Café Bar Cantinho Ipanema

Evidently there are certain rules about serving beer after certain times in certain places in Rio… or, maybe, it was the neighborhood. I don’t know. All I know is that I trolled my new neighborhood in search of food and drink late® at night (as I am want to do in the States) and came up empty on several tries. After venturing down a side street, I came upon a neighborhood café. Chicagoans, the scene reminded me of something at the corner of Wrightwood and Clark. There were plenty of people carousing, eating food, smoking… and drinking! Score! I took some time to peruse the options and I came up with what I wanted: a plate of protein and rice and a nice, cold beer. Perfect.
The thing is, when I ordered, the gentleman who ran the boteco let me know that it was after 12 and I was out of luck. What? No beer after 12? Why? Whhyyy??? KHHHAAANNNN!!! I sat, dejected, pitiful-​looking and really really hot. After I tried to contemplate what I should do, all of a sudden a 600 ml bottle (almost a double deuce) of ice cold Antarctica beer appeared before me. Huh? Vas ist? In much better English than my Portuguese, the man behind the bar told me that he couldn’t sell me a beer but he could give a beer to a new friend. Are you kidding? I definitely wasn’t in Kansas anymore… or the US. Despite the place being hopping and not needing to extend one courtesy to me, this guy gave me a beer, on the house, in an act of friendship and diplomacy. I haven’t had a beer that tasted that good in a while. I sat, drank my beer, watched people hook up and studied the residential street just off an Ipanema main drag where I first felt like a local enjoying the city rather than a tourist lost in it. I got up, found my new friend, gave him a hug and a handshake tip, and set about a new adventure in Ipanema. It may have been after 12 but the night was young.