Britan Bar (known to one and all as Bar do Zé) is a humble little place tucked away on a side street in Catete, a slightly dilapidated neighbourhood situated next to equally unglamorous Glória. If you’re looking for crazy times and fancy cocktails then this isn’t the place, but if you’re in the mood for a low-key locals’ bar with personality and heart then Bar do Zé is rather nice.
Zé, who runs the bar single-handedly, seems to have become much less grumpy in the 10 years I’ve been visiting. In fact I’d describe him as positively ‘friendly’ nowadays! The walls are covered in shelves crammed with bottles of cachaça and that’s basically what he has to drink: beer, cachaça and caipirinhas. There are a few simple snacks on the menu too; nothing fancy – pasteis and bolinhos de aipim – but very tasty, especially after you’ve had a few drinks.
When it gets busy, the small bar fills up and people end up sitting across the road on the pavement. If that sounds like your kind of thing, then go along one evening (6pm-midnight, closed Sundays).
Address: Rua Barão de Guaratiba, 49 – Glória (Map link)
