Image by Perfilefama from Pixabay
Bares (bars) and botecos or botequins (drinking holes) are cherished Brazilian institutions that bring together people from all walks of life around small tables, mostly on sidewalks, on which cerveja (beer), chope (draft beer) and caipirinhas rule supreme.
Bares: Bars
Bares are not cocktails lounges and serve more than just alcoholic drinks. Most are open all day and, in the morning, can function as a padaria (bakery) servindo, (serving), suco de laranja (fresh orange juice), água de coco (coconut water in the coconut), misto quente (grilled ham and cheese sandwich), pão com manteiga (bread and butter) e pingado (literally dropped – milk on coffee) or café com leite (coffee and milk) and cafezinho (espresso coffee).
Lunchtime
Na hora do almoço (at lunchtime) most also offer a prato feito, also called PF or quentinha (an affordable type of executive meal) usual composed of arroz (rice), feijão (beans), uma verdura ou salada (a vegetable or salad) and carne (beef) or frango (chicken). Some also have um bufé por kilo (by the kilo buffet) offering all types of comida (food) from estrogonofe de frango (chicken stroganoff) to bife a milanesa (a thin breaded steak) to several misturas (sides) e sobremesas (and desserts).
Evenings
In the evening, locals come for the petiscos (finger food), like coxinha de frango (a chicken and potato croquette), pastel de carne, queijo ou palmito (a lighter kind of beef, cheese or heart of palm empanada), mandioca frita (fried manioc), carne seca desfiada (a kind of shredded beef jerky) along with sanduiches (sandwiches), batata frita (french fries) e outros pratos regionais (regional dishes).
It’s not uncommon for some fregueses (patrons) to start an impromptu batucada (percussive samba music) using pandeiro (tambourine), violão (guitar) and chocalhos (shakers).
Lots of bares now cater to the healthy young generation serving pratos com tapioca (dishes with tapioca) e sucos frescos (fresh fruit juices or smoothies).
Botecos / Botequins: Drinking Holes
Botecos or botequins are smaller than bares and are usually a mom and pop establishment. Typically the wife is in the kitchen making the quitutes (another word for petisco, meaning small dishes or finger foods), and the husband serve e fecha a conta (serves and adds the bill).
If you want to know more about Brazilian botecos, check out this video from JetLag Warriors, in São Paulo.
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