The busy outer neighborhoods of Rio de Janeiro – locals refer to them as “suburbs,” though they are anything but – are full of old bars. Some of the best botequins (small, family-run establishments serving traditional food) have been kicking around in these parts for ages – but not all of them. One of the most visited and best-known botequins in the Rio ’burbs is the recently opened Bar Castro, a typical 21st-century botequim.
Castro is a common Portuguese and Spanish family name. Besides the famous (infamous?) leader of Cuba, there have been plenty of other illustrious figures bearing the name, such as Castro Alves, the 19th-century Brazilian poet for which the street out front is named, and Ruy Castro, a contemporary Brazilian writer and journalist. All of these and more are honored at the bar with photographs and other references scattered throughout the premises. But Fidel is certainly the most important character among them here. Not by coincidence, the place is also a tobacco shop and has a good selection of Cuban cigars.
The bar was founded by the young and talented chef Bruno Magalhães, who worked at the trendy, culinarily ambitious restaurants Public and Double Crown, in New York City. Back in Rio, he switched gears to the old-fashioned comfort food of the botequim. At Bar Castro, they make their own bread, pastries and sauces, which are used in delicious, hearty dishes that put a welcome spin on traditional Brazilian tastes.
Two good reasons to visit the bar are the rabada pasteis, a kind of fried pie stuffed with oxtail, and the cod balls with cashews. Every Saturday, the bar offers a standout feijoada alongside good samba, and on Tuesdays the beer comes in a “double dose.” And every day at lunch, in a nod to El Jefe, Bar Castro serves frango a cubana, Cuban-style fried chicken. The bar’s namesake might be controversial in many quarters, but we can all agree that the food here is decidedly a boon for everyone.
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Published on August 29, 2014
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