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Belo Horizonte: Bar Life Style

Golden Ocean

According to the map, the nearest coastline to BH is 250 miles away, but that doesn’t mean that Mineiros take any crap from their neighbours in Rio and São Paulo. As a local saying plainly states; “If there’s no sea, go to a bar”!

At sunset we head off to Bar do Véio, a legendary spot located in the Caiçara district. At first sight, the establishment doesn’t look any different to the usual bars: there’s the same chilled out atmosphere, with plastic chairs on the pavement and everybody chatting loudly. But the reason for our visit was plastered across a plaque above the entrance: “Comida di Buteco Champion 2007”. The event started off in 2000 as a way of celebrating local bar culture and soon became a firm favourite amongst the locals, who began discovering bars outside their own neighbourhoods, giving these small businesses greater public visibility.

The competition takes place over a 30 day period during which the public and members of the jury visit participating bars and give them marks in the following categories: ice-cold beer, service, hygiene and tapas. The last section is the most important part of the competition, and each bar selects a dish off its menu. I noticed that, as each round of tapas was whisked to our table, a magic effect seemed to take place; the amount of beer bottles on the table would mysteriously multiply. I felt that maybe I was halfway towards discovering the bar’s secret ingredient.