98 Best Bars in Brazil

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.