Meet Metabar, a pub that sells NFTs, accepts bitcoin and plays with the metaverse

Three blocks away, it is already possible to see the lights and neons leaking from the address. But it’s inside Metabar, in São Paulo, that the main attraction emerges: a journey through the world of NFTs and the metaverse, but washed down with snacks and beers.

In the region of Santana, in the north of the capital, the place was inaugurated about a month ago, in the same space where, until the beginning of the year, was the Poderoso Lounge Bar, which was the stronghold of funkers. The idea was from businessman Natan Lima, who, in addition to the bar, works in the blockchain and cryptocurrency market.

But before imagining a fully digital bar built in the metaverse, in which people’s experience takes place in virtual reality, it is necessary to know that there is a little marketing in the address and that this is just the theme of Metabar, which works even in the world real.

According to Lima, the idea there is to demystify the topic and technology — so much so that the team is trained to answer questions and explain doubts about the subject to customers.

“People don’t know what the metaverse and virtual reality are. They come here, play with VR glasses, take pictures with NFTs. It’s for some the first time they’ve heard about the subject”, he says.

One of these doubts may be about NFTs. The place has its own — which are a kind of digital certificate that, associated with a physical or virtual item, attests to its originality and authenticity. Thus, anyone who wants to purchase one of the establishment’s virtual arts transformed into NFT can enter the bar’s website and follow the tutorial. Waiters help first-timers on this mission.

In addition to his own creations, the walls are full of paintings with famous NFTs, some acquired by names like Neymar, Madonna and Snoop Dogg. The reproductions, as in a museum, are accompanied by the numbering of the digital certificate and the name of the owner.

The bar is divided into two environments. The hall on the ground floor is filled with colored lamps. In the long hallway that leads to the bathroom, for example, the lighting is done with eight beams of blue and pink light, reminiscent of scenes from the 2010 movie “Tron – Legacy”.

It is on the first floor that customers have contact with the main attraction of the bar: the virtual reality glasses. With R$10, you can play ping-pong, visit the Eiffel Tower and even box with Mike Tyson — all virtually, with the help of glasses. The experience lasts seven minutes and is supervised by an employee to prevent the most excited from getting hurt or damaging the bar.

“I was a little discouraged at first because I’m shy,” says Marina Kosa, who toyed with the virtual experience. “But after I put on my glasses, I forgot where I was or if people were looking at me.”

On the upper floor there is an open space. The sweet smell coming from the hookahs is common there, and the equipment can be rented for R$30.

The menu also has names inspired by the technological universe. The Cripto Drink, which is a juice made with pineapple, strawberry and orange, costs R$ 19. The Bit Churros, with dulce de leche, costs R$ 16. In terms of alcoholic beverages, Meta Summer has orange juice. , Malibu rum and grenadine syrup (R$26).

When closing the account, anyone who wants to can pay in cryptocurrencies, digital currency protected by cryptography and circulating in the digital universe. The establishment accepts two types: bitcoin and ethereum. The cashier makes the conversion on the spot — the exchange rate is usually volatile, but, to give you an idea, an account worth R$100 would today cost 0.00079916 bitcoin. But the value of currency changes daily.

But for all its flirtation with innovation, it’s another digital experience that tends to attract customers the most. Right in the entrance hall there is a colorful portal, with a kind of pink swing, once again lit by neons. It is there where the photos are taken that will soon fill the Instagram galleries.