-attended parties.

Because this venue is a restaurant, a bar, and a nightclub, you can go early for dinner and stay late for dancing. Actors, dancers, and musicians give performances that add to the entertainment, and the walls are decorated with local artists' works.

Pictures of Rio line the walls of Pirajá, known for its draft beer and sandwiches. The bolinhos de abóbora com carne seca (fritters made with pumpkin and jerked beef) are also very good. The action starts at happy hour, after 6 pm; the crowd here includes many journalists and designers who work nearby.

The tiny round tables at Piratininga, a small bar-restaurant, are perfect for a quiet rendezvous. The live MPB—bossa nova, blues, and jazz music—which starts daily between 6 and 9 pm, only adds to the romance.