If you are in the neighborhood and out late. We went too early. Stop in at tge rooftop bar at…read moreSelena across the street to kill time.

Music sounded good but you cannot get through the crowds outside. Might be ok for 20 minutes but…read moreyou'll probably want to move on after that. Worth walking to if you're staying nearby.

Our concierge recommended that place. It's both a tourist and local spot. It's a huge space…read moreboasting 3 floors and a speakeasy nightclub inside. Live band and service is good. Pretty good system - There's an entrance fee. You then receive a card which you must present to any server to order food and drinks. That tracks your tab which allows you to walk around freely after you eat. Multiple bars. To settle your tab, you pay upfront as they have several cashiers to cash you out. They take credit cards including Amex. Fun times and great cocktails. The passion fruit caipirinhas were delicious!!!

Stunning interior, lively music, delicious and strong drinks, friendly staff, great way to spend an…read moreevening dancing and singing. This used to be an antique store, and there are still beautiful antique items throughout the place. Absolutely adored this spot.

We went here for the 8:00 show and it was so great. Bossa nova sang classics and gave a little…read morehistory lesson behind the songs - small venue with drinks. There may have been food but we didn't try any. Highly recommend if you want a laid back night.

Visiting from Miami. This is where Bossa Nova started! We have been two nights. There is a 50R…read moreCover. The shows have been really good. The best was Marcos Ariel. Staff is all super friendly. Solid Caipirinhas, bar food was delicious. Try the Brazilian Cheese, Sausage, Cod balls, breaded shrimps. Good Air Conditioning. Really relaxed and enjoyable Brazilian Jazz and Classic Bossa Nova Samba in an intimate environment. Don't miss this temple to Bossa Nova Samba

Went to Carioca da Gema for a great evening of drinks, food, and samba! This location was highly…read morerecommended by our concierge at the JW, who mentioned the venue would be a smaller, more intimate environment than other well-known tourist destinations. The cover price on this particular Saturday evening was ~$30R/person, and it was absolutely worth it. The caipirinhas (~$15R) were delicious, the appetizers were tasty, and the live music set a nice mood. I would definitely recommend due to the speedy service at the bar, the friendly staff (who will teach you to samba), and the local musicians. Everyone seemed to give a nice welcome to Lapa. It would be a smart idea to arrive earlier (we arrived at 11pm) to get a table or spot upstairs, but in case you do not get a table, there was plenty of standing room around on dance floor to mingle and enjoy the crowd. For those traveling from Copacabana area, it was ~$30R Uber each way.

The space is fairly small but people dance everywhere and the atmosphere is great…read more The reservation online didn't seem to work, so we showed at 8:30pm on a Saturday night, right when they open. We managed to get a fairly good table upstairs and order some food before the music started at 10pm. Once people start dancing, some of them give up their table so you could show up late and get one. The food is simple but you really go for the samba. Our waiter was singing along, so much fun just to see how he really enjoyed the music. This spot seems more traditional than others, and I'm glad we picked it for a first experience with Samba!

Amazing sunset Incredible experience in a favela 2min from…read morePosto 9 Ipanema!! Super recommended!

This is one of those stories I'll tell my grandchildren when I'm 80…read more Gilda no Cantagalo is a jazz/cocktail bar that's located deep in a favela. You know, those places they warn you against going , especially alone at night. Well, it just so happened that we ended up in Cantagalo, a favela very close to Ipanema, trying to find Gilda late at night. This place is really in the know with the locals and offers outstanding views of Rio. What we didn't know is that there is no clear marking of this place, except a nondescript sign with an arrow pointing up that just said, "Gilda." But where on earth was Gilda? Their phone number was out of service. The address meant nothing. The locals knew nothing about what it was or where it was. No one heard nothing, no one knew nothing. We took an Uber there because we wanted to make sure that a regular cab driver wouldn't refuse to take us to Cantagalo; we quickly realized that you can't get dropped right in front because the road just stops. So if you plan on taking a cab, drive up to the hill where the police car is located and take an immediate right before the community center; walk up a dark, under-construction alleyway and follow the stairs that lead up to another street. And there I was, in a dark alleyway in Cantagalo. No epic "City of God" style shoot-out obviously; in retrospect, it was totally fine. Children were playing. People were celebrating. And then, we finally found Gilda, but surprise!!! They were closed for the night due to the rain, which had stopped hours ago! They obviously should have updated their Facebook page. The guys seemed really chill and the views of Rio were indeed outstanding. I'd recommend coming here with someone who knows their way around and make plans of how you're going to get back down because there's no guarantee a cab will even pick you up here--if they can even find it. What a night!

Cipriani has FOUR Michelin Stars, and it's super easy to see why. From the service, to the food, to…read morethe entire vibe, we were absolutely blown away. The ambiance is very upscale, being in a palace, it makes sense (Copacabana Palace), with rich red carpeted floors, a piano player belting out light background music, pristine white cloths on all the tables, and giant windows out to the hotel grounds. (They are currently closed for renovations, so your experience may differ from ours in the case of how the restaurant looks.) The moment we stepped through the door, we were treated like royalty by all the staff, which seems to be the norm based on other reviews. We were early for our reservation so sat in the bar area and ordered a few drinks. Our drinks came super quickly, and the bartender brought out a small tray of pretzels, meats, and peppers for a little complimentary snack. Even those small items were high end and tasty! We were seated right at our reservation time, and the experience began. We were a group of three, and we all chose to do the eleven course tasting menu. And they didn't stop at eleven! It was honestly hard to tell what was an official "Course" of the night or just a little extra addition. No complaints as to the quantity or quality, though. Our server brought out a small shot of sweet liqueur to start the meal. I wasn't sure what flavor they said it was, but it was tasty and definitely cleared our palates for some great food to come. The first course was a charcuterie setting with thin bread sticks (that looked like a work of art in a vase), some dried meats, croissant style breads, and chips to eat with the meats as well. Next, four items came out as just a taste from the chef (not included in the eleven courses!) They were all plated gorgeously and each was almost a single bite. There was a sushi piece, a cracker piece, a tart with a hazelnut on top, and a black ravioli style tartare. After the shock of that amazing show, our next course came and it was just as impressive. It was a "pizza" course, but so elevated. A nice little few-bite sized pastry with all the flavors of pizza, surprisingly. So delish. Some more bread came next, but with a delicious prosciutto sauce to spread on it, as well as some of the creamiest butter I have ever tasted. We were getting pretty full at this point, but the food kept coming! Our next plate looked like a garden, but was a soup! It came in a glass vase looking vessel with lots of greenery inside and a pat of green butter on top. The server poured a steaming hot liquid component over the top of the bowl, and it all melded together to make a scrumptious, fresh tasting soup! We're about half way done here, so stick with me. Our next bite was a slice of red prawn escabeche with a super tasty Russian salad dressing below. A small plate that was deceiving, because it was very hearty. And then the "main" sort of courses came out. First was the Mediterranean Tuna, which was braided in with some radish, a green foam, and other fresh veggies that complemented the tuna very well. The other more substantial course was a dry aged strip steak with a bell pepper and tomato gastrique that was out of this world. This might sound like a LOT of food, but each course was a small bite so you actually didn't get too full by the end. It does take a long time for the full experience to play out (about 2 to 3 hours), and we were getting quite tired since our reservation was later in the evening. We thought we were done after the final course, but then desserts started rolling out! The "pre-dessert" was a deconstructed tiramisu. It was a small ball of hazelnut ice cream with little cake bits all over it and a gold chocolate coin on top. Then came an "agrumi" course, which was more to cleanse the senses. It was a bowl of citrus fruits and a smoking dry ice wafting clouds of the scent around the table. Very cool! After our senses were cleansed, another dessert course came out, and it was a whole trolley of pettit fours that you could choose from. We each selected a few and they were all decadent and divine. And lastly, there was a final dessert of gelato, which came in a giant mound in a huge bowl. You just let the server know how many scoops you wanted (we were now getting pretty full so just had a bit each!) It was supremely creamy and delightful and actually the perfect end to the meal. When they open back up, definitely try them out, if you want a first-class dining experience that will fully immerse you in the chef's vision and amazing food!

Impecable service and delicious food! I have wanted to try…read moreCipriani in different locations and felt this a great opportunity, I don't know if this is the case always but the only option available was their 2 tasting menus. I chose the 11 course vs the 14 course and I advise everyone to do the same. Even though I really wanted to try a couple of dishes my tasting menu did not include it was a TON of food and for sure would not have been able to go for the larger one. Overall the experience was great the food was delicious and the presentation of it was breathtaking.

Macaco is a Temple Bar inspired rock bar in the heart of Cococabana. It's rare that I go to the…read moresame spot twice, but on my week-long trip to Rio I came here three times. They have excellent and talented bar staff, but best of all, amazing live bands. The live bands were AMAZING! They played an array of mostly American rock (with a few Brazilian songs,) and on one night had Karaoke with the live band (you sang, they played the music.) A truly unforgettable experience. Oh and the burgers are awesome!

I really hate when people review places they haven't been inside. But this was my experience here,…read moreI didn't even get a chance to fo inside this bar because the bouncer was such an Ass. We came to Rio with the family and finally got away for the evening and all we wanted was a drink. We got to the front entrance and the bouncer informed us that there was a R$20 cover to get in. I looked at my husband because I didn't really want to pay to get into a bar that I was probably going to pay about R$30-50 reals for each drink and we were feeling like drinking. Anyways the bouncer didn't even give us the chance to respond when He said "why don't you go home and make your own drink, it's cheaper!" He was so rude that we left and went down the street to El Born. Which had some amazing premier cocktails. Bottom line they need to be more welcoming and perhaps explaining that they have a cover because there are live bands according to the reviews.

Wanda Sá was here last week, so I came to see her concert. She had many great guest artists on the…read morestage with her. I even ended up sitting at a table with Luis Carlos Miéle! The setting is nice. The stage is perched next to some windows (On the third floor), so you have great views of Lagoa during the concert. The menu is very interesting, with some Asian inspired dishes like curry and chicken satay. I had the Organic Chicken, which came in a red curry with yummy pineapple rice on the side. The only thing I think I would change about this place is the chairs. They're quite uncomfortable, and when people come to see a show (and sit for hours), surely they would like to have comfortable chairs! I would recommend checking out their agenda. They have some great musicians coming through, and who doesn't like dinner and a show?

Good place for hooking up the way Charles Bukowski would have wanted it. First night in Rio and I…read moregot lucky here with a girl (and necessary to say not a working one since too many bars have those). It closes at 5am-6am on Saturdays and it's a two-story house where basically each room has its own DJ and bartender. Same with the backyard. So it's like bar-hopping but all at one place!

Bukowski you say? And then you think: "oh that dirty-naughty old man, right?" And then I say:…read more "yep, but it is a bar!" And then you say: "Wow it must be awesome, underground and things". But no, it used to be. Sadly, Bukowski bar has changed a lot, it is not underground anymore, and it is not necessarily a bad thing, it really depends on what kind of place you are looking for. It is a cool two-floor house, located in Botafogo, a trendy-young district in Rio. There is a patio with some outdoor seating, great for chatting while having a beer with friends. There is also a garage, where, later on, a dj start to play and the whole thing becames a dance floor. Inside the house, you have a downstairs dance floor, with some serious sweety-too close-dancers and the second floor area, with some space and sofas for chatting and ladies queueing for the toilet and a second dance floor. It is open until late and always attracts young crowds. Just a bit too expensive compared to other places in Rio, around 40 reais entrance and 9 reais for a beer.

Saloon 79 has everything what you may expect of a pub. The moment you enter this pub you…read moreimmediately get in the mood for a beer and live rock music. The most impressive thing of this pub is, that they know perfectly well how to deal with sound in a relatively small environment. It is one of the rare places where amateur bands can really sound great without their music being a messy wall of sound. I definitely recommend Saloon 79 if you are in for a night of good live rock accompanied by a nice and cold drink!