Although there are plenty of bars on Copacabana’s famous Avenida Atlântica – or even at the beach, at the so called quiosques – very few are worth a visit. Many are just tourist traps. Others are much too expensive. No, the really good bars in Copacabana are inland, along Barata Ribeiro street. That road, along with some of the side streets that let onto it, reveals the true face of Copacabana’s popular gastronomy.
One of the first bars you encounter on Barata Ribeiro is Galeto Sat’s. Open late into the night, the bar is a bohemian temple – but it’s far from being only that. For many cariocas, Sat’s serves the best galeto in town. A galeto is a very young chicken (no more than three months old) cooked over a big coal-fired grill.
The Best Galeto in Rio
There are plenty of galetos in Rio, especially in Copacabana, but the one from Sat’s is special because of the sauces that are served with it: lemon, orange, and garlic. They sound simple (and they are!), but those sauces, made in-house by the owners, make all the difference. Eating a sauced galeto at Sat’s is a truly carioca experience. It was one so beloved by locals that Galeto Sat’s quickly became one of Rio’s most important bohemian institutions since it was acquired by the Rabello family around 2006.
The new owners changed the spirit of the bar, making it a hit – especially for those who love to eat and drink well, all night long. Even Anthony Bourdain turned the spotlight on this place for his TV show, “No Reservations.” The one problem that remained, however, was its size. Because the bar is very small – just 30 seats – it’s always crowded. Eating and drinking on the sidewalks actually became part of the fun, but sometimes it could be a little uncomfortable, and this issue was causing some customers to avoid the place. But it’s been almost a decade now since Galeto Sat’s opened its second location in Botafogo, and eventually a third in Barra da Tijuca.
A Bar Grows in Botafogo
In Botafogo, just two miles away from the original, the newer bar has everything the old one didn’t: space. Located in a beautiful two-story colonial building, this location offers more than 110 seats. The menu is the same: galeto, perfectly seasoned chicken hearts, different cuts of meat, the most amazing garlic bread in town and excellent farofa de ovo (eggs mixed with manioc flour).
The Botafogo branch closes at 5 a.m. every day. Sometimes, when customers are too persistent, the bar stays open as late as 8 in the morning. When that happens, you can be sure that the owner, Sergio Rabello, is leading the charge. “I have a commitment to the night owls and the heavy drinkers. I feel it’s my mission on Earth,” he usually says, laughing out loud.
One of the Best Cachaça Menus in Rio
Rabello, his wife, Elaine, and their sons, Raoni and Rafaela, usually share responsibilities across the bar’s three locations. “Every night some customers call to see if I will be there until late,” he told us. “They really like to have me around.” Besides being a thoroughly amusing conversationalist, Rabello is one of the most respected cachacistas in town. He and his wife are members of the Confraria do Copo Furado (which translates to something like the “Punctured Glass Club”), one of the most traditional groups of cachaça experts in Brazil. The couple loves to share their knowledge with customers, so any given night can be an unforgettable education in cachaça, its history, flavors and origins.
Hanging above the big counter at the original Galeto Sat’s location is a long lineup of the finest Brazilian cachaças – an open door to another unforgettable experience. Each year, Sergio and Elaine travel all over Brazil looking for the best bottles of the stuff, and their cachaça list at every Sat’s is one of the most respectable in town.
A few to try: Weber Haus, Casa Bucco, Canarinha, São Miguel, and Monte Alvão. Though maybe not all at once.
Editor’s Note: This story was updated in May 2025 from its 2016 version.
January 1, 2025 Café Lamas (0)
From the street, Rio's Café Lamas looks almost intentionally nondescript. A […] Posted in Rio
January 1, 2025 Pavão Azul (0)
There’s one thing about the very popular Copacabana bar Pavão Azul that remains a […] Posted in Rio
January 1, 2025 Adega Pérola (0)
Ricardo Manuel Pires Martins likes to brag about the popularity of his bar among […] Posted in Rio
Published on January 01, 2025
Related stories
Café Lamas: Classic Meals, with a Side of History
Pavão Azul: Play It Again, João
