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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.
Heaven for music collectors, Baratos Afins opened inside the popular Galeria do Rock in 1978 and is also a record label. The company was the brainchild of Arnaldo Baptista, guitar player in the influential 1960s Brazilian rock band Os Mutantes. The store sells all kinds of music, but if you're looking for rare records, ask for the owner, Luiz Calanca.
The city's first grocery market, this huge 1928 neo-baroque-style building is the quintessential hot spot for gourmets and food lovers. The building, nicknamed Mercadão (Big Market) by locals, houses about 300 stands that sell just about everything edible, including meat, vegetables, cheese, spices, and fish from all over Brazil. It also has restaurants and traditional snack places. The Hocca Bar is justly famous for its pastel de bacalhau (salt-cod pastry) and heaping mortadella sandwich.
Brasil Cacau is well-known for its unique combinations of chocolate with fruits and other typical Brazilian ingredients. Highlights include chocolate with açaí, which brings out the bold flavor of the Amazonian fruit. These blends showcase local ingredients, creating innovative and authentic flavor experiences. It's perfect for taking a taste of Brazil home as a souvenir or for gifting others.
A shop you'll find in many malls all over town, Inovathi has leather accessories at good prices.
Founded in 1969, Natura is known for its sustainability and use of natural ingredients from the Amazon's biodiversity. Its product range includes fragrances, moisturizers, makeup, and skin and hair care, with a strong environmental commitment. Try the "Ekos Castanha Body Cream," made with Amazonian Brazil nut oil.
The Brazilian brand O Boticário was founded by dermatologists and pharmacists from Curitiba in the 1970s. The company creates products for men, women, and children, and through its foundation funds ecological projects throughout Brazil. The shops can be found in most neighborhoods and malls in the city.
Vendors sell jewelry, embroidery, leather goods, toys, clothing, paintings, and musical instruments at the Sunday morning arts-and-crafts fair in Praça da República. If you look carefully, you can find reasonably priced, out-of-the-ordinary souvenirs.
