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We've compiled the best of the best in Centro - browse our top choices for the top things to see or do during your stay.
Listed among the 10 best bars in the world by Time Out magazine, this bar is a summary of Rio de Janeiro culture, with tables spread throughout the square, live music, and people from all over. Enjoy your visit to Praça Mauá and finish by tasting the true Carioca barbecue with cold beers.
The best spot for city center people-watching, this vast pavement boteco overlooking the Biblioteca Nacional and the Theatro Municipal has been a Carioca institution since it opened in 1921. Waitstaffs in bright yellow waistcoats and bow ties flit among the bustling tables delivering reasonably priced Brazilian dishes and ice-cold draft beer to a local after-work crowd. Don't confuse Amarelinho with the adjoining bar, Vermelinho—both have yellow roof canopies and yellow plastic chairs, but Amarelinho serves superior food. Every last Saturday of the month, they have live samba music.
