Casa Meio do Céu brings together young mystics in an astrology bar in downtown SP

A red LED sign carries the phrase “I trust in the mysteries” and welcomes anyone who enters Casa Meio do Céu. There, astrology is the starting point, including the bar.

One of the options on the menu is the “bartender choice”, in which a drink is chosen especially for the customer based on the bartender’s intuition, who is sensitive to such mysteries. The house says that anyone who is thinking of a whiskey, for example, can receive a drink with the distillate. Mei Guimarães, creator of the space in the central region of São Paulo, repeats the sign when explaining the process: “Trust the mystery”.

The address came from her desire, who is an astrologer, to have a space for people to talk about astrology in a relaxed way. “We started with a coffee, something more timid”, she says.

The property, which looks like a castle with a blue facade, is listed and was acquired before the Covid-19 pandemic. The investment in food and drinks turned the point into a gastrobar.

In addition to therapies and astrology, numerology and tarot consultations, held from Monday to Saturday after appointment, the place also opens to the public from Thursday with a funky program, a magnet for young mystics in search of mysteries and proprietary drinks. “It is a therapeutic cultural center”, defines the owner.

There are several environments in the property, divided into covered and uncovered spaces, where it is possible to have more intimate meetings or gather the crowd —often with the impression of being at a party at an acquaintance’s house. Going out to the backyard, a staircase leads to the slab where the bar was set up, called Bar Bruxaria. Wooden chairs and walls full of stars, forming constellations, decorate the place.

On the railings of the outdoor area, what stands out is another neon sign with the phrase “look at the sky, my love”, by Luiz Gonzaga, an invitation in front of the view of São Paulo’s buildings —and of the vault, often with little stars, from the capital of São Paulo.

At first, the drinks menu was shy. That’s when mixologist Stephanie Marinkovic stepped in and tweaked the menu. “She’s also a witch. So I told her to call it Bar Bruxaria'”, says Guimarães.

The menu is based on herbs and plants and maintains the mystical air with recipes that take cinnamon, ginger and bay leaf, for example. The biggest “witchcraft” of the house is the authorial Cinnamomum Amaro, which is served with a glass lid and uses a smoking technique of cinnamon and stimulating herbs. Practically an aromatherapy, the mixture costs R$ 42.

Another highlight is La Vie en Rose, with diamond-shaped ice, made from rum with pineapple peel and lavender perfume, worth R$38. There are also Brazilian touches, with a reinterpretation of Caju Amigo, the Chuva de Cashew, made with umburana cachaça, cardamom and cocoa powder. The drink costs R$40.

As for us, the menu doesn’t have the same right direction. It is possible to find dishes from Arab cuisine, such as the classic trio of pastas for R$44, to recipes from Italian cuisine, such as artisanal pasta, which cost from R$44. Drumsticks and sandwiches are also part of the menu.

In addition to the bar, the place offers astrology events open to the public. Once a month, for example, astrologers go to the address to talk about the current sky. There is also a night with tarot, wine and vinyl, when two astrologers are on duty at the house, and the visitor can purchase a combo of a question for them and a glass of wine. Friday is jazz day; on Saturday, with chorinho. When there are musical performances, admission costs R$10 per person.

On Sundays, happy hour continues with a lighter brunch. The house’s next step is not a mystery — Guimarães says he wants to soon open a little shop with products focused on astrology, with products and books on the subject.