Pavao Azul

Much of Rio's liveliest drinking and dining centers around its informal, unpretentious 'botecos' (casual bars) and this unassuming hole-in-the-wall bar-restaurant is a great case in point. Serving award-winning bar snacks and ice cold beers to hungry locals for over half a century, Pavao Azul is the type of unpretentious establishment where sandy-shorted, flip-flop wearing visitors can fit right in. Reasonable prices and a location at the heart of Copacabana add to the appeal, and it's not unusual for live music to break out at weekends. There are some good mains here - including a delicious shrimp risotto - but the best way to eat is to grab a sidewalk table, beers and a few plates for sharing, and experience relaxed Carioca life at its best.