Funilaria becomes a popular bar in an old car repair shop in downtown SP

For some time now, a shed almost on the corner between Rui Barbosa and 13 de Maio streets, in the heart of Bexiga, has replaced the noises of hammering and welding in car bodywork with sounds that are much more rhythmic and pleasant to the ears.

If before the vehicles were left to be refurbished in the body shop that operated there, now, on Sundays, they can barely pass through the street crowded with young people and street vendors in front of the space, which soon becomes crowded.

The place is still called Funilaria — but since 2020, the name has become just a memory. It was at the end of the first year of the pandemic that, amid the closing of concert halls, the shed stopped working with bumpers, tires and bodywork. A plaque still lists the services that were found there: painting, mechanics, polishing and crystallization. But now Funilaria has established itself as a new São Paulo hotspot filled with samba and chorinho.

It all started without fanfare, formal inauguration or publicity on social networks. The man who ran the workshop warned the former tenants on the top floor of the building, who are the owners of Mundo Pensante, a nightclub that stayed there until 2017, of the decision to leave the address. The “rental” sign was not even hung up — the funilaria, for cars, soon became the Funilaria, for samba.

It was under an aura of mystery and word-of-mouth, as was also the case recently with Mercadinho do Lasanha, a dirty foot that became a nightclub in Vila Buarque, that the party took off. The entrance today is so disputed that there are even distribution of tickets and queues that turn the corner for hours.

It works like this: on Thursdays, around 7 pm, a group sits in a circle at the back of the space to play chorinho; on Sundays, the house opens around 4 pm with its already famous samba. Admission usually costs between R$10 and R$15, and proof of vaccination is always required. On Fridays, the bar may or may not open —perhaps with a cumbia show, music from Pará or electronica. Only the owners know. There is no warning.

“Samba is very popular, it’s really sambão, not that ‘gueri gueri'”, says Ciro Neves, who has been going to the bar since November last year. “But I saw the public change a lot. Before, there were more black people, transvestites and trans people, today it’s more a white and elitist crowd”, he adds.

After the wheels and under the low yellow lights, DJs command the sound with music that can vary between classic and contemporary Brazilians, in a style that ranges from Marina Lima to Marina Sena. They also paint rock and axé, which makes the environment gain an intimate micareta atmosphere amid crates of beer and a wooden bleacher — the only space for those who want to be seated.

On Sundays, it is not uncommon to see the most uninhibited abandon some items of clothing throughout the night, both because of the heat caused by the crowd with few fans and the aura of Carnival out of season.

Aesthetically, the house maintained the no-frills style of the bodywork, which turned out to be a gimmick. On the peeling walls hang items ranging from a punching bag to a painting by the Mexican painter Frida Kahlo.

The menu is one of those pub classics, with buildable yellow letters, and is worth exploring on Thursdays, when the space is less crowded. Sold between R$15 and R$17, the beer bottles come cold, while the empanadas arrive warm and in flavors like shimeji and jerky with pumpkin and cheese (R$12). Drinks like caipirinha and gin and tonic (R$20 and R$22, respectively) also come out quickly.

The Bexiga, a bohemian and pulsating stronghold of São Paulo samba, is a propitious place for a space dedicated to the genre to thrive. Just in front of Funilaria, for example, is the traditional Casa Barbosa, which helps to move the street from Thursday to Saturday. Heading towards Rua 13 de Maio, you arrive at the Palestinian Al Janiah, which regularly convenes samba circles. The walk to the opposite side leads to the Ala! Jardim, opened in July 2021, and also a stronghold for live outdoor music.

After refusing to speak to the reporter on a chorinho Thursday, one of the owners of Funilaria, Ricardo Venturini — aka Madruga —, said he did not want to risk spoiling the atmosphere of secrecy that, according to him, is the charm of space. “People like it here because it’s hidden. It’s even a joke among those who go to not know if there’s going to be a ride or not. I don’t even know how the next week will go,” he said.

Judging by the crowded house and the queues, Funilaria has been a secret space in São Paulo for some time now. But those who browse the Instagram posts of the place, which do not give details about the schedule or address, still notice a certain atmosphere of mystery from a question that is repeated with few variations in the comments of the photos: “Has it today?”.