Boteco do Meio sits on Rua Ferreira de Araujo in Pinheiros, and it rebuilds the classic Brazilian botequim for a street that has filled with new restaurants and bars.
Anyone who wants cold beer, sharing plates and an open door will be at home. Anyone after a quiet cocktail room or a reservation only night should look elsewhere, because this is a sidewalk bar built for groups and easy hours.
The room keeps the format simple. Ice cold chopp, well made caipirinhas and classic drinks carry the bar, and the kitchen runs traditional petiscos and stewed dishes meant for the table to share. CNN Brasil Viagem e Gastronomia included the bar in a guide to Rua Ferreira de Araujo, a street it described as a new hub for eating and drinking in the west zone.
Order the chopp and a few petiscos to share, the way the room is designed to run, and let the table fill slowly. The draw is the format rather than a single signature drink, which is the honest version of a good Brazilian boteco. The open frontage makes it a natural spot to stretch a happy hour with coworkers or settle in on a Saturday afternoon.
Pricing sits in the everyday range, well below the city's destination cocktail rooms. That keeps the bar busy through the week, and the energy climbs as the evening goes. The street outside fills with the overflow from neighbouring bars, so the block reads as a single long happy hour.
The crowd mixes Pinheiros locals, after work groups and weekend regulars who treat the bar as a base for a longer afternoon. The room stays loud and social rather than quiet, which suits the format.
For more of the city's relaxed rooms, see our ranking of the best after work bars in Sao Paulo and the wider Sao Paulo bar guide. Readers who like this style also book Bar Balcao in Sao Paulo and Pinguim Bar in Sao Paulo. Our editorial cocktail guide covers the wider scene.
Sources: CNN Brasil Viagem e Gastronomia, roteiro Rua Ferreira de Araujo; BaresSP listing; Boteco do Meio on Instagram.
