It is known for housing traditional canteens and the neighborhood parish, but at number 174 Rua Treze de Maio also has a bar where you can enjoy good drinks amidst knickknacks and antique objects. Further along the same road, a house with a modern aesthetic welcomes customers willing to drink and, who knows, get a tattoo.
Whoever walks a few meters further can taste a traditional Neapolitan pizza with a recipe imported from Italy for six decades. Or, later on, dine at a contemporary cuisine restaurant with a chef’s signature, which highlights ingredients from different regions of Brazil.
We are in Bexiga, a part of the central area of ​​São Paulo, a stronghold of theaters, century-old bakeries and street samba, which sheltered African descendants, Italian immigrants and the Northeast throughout its formation. This cultural diversity is reflected in the gastronomic circuit of the region, which brings together flavors from different corners and in which traditional addresses coexist with younger houses.
The location was chosen to house the new incarnation of the Caos Bar e Antiguidades, a space that opened in Baixo Augusta and later migrated to the Santa CecÃlia region.
It was in July 2020 that Roberto Lacerda decided to buy Chaos from its former owner. The house even reopened at the Santa Cecilia address, but the pandemic disrupted the plans and the doors were closed again. Unhappy with the location, the owner-partner decided to look for a new address. “I ended up in my dearest neighborhood,” says Lacerda.
He says that he has enjoyed walking around the Bladder since he was a teenager, in the 1980s, and says that the number of bars and people who frequent the place has decreased, but that the energy is still the same as it was decades ago.
Even with the pandemic, Bladder also saw the return of addresses. This is the case of Clan Destino Bar, which had existed there since 2016 and closed its doors in December 2019, a few months before Covid-19 began to spread through the streets of São Paulo.
The space, dear to the residents, was missed. It was the former clients of Clan Fate who warned Kleber Christian, known as Ham, and William Alexandre, his brother, that the space where the bar operated was being rented out again.
With that, they decided to bring Clan Doom back to life in October. “It’s a magical place,” says Ham about Bladder. The name of the bar, a play on the word clandestine, he says, was created to be the destination for the meeting of different clans and tribes in the city.
But one of the main influences of the neighborhood’s gastronomy is Italian. In operation since 1896, the Italianinha bakery was founded by Filippo Ponzio, who came from southern Italy and brought in his luggage recipes for naturally fermented breads that span generations.
Now run by the Franciulli family, the centenary house maintains traditions and offers typical Italian dishes, sweets and products. The highlight is the bread stuffed with pepperoni sausage.
Another traditional recipe that circulates in the neighborhood is Speranza’s pizza marguerita. Neapolitan pizza is fashionable in the city today, but it has been six decades since the couple Francesco and Speranza Tarallo brought this style of pizza from Italy, with open-hand dough and baked in a wood-fired oven at high temperature.
There, the marguerita is rooted: with generous, toasted edges, topped with artisanal tomato sauce, mozzarella and basil, and it doesn’t give in to changes from customers —woe to anyone who asks for one with two flavors. The big one costs R$ 86.
At Treze de Maio, it operates a space that combines good drinks and tattoos. With a cool aesthetic, Espaço 13 appeared in 2014, more like a beer and craft beer bar. It was with the entry of Stephanie Marinkovic, now a partner, that the place began offering the drinks that make its fame.
At 250 Santa Madalena Street, there is a bar with a Latin accent, Sol y Sombra, which opened just two years ago. Jambu cachaça, pisco, arepa and bondiola are some of the menu items that, according to Pereyra, make Sol y Sombra a space for those who want to try flavors from Latin America.​
Nearby, Jamile offers contemporary cuisine with dishes authored by chef Henrique Fogaça. Drinks prepared by the award-winning bartender Ale D’Agostino come from the bar.
Bexiga was the neighborhood chosen by the Masterchef jury to house his restaurant, which has occupied, since 2015, a renovated three-story building. The modern decor contrasts with the old houses in the region. From the terrace, on the third floor, there is a view of the neighborhood, which continues to change without losing its plurality.
Where to eat and drink at Bexiga
Chaos Bar and Antiques
R. Treze de Maio, 174, Bladder, tel. (11) 94019-0994
Clan Destination Bar
R. Maria José, 423, Bladder, tel. (11) 98887-5133. Delivery via phone
Space 13
R. Thirteenth of May, 798, Bladder. Instagram @e.treze
Jamile
R. Treze de Maio, 647, Bladder, tel. (11) 2985-3005. Delivery via iFood and Rappi
Italian bakery
R. Rui Barbosa, 121, Bladder, tel. (11) 3141-4166 and (11) 3289-2838
Northeastern Ranch
R. Manoel Dutra, 489, Bexiga, tel. (11) 3106-7257. Delivery via iFood, James Delivery, Rappi, Uber Eats and phone
Sun and shadow
St. Magdalene, 250, Bladder. Instagram @solysombrabar​
Hope
R. May 13, 1004, Bladder, tel. (11) 3288-3512. Delivery via iFood, Rappi, Uber Eats and phone
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I am currently a news writer for News Bulletin247 where I mostly cover sports news. I have always been interested in writing and it is something I am very passionate about. In my spare time, I enjoy reading and spending time with my family and friends.
