Bar Confessionário has a drink with blessed water and works near a church in SP

A few steps away from the church that occupies the back of Largo da Batata, that of Nossa Senhora do Monte Serrate, a new point has strengthened, since the beginning of February, the good relationship between the sacred and the profane in the region — a title that the bar C… do Padre has been carrying alone for more than six decades in Pinheiros.

A new creation by bartender Jean Ponce and chef Greigor Caisley, who are also at the helm of São Paulo houses like Guarita and Patties, Confessionário is the youngest and no-frills son of the duo. Small, the space has few wooden tables distributed on the sidewalk and bets on bottled beers and snacks served directly from a bar greenhouse. And he is not afraid to make references, with a touch of good humor, to religion and Catholicism.

Much of the charm of the new business lies in its concept. The name, inherited from a café that used to occupy the same property, makes fun of the proximity between the address and the church, inspiring the entire decoration and also the menu.

The shelves, stocked with liquor bottles, were made with wood taken from old church chairs, purchased over the internet. Decorating the walls, there are pictures of different confessionals in São Paulo, taken especially for the bar. Behind the counter, a red curtain, similar to those used in temples, adds even more to the religious atmosphere.

But the balcony is on the menu. Among the signature drinks on the menu, the Não É Santo stands out, which costs R$ 29. The drink has gin, cachaça with tangerine leaves, lemongrass concentrate and, according to the bartender, an ingredient that gives the final touch. to the mixture — water blessed by priests.

But the liquid is not blessed next door, in the neighboring church. Owners say they take the water to another address for now. “We still have to earn their trust here,” says Ponce, who created the recipes.

​As a good pub calls for, the Confessional will not be showered only with classic and authorial drinks. Also on the menu are 600 ml bottle beers, long necks and, of course, caipirinhas.

“Our idea was to take the informality and join the care with the ingredients that we have in our other works. We come with more simplicity, but without losing the purpose”, says the bartender.

Among the meals are the Hostia do Confessionário (R$12), a crackling with lemon, pastries (from R$10), oxtail drumsticks (R$12) and skewers (from R$24). . The big bets, however, are kept in the cold window, old familiar to botecos.

“The greenhouse has always been a dream of ours and I think it will come back with everything in the next few years. These two years without bohemia because of Covid made people look for the external environment, the most casual encounter”, evaluates Ponce.

The plan is that, in addition to fixed products, such as olives, garlic, seasoned cheeses, octopus in vinaigrette and roast beef, the space will also serve sporadic options with the freshest items in the markets.

In front of the greenhouse, the duo also left a kneeler, better known as mercy. In churches, the small upholstered stool is usually used for long prayers made on the knees. But there, it takes on another meaning and serves to honor the delicacies of the bar. Kneeled down, have to drink.