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.

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?

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.

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 once, in the famous Jazz party (every first friday of the month)…read more Just amazing! I'm not going to extend much about the place because the other Reviews are very faithful and detailed. The band was outstanding and "Bob's chair" was a nice touch next to the stage! (the chair of the owner!). The place is very touristy-like (I can clearly picture foreign people loving it - if one knows, picture the Jazz scene of Chicago... but happening in the top of a slum, with a kickass view) One thing, I'm not sure if this is usual, but on the day I went, the bar only opened 10pm. What we did, and that I truly advice you to do also, was to sit in a cheap bar right next to where the van that brings you up stops, drink some beers and eat some pizza. (they also have some cheap Yakissoba). The one liter beer was 7 reais (about 3 dolars)! You can save a lot of money by going to this bar before entering the Maze! Finally, at first I thought kinda expensive (40 reais for the entrance), but the awesome music make it worth.... also, make sure you explore the upper part of the Maze, there is a great view and a lot of people hang out there. I'm definitely going back there next month! Ps: they started accepting cards!

The Maze is perfect for those in Rio interested in good music, interesting people and fair prices…read more(there is a way called "lista amiga" for you to get a good discount in the entrance fee - around 40 reais without this discount). It is located in the top of a slum (favela) in Rio's south zone called Tavares Bastos. Despite some people could think it is too cliche a jazz bar on the top of a slum where middle class guys usually go to have fun while local people stay away, it is not that simple in this case. The bar is a very important source of money for the locals (and for the owner, obviously). The Maze is a kind of business that is helping to integrate slums with the rest of the city. This is a matter of putting the walls and prejuice separating slums and the city down. The view from the bar is amazing, undescridible. You gotta go there and see by yourselves. Highly recommended!!

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!

Good al fresco bar to listen to live samba music! Because it's located in posh Lebron district,…read moreit's relatively safe and attracts a lot of young people who love to dance. The ambiance is very casual We went there around 11pm on Saturday night and the place was packed! The live band played a lot of cover songs of Grupo Revelaçao, one of my favorite Brazilian bands! My Carioca friend tried to teach me how to dance samba but it was too hard for me, lol. If you wanna be a bit adventurous and want to experience the night life in Rio like the Cariocas, check this place out!

After an unexpectedly drawn out gestation period, the former mayor of Rio César Maia's…read morecontroversial vanity project in Barra da Tijuca opened in early 2013 with the intention of hosting a wealth of high-level cultural shows from ballet and theatre to music. The 'grande sala' can hold over 1,600 people, but elsewhere in the huge, elevated concrete construction, the Teatro do Câmara theatre, 21 multi-use spaces, an orchestra practice room, three cinemas, an art gallery, café and restaurant are all to be found. #coolplacetohangout

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.