A Taste of the Tropics at New Bar Barraco

You can now take a trip to South America for the price of a Didi. Barraco is a new Brazilian bar around the corner from Fuxing Park that’s all about the beach vibe, no matter how cold it is in the Hai. 

Designed by Q&A Architectural Design Research, Barraco definitely has curb appeal. Everyone walking down Fuxing Lu stops in their tracks to take a look. The designers have used reclaimed materials from torn down buildings in Shanghai, selecting wood, discarded doors and sheets of corrugated metal to piece together this tiny, colorful shack. They’ve brought the vibrancy of the favelas from Rio de Janeiro to Shanghai, minus the poverty and violence, of course.

First thing’s first: order a caipirinha (RMB60). It’s Brazil’s most popular tipple, a simple yet strong mix of muddled sugar, lime and cachaça, the Brazilian spirit made from sugarcane. It's an uncomplicated and powerful cocktail, and you’d want to drink these all night. Choose from three types of cachaça or vodka, and add a fruit profile from passion fruit to mango.   

Barraco has six other signature cocktails, most of them with a sweet profile. The Shanghai Samba (RMB70) is the most sophisticated cocktail on offer. Made with a vodka base, the sweetness of the raspberry syrup is tempered with a tart squeeze of fresh lemon and crowned with a creamy egg white foam. 

The Quentão (RMB70) is a more weather-appropriate beverage. Barraco gives mulled wine a Brazilian accent by adding cachaça to the traditional hot spiced red wine recipe. It’s an amped up version of gluhwein, and one glass is enough to have you feeling warm and fuzzy.  

There’s also a small menu of typical Brazilian bar snacks.The Brazilian Mix (RMB65) is an eight-piece sampler that includes pão de queijo (cheese bread) and deep-fried bites of coxinha (chicken croquette), risole de carne (fried beef pie) and bolinha de queijo (fried cheese balls). The cheesy, chewy texture of the pão de queijo is highly addictive, and the coxinha, stuffed with chicken leg meat, is a well-appointed bar snack. 

It’s a great spot to while away the long, lazy days of summer, especially with the outdoor bar, swings, and beach chairs in the patio. Alas, we are in the dead of winter, so you’ll have to suffice with huddling together under heat lamps. 

Barraco’s casual vibe and simple drinks makes it easily likeable. Should you be wanting for an antidote for the dark days of winter, this bright little bar will paint some color through the winter smog. 

Details

What: Barraco

Address: 559 Fuxing Zhong Lu (near Sinan Lu) 复兴中路559号 (近思南路)

Tel: 156-0191-3150