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.

Fun place to hang out when you have a large group. Lapa is alive at night and a little less scary…read morethen the desolate weekends or daytime activity. Just a few steps from the arcos, this bar commands the entire corner plaza, spreading out chairs and tables with plenty of seating (if you come early or have friends you're meeting). It's spread out enough you don't even have to see the actually inside of the bar unless you need the bathroom. Waiters circle around, but you do have to flag them down. How they actually keep track of all that's ordered is a mystery to us. They offer several standard beers and even a tower of beer that comes with a dispenser, holds 30L and is kept cool with icing element in the middle though is only served with Itaipava beer (not the best). They also have 1L bottles of caiparinha mixes with flavors ranging from typical lime, to kiwi or strawberry or pineapple. They're very potent and can easily be shared with 3-4 friends. We tried the pizza with bacon, olives, mushroom which was decent and the large size feed quite a few friends. We also tried the Sókana fries with came smothered with a dry crumble cheese and pieces of sausage in a large wooden bowl with a silver lining. I'd avoid sitting by the garbage can that's attached to the post because some homeless guy threw away his cigarette as he walked by without extinguishing it and we had to get the waiter to pour water on it to quench the smell of burning plastic! Overall fun time if your with a good group of friends.

Although I am a frequent visitor of Lapa and already quite familiar with the bars, clubs and kiosks…read moreI visited SóKana for the first time just recently. The location is perfect since it is next to the Arcos da Lapa. I really recommend SóKana for groups. The attendance is quick and if you're hungry, you can order reasonably priced plates. For example, I ordered the Misto SóKana (R$ 77), which is a mix grill plate which meat and chicken, and even with four people we had trouble finishing it!

Pretty awesome that my hostel is across the street from this joint. Came here for dinner on my…read morefirst night here and was treated to some excellent service by Raphael. He helped me navigate the Portuguese menu and recommended a couple of dishes and a beer. Good music playing and good people watching. I'll be back before I leave Rio.

Very good night out in rio. A place where you can dance, but eat very well if you want. The beer…read moremenu is big, also! The only problem is the price.