Discover bars hidden inside flower shops to drink drinks surrounded by plants

If a few years ago the fashion in São Paulo was to serve food in spaces full of plants, now there are hidden places inside flower shops that create a colorful and flowery environment for those looking for drinks in São Paulo night – in this case, the Flora Bar, located in the Jardins, and waiting for Infini, a place nicknamed Bar das Flores, in Largo do Arouche.

Separated by about four kilometers, the two houses share other similarities: they bet on high-quality cocktails, they opened their doors in October and they have a little French flavor. But it’s all coincidence.

Set up by Guilherme Chueire, Flora occupies the former location of one of the houses operated by the entrepreneur, Bottega Bernacca Due, on Rua Padre João Manuel. When the Italian restaurant gained space at the Iguatemi mall, Chueire saw the opportunity to set up a speakeasy there, the name given to clandestine bars during the American Prohibition era.

The idea of ​​floriculture was circumstantial. “The speakeasy has to have this contrasting thing with what’s inside, and I didn’t want to lose natural light for when the house opens during the day”, explains Chueire. So he invited a landscaper friend to set up her shop there, Verde Uva.

What the vases and arrangements hide is a cramped hallway with a cavernous atmosphere, which is created by the low light, leather armchairs, mirrors, letterings with a vintage feel and an animated soundtrack. In the middle is the heart of every bar, its bar.

“I wanted to find someone well-known for the bar, someone who could give credibility to the house”, explains Chueire. Thus, he found Adriana Pino, an award-winning professional who became a bar chef.

The letter highlights classic cocktails, presented in chronological order. It starts in 1838, with the sazerac (R$64), and ends in 2014, with the macunaíma (R$42). Created by Pino, for now, there are only three. “We want to focus well on the classics at the beginning”, explains the businessman.

To complete the team, he invited chef Thiago Cerqueira, who worked at Sympa and Loup, to head the kitchen. The menu combines France and Brazil in sophisticated recipes: there are pastries stuffed with duck ragu (R$34 with two units), scallop crudo (R$64) and hot mix with jamón and truffle butter (R$45). “People just wait for a drink and end up surprised by a well-executed menu.”

It’s hard not to relate Flora and Bar das Flores to Floreria Atlântico — a bar hidden inside a florist in Buenos Aires. The place is in third place in the global ranking of the 50 Best Bars and is the best in Latin America. Chueire says the house was an inspiration when designing his speakeasy. Leo Henry, from Bar das Flores, says that was not the case.

Located inside the Mercado das Flores, a traditional space for buying plants and open since 1927 in Largo do Arouche, the house is the place to wait for those who want to enter Infini, the ultramodern drinks bar that was recently opened and hidden inside La Casserole. , a classic 68-year-old French restaurant across the street. It doesn’t look like it, but the three belong, yes, to the same family.

“The Flower Market was one of the reasons my grandparents chose the place to open La Casserole”, says Henry. “This synergy with flower shops is a very French thing.” According to him, the owner of the flower shop jokes that the two businesses dated all these years, until now they decided to get married.

Despite not having any signage — the house might not even have an official name —, the place was nicknamed Bar das Flores and is open to anyone who wants to sit down and have a drink. “People look, they see the little tables, but they don’t always understand that there is a bar there. Then, when they walk in and see a uniformed bartender making drinks, they are very happy.”

And space has a life of its own. As with Infini, the menu is signed by Victor Zucaroni, but it has different drinks. There are only five cocktails, all with recipes with something reminiscent of flowers, to do justice to the scenery. This is the case of Mamie Taylor, with whiskey, honey syrup, lemon and ginger foam. To eat, there is the haddock club sandwich (a kind of cod) or mushrooms.

In addition to the colors, Henry says people really like the scents. “We wear masks all the time. But when people take them off for drinks, they always comment that the place smells great. There’s this sensory thing too.”

Flora Bar
R. Father João Manuel, 795, Cerqueira César. Instagram @florabar.sp

Bar das Flores
Largo do Arouche, ​s/nº, República. Instagram @infini.bar