Akbar seems to be the retooled version of SPKZ, which back in 2007 was chock-a-block with folks fighting to get in. As far as I know it is the only place in Vila Madalena that specializes in electronic music. Like SPKZ, though, few patrons to be going inside.
I have been here five or so times. If your kind of place is a crowded Irish pub with rock and pop music, this is the place for you. The biggest drawbacks: the lineup of bands rarely changes, it can be quite crowded, as well as expensive.
If you like or are interested in pagode or Brazilian funk this might just be the place for you. It's packed with lots of beautiful people.
This is one of the few truly alternative bars in Sao Paulo. A very eccentric crowd can be expected. It can be a bit like being in the waiting line in Beetlejuice. Wednesday night seems like the best weeknight to go.
Think of this place as a Trash '80s for people in their thirties and forties who long to hear the Cure, New Order, the Pet Shop Boys, and other bands of this ilk. At one point there were framed posters of Indiana Jones and Culture Club, but as of 9/6/09 it seems as if the event has been downgraded to smaller room with less flair. The vibe of the place is open and friendly. Everyone there seems to know that they aren't twenty anymore.
This place will always be associated in my mind with O'Malleys in that it, for some reason, trips off the tongue of every new tourist and flight attendant in Sao Paulo. It's a salsa club, which seems to be the mirror-image of El Rey. A bit pricey.
Bar Balcão is a bar/restaurant type of place. The one particular thing about this place is that there are no tables in the main area, only a real sinuous counter - that's why it is called Bar BALCÃO (balcão means counter). Maybe the coolest thing about it is you are forced to sit amongst people you don't know... and the eggplant sandwich, by the way? Awesome! It is a good place to have a snack and a beer with a couple of friends.
Av. São João, 677 -- Centro
This is a must-see. An old-style bar that has been in São Paulo for many years. I
have heard it is where Brahma beer was first served, which, of course, makes
sense. Be sure to check out all the photographs of São Paulo, when there were many more trees and men wore fedoras
in the city. The music is typically samba--the bands that play are usually locally famous.
Great, jam packed hole-in-the-wall place with funky music of various types. Arabic food. No cover.
This place reminds me a bit of old-time Cuba, but I'm not sure why. Perhaps it is the gaudy wallpaper? Jazz, Rock, Alternative. Cheap cover.
Rua Inácio Pereira da Rocha, 367 -- Vila Madalena
This is a jazz club much like Tonton, at least in terms of ambiance. The thing that separates Bleecker St. from every other club in São Paulo, as far as I know, is it is the only club that offers a stand-up comedy day. They have two shows on Sunday. Make sure your Portuguese is phenomenal to get the jokes.
This place specializes in soul, funk, and "black music." It isn't my style, so much, but if it is yours, you should check out Blen Blen on a weekend.
I wasn't too impressed with
that old Blue Plub.
Though it certainly has a
heart--it seems to aspire to
be a kind of
hole-in-the-wall, British
pub, there are at least two
fundamentals that it lacks:
music and climate control.
On the plus side: no
cover and cheap Heineken.
Rua Alvorada, 515 - Vila Olímpia
I really can't stand this place. Brazilians love it and I have no idea why . . .obscure 70s and 80s music, 50% Brazilian MPB, 50% crap even the most flaming man in the US with horrible taste would find ok. Very expensive, lame.
Rua Horácio Lane, 21 - Pinheiros
If you don't mind walking along side cemetery walls late at night you might find yourself strolling into " O Borogodo," located just off Cardeal Archoverde on Rua Horacio Lane across from Cemetery Sao Paulo. O Borogodó is a dive bar of sorts in the Pinheiros district of Sao Paulo where such establishments are hard to come by. Though the band was a bit supine for my taste on this particular eve, the joint has authentic character and the potential to explode provided the right tunes. Tucked away in the furthest corner from the door, the bar expeditiously serves up one liter bottles of beer and whatever other beverage you might crave. Expect a cover charge and possibly a lengthy wait to enter, but that means the music is probably worth the toll...
This place, like A Lôca is well-known in the GLB scene. It is always crowded and apparently has a ladies night that may even be worth it for the straight man. Electronic music. Pop. Three dance floors. Deep and pulsing sound system.
This club, for me, is an inferior version of Boogie (and that is pretty embarrassing, if you read my Boogie review). It is about the same size, but there are strange Marlboro promotion racing video games in the front. The drinks are quite expensive. The night that I went was dubbed as a "flashback" night, but they actually played a bunch of gay Brazilian hits.
This is a fine, Rock 'n Roll type of place in Bixiga, scattered among other similar places like Café Aurora. If you like older and classic rock, it is worth it. Check out the line-up . . .the have quite a variety during the week.
Rua Barra Funda, 969 - Barra Funda
This club is what I would call a "standard" club--like a D-Edge without all the lights. Standard size, electronic music, international djs. Perhaps the only interesting thing about it is it has a ceiling projection screen. The night that I went (08-25-07) had just the right amount of people, but most weren't too into the music, as I wasn't either. The people seemed nice, but many seemed underdressed or garbed in combinations I wouldn't imagine wearing to a club--e.g., silver tight pants and a big sloppy sweatshirt.
If you like samba music and want to see some top-flight dancing, this very well may be the place to do it. When I was there there was a kind of half-time show with gorgeous dancers doing intricate choreography on the stage.
This 90s and 00s rock bar is about the size of Berlin with similar retro decor, but a bit more of a sixties, futuristic feel with red checkered wallpaper, a laser-loaded dance floor, and all. It was pretty dead when visited, but some patrons claim that it is usually pretty packed.
This is a club for hard-core house music, trip-hop, etc. Lots of lights inside. Kind of a small venue. An all night kind of thing.
I was really excited the first time I checked this place out since it is very close to where I live. There was a large cut-out of Indiana Jones outside and a screen inside showing Superman 2. DJ didn't live up to the brief hype, however. It was hot inside and they mostly played Brazilian 80's music--which I just am not familiar or enamored with. It struck me as a mini or a wannabe Trash 80's. The price, however, is right.
Bar
This is a tiny rock bar in Pinheiros that specialize in various cover bands--usually classic rock. Never been inside, partly because I can see the whole thing from outside. Looks too small and hot.
This club, like Pacha, is in the middle of nowhere--the kind of place you picture Jigsaw to take you, until you get inside and find a jam-packed, Brazilian MPB/soul spot.
As of March 2009 this is my new favorite place. Why? On Friday nights they play all the music I miss from Madame Satã. Alternative crowd, but not freakish. It also has a Darta Jones feel, particularly with the scattered '80s arcade games and pinball machines. Three stories and lights reminiscent of The Empire Strikes Back. Reasonable cover. Fairly crowded. The first time I ever heard Weezer played at a club.
This isn't a balada, per se, but a classy place right next to the British Embassy. Wide variety of imported beer and fine food.
Dublin ranks right up there with Kia Ora and Coppola Music. Pricey, but good English-speaking bands (the same ones float around to the different baladas). There is also a dance floor where the band comes from behind a "secret panel" in the wall. Weird, but worth it. Just make sure you don't order the quesadilla, unless you like saucy crepes.
This place is in the same category as Studio SP and Fun House. I find something about the Dynamite Bar, however, to be obnoxious--check out the website and you might get a feel for it. When I was there I remember being too hot among too few people.
If you like salsa, this place might be for you. I have no idea, because I don't really care for salsa. El Rey is a bit like Dublin in terms of clientele, "fanciness," and price range. I was disappointed when I asked the bartender for the cheapest beer he had and he gave me a Harp (R$11). I have the sneaking suspicion that Azucar is a better club.
Rua Cristiano Viana, 358, Pinheiros
This place is more of an "authentic" Irish pub then All Black, O'Malley's, Dublin, and the like. Last time I went I thought it was a kind of dingy, two-story place with a relatively low cover. It is for an older crowd than the bars above; live cover bands (all U2 when I was there); a simple place to have a beer and eat.
If ever you meet someone who likes "alternative" music, this place will undoubtedly be mentioned. It is inexpensive and there is a young, alternative crowd here. Lots of diverse and interesting bands--the drawback is they rarely play English-language music. It is worth checking out.
Right next to Fun House, but decidedly different in many respects. First, more upscale. Second, closes early (3:30, last time I checked). It's a multi-leveled place in a tiny old mansion. Dance-floor, health clinic, and, according to the waiters, a brothel.
This is a cool bar/club in Vila Madalena, down the street from Coppola Music. Grazie A Dio, for the most part specializes in samba and samba-rock, but there are occasionally other styles of music.
Billing itself as a "jump bar" (whatever that means), this surprisingly large club has an unpretentious wild west feel to it. Here's more: a nice mix of men and women patrons, two floors, good food. Music: Brazilian club music, MPB, and house.
Inferno, nestled among the sketchiest blocks of Augusta, for me was a weaker version of Madame Satã, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing. The music usually is of the Fun House ilk. The night I went the cover was free before midnight.
I have been to Kia Ora many times. It is in the same category (expensive, good English-language bands, attractive people) as the London Station, All Black, Dublin, and Coppola Music. If you want to see a really good cover of long-forgotten songs like "The Heat is On" or "Maniac," this is your place. Two floors, "Australian-New Zealander" food, crowded. Obnoxious website, but good place.
This is smallish, sweaty gay club that has been around for more than ten years.
I have only been here once and didn't get a great impression. One reason is that the stage for the band is on the second floor at a distance from the crowd. Something about the London Station felt too generic and "new" for my tastes. It is apparently a "sister" balada to Kia Ora and All Black.
This is a place much like Help in Rio, which means that prostitutes are the norm rather than the exception. When I went there there were tons of men and few women. For R$50 it didn't seem quite worth it to me. Smallish, old-fashioned, cheesy.
If you like board games, this is the best (and as far as I know, only) option, as games like Carcassonne, chess, and Rumikub really aren't a Brazilian thing. There is a R$12 cover to get in and more than a hundred games are kept behind a glass case, much like precious stones.
Before it started traveling around to different clubs around the city (problem with building codes? Noise?) this was my favorite place to go to on Saturday nights. Don't be turned off by the pictures of the gothic folks and scary ambience. The place, in its heydey, was much more "gothic-oriented" and has its vampiric types on every other night but Saturday. Saturday night there is still an open-bar and if you like alternative '80s and '90s music (e.g., New Order, Depeche Mode, the Cure, etc.) then you should definitely stop by. You should probably wear something blackish. Read more about it here.
This is like the Iguatemí version of the Morrisson Rock Bar. They specialize in cover bands, particular of older rock and heavy metal.
I have only been here once. Seems like Maurício Gasperini and his band appear regularly. They seem to me like a local version of the Rolling Stones. Medium-sized, well-dressed people, Brazilian rock.
With the exception of the very cool, Candyland-esque ceiling lights, just about everything is unfortunate about this place, from the lame and misspelled name to the lamer side of the '80s. It might be a good place to have birthdays, provided you could rent the whole place out.
I am going to have to take back what I recently said about D.J. Club. Matrix Bar and Café is my new favorite place in the city. I'll go as far as to say that it is Vila Madalena's, if not Sao Paulo's best kept secret. "More than meet's the eye" is the key phrase. To be fair, I got there around midnight and it absolutely blew. Old posters. Nobody inside. Lame Elvis theme. I came back at 2:00 and it was jam-packed. Lots of girls. Alternative rock. Minimal cover. People having a good time. Secretly gigantic. Pool tables. Edgy. Dark. Grungy. Been around since the early nineties. It was the first time I ever heard Placebo played at a club in Sao Paulo.
Av. Paulista, 2668
This is kind of like a bigger version of Fidalga 33 or Enfarta Madalena, meaning an older crowd (25 - 40s), older bands, and a repertoire mixing more traditional "rock and roll" and classic rock with a few MPB hits, as opposed to more modern rock. It is a fine place with a kind of 1930s cinematic theme--e.g., the waitresses wear what look like movie patroness garb, the waiters, yellow aprons and bow ties. This doesn't necessarily "work" for the vibe of the actual clients--mountainloads of plainfolk Brazilians looking to dance, drink, and hook up, but it doesn't work against it either.
It is an alternative, smallish, kind of laid-back place with no cover. Friday nights seem to be in the R&B vein. Saturday: alternative rock. Big plus: No cover.
I have now been here twice--both times were disappointing. It is a tiny little place with a lot of potential, so I feel I have to give it one more shot. Kind of an alternative scene and only open on Fridays as far as I know.
If you are a cover band junkie, as I am, the Morrisson Rock Bar is for you. Regular bands include cover bands of older, classic rock (e.g., the Doors, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd), but cover bands of more modern, alternative rock can also be seen (e.g., Pearl Jam, Morrissey--the guy looks like he got plastic surgery just for the occasion).
This places looks a bit like Bleecker St. It's a nice place with a dance floor in front of a stage and tables overlooking from the top. At least when an associate of mine mine was there the dj played 30 second snippets from alternative and trendy music from the 80s and 90s. A bit pricey.
O'Malley's is great if you have recently arrived in São Paulo and can't speak a lick of Portuguese. The place is huge: the pub itself is on two floors, they have live music most nights, a pool room, a dance floor, and a restaurant. The drawbacks of O'Malley's: after a while seeing disgruntled flight attendants and pilots gets old. Similarly, you can get a whiff of desperation from certain locals trying to meet foreigners. The worst thing about O'Malley's is the price--if you get in there and the band is subpar or the place is dead, you are still stuck with a R$40 tab.
The good news: open bar! The bad news: every teenager and twen is clawing at you to get his cheap beer. There is more bad news: so stuffy, whenever I look at the people by the iron grate in the front of the building I can't help but think of prison. But hey, open bar! Check it out.
I first heard about Pacha
from an American
hotshot--the kind of guy who
qualifies to be a member of
A Small World--and
knew that one day I had to
go, despite the hefty cover
charge of R$80 to get in.
When I went the
price was R$120 and we were
required to wear white.
T-shirts and sneakers?
No problem. But they
had to be WHITE.
All that
being said, if you have the
money and would like to go
to one of the world's "super
clubs," you probably should.
In all fairness, there was
nothing "super" about the
club if you have been out at
night in Las Vegas or even
in DC. If anything, it
reminded me of a souped up
version of
the very cheap
Bunker
94
in Rio. The dinky
Pacha cherry logo needs a
bit of updating as well.
Then why
should you go? The
excellent sound system . . .
and maybe just to be around
the most beautiful people in
Sao Paulo.
I have been here a few times--they specialize in samba and samba-rock. Good-looking people. Outside, between the main club and a little "boat" there is water, making it feel like you are really on some kind of dock. Watch out for the little cats that run around outside.
Just from looking at the outside of this establishment you wouldn't expect what was within. Outside: Disneyesque facade and British telephone booth. Inside, a gigantic and clean pub in the vein of Dublin and the like.
A cozy place that
specializes in MPB. On
the night that I was there
they played mostly Chico
Buarque. If you would
like a kind of authentic
Brazilian experience, this
might be the place to go.
This is the most African-influenced place I have seen in all of Brazil. Two floors: samba on top, r & b on the bottom. Gang-type characters inside. Whatever you do, don't get the Sambarylove drink. Scope tastes better.
A similar crowd goes here that you can find in Funhouse. Sarajevo is a large, retro-style, funky club with three floors. There are various bars, venues, and places to sit inside. They seem to specialize in "black music," Brazilian funk, etc.
Did you see the movie Coyote Ugly? Ever want to live it--Brazilian-style? Didn't tihnk so. That is the gist of Show Bar (also the title of the Brazilian version of Coyote Ugly). Personally, I think Show Bar is okay, albeit quite expensive (at least R$40 to get in). The clientele are pretty young, kind of snobby, and there is an hourly "over-the-top" show with fire, frying pans, and gyrating, muscular men and women in sunglasses. They often have live bands and some kind of dance music. Most Brazilians I talk to, however, hate Show Bar. I haven't yet discovered why, but I think it might have to do with the pretentiousness of the place. For sure I have been watching the fire show thinking, "I wish that MC would shut up and just let me watch the frying pans!" I think you should at least check it out.
I associate this place with Fun House. It is an alternative, quasi-rock place. I have only been there once and noted how painfully loud the music was. Quite popular in the alternative crowd.
Al. dos Pamaris, 55, Moema
Tonton was a pleasant surprise--a simple jazz club/bar behind Shopping Ibirapuera. Only R$15 to get in (and free for women) and we heard a band that played a lot of diverse music, including the Cure, Iron Maiden, and Bon Jovi.
Trash 80's is at two locations and I have only been to the one. My impression of it is they specialize in dancey, campy '80s music, with a touch of glam. If you are a gringo, however, be aware that 80's music in Brazil frequently means Brazilian 80's music.
A colorful GLS spot in the heart of Baixo Augusta. R$50 or so to get in.
This place is in the same category as Cafe Piu Piu, but perhaps one level down. I get the feeling that the Wall, Cafe Aurora, Alcatraz, etc. at one time were the thing to do . . . but now the music is just so damn old (60s and 70s) that it is simply not my kind of thing.
Al. dos Pamaris, 54, Moema
Another one of the less expensive places to go in São Paulo--all behind Shopping Ibirapuera. It has a western interior . .very clean, and features cover bands . . R$15. Kind of dead when we went, but the band, AI5, was great.
The gimmick of Willie Willie's is they have a section where you can shoot with bows and arrows--real ones. The interesting about it is walking upstairs and catching the band from behind the stage--cool architecture. A fine, well-painted, moderately priced place with live music.