These Places Are For Beer, Not Martinis

For a bar that offers a true Brazilian experience, you can't get better than Ó Do Borogadó. This small, unpretentious and somewhat scroungy São Paulo bar has great live samba music, and somehow with all the energy still feels laid-back. The graffiti covering every inch of the bathroom walls is evidence.

The band doin' their thing...well

Rita, João & I

All Black is another great place for cerveja. During my girls-only outing to the Jardins district pub, we sang along to a rock band that played everything from Creedence Clearwater Revival to Rolling Stones to Maroon 5. We also enjoyed (too many) morango caipiroskas, a.k.a. strawberry vodka caipirinhas. It's a slightly older crowd than at many of the dance clubs, called "baladas." The place was packed, so when we discovered a fan in the corner it felt like a hot tub after a cold day skiing.

At most bars in Brazil, you pay for everything at the end rather than by drink. This makes it easy to order quickly, but it also makes it easy to lose track of your bank account funds.