Nightlife fun in this city does not fall short on anyone's expectation. If you want a calm night to chat with friends, a place for flirting, or even a place for gathering with friends and drinks, certainly you are going to find everything in one of the bars of Fortaleza.

The busiest places in the night of Fortaleza are around the area of the Centro Cultural Dragão do Mar, in the borough area of Varjota, or also at the Street Norvinda Pires, and there are still even more options.

Centro Cultural Dragão do Mar (picture by Dauro Veras)

What we call Dragão do Mar is an enormous cultural space very vibrant at any time of day from having several leisure options. At night the bars housed at the historical old houses command the party. Every day there is the famous bar Chopp do Bixiga with its wine draft and live music and the Amici's Bar as main bars of the region.

The Chopp do Bixiga is a lively place with good live music playing mainly national and international rock and MPB. The music is good but the highlight is really the wine draft, but be careful because the beverage is sweet but quite strong (you'll be tipsy fast). The public who frequents the venue is pretty mixed with young college students and even experienced professionals. Personally I really enjoy the place on Sundays for a nice farewell to the weekend, but if you to want you can go any day and surely the place will be full. The food of the bar also is good with some nice Brazilian styled snacks.
If you want a calmer place to chat you can walk a couple of steps from the Chopp do Bixiga to the Amici's Bar. This bar and restaurant also has live music but with a more relaxed environment. The strong point of the house are the pizza options, without a doubt Amici's has one of best pizzas in the city. The environment is perfect to chat with friends or for a calm couple's night. All of this is in the external side of the house, outdoors. But, if you are in a party mood you will also find something at Amici's on Friday night with the Farra na Casa Alheia party. A good tip for Fridays for those who live nearby.

The Varjota Borough

In this residential area you'll find a true conglomerate of bars. There are so many that there has already been law suits from the noise, but apparently everything has now already been decided and well organized. The options are quite varied for all the tastes, prices and moods.

The Chopperia Zug is one of the most appraised bars of the city. There is always an excellent option of live music varying from the jazz, to MPB, to international rock and pop. The beer is excellent and the food (german cuisine) is even better. The majority of the tables are left outdoors without protection from the rain, but this does not diminish the movement of the venue. The menu options are one of most expensive in the city so be prepared. The public is nice with beautiful women every night. Zugg is a perfect place for a happy hour.

Another busy option in the Varjota is the Assis of the Picanha, aka “the Assis." The place is pretty calm and the food is very good. The Assis is a famous gathering place for college students who want to enjoy the night without spending too much. It is also one of the favorite bars where young adults go to flirt.

Around the area, in the Dom Luis Avenue we still have three other bars, the Mestre de Obras, the Picanha do Cowboy and the Dallas Grill.

My favorite place on Wednesdays is the Mestre de Obras because on this day I can find the two best things of the house, live music and their all-you-can eat pizza special. I mentioned that Amici's had good pizzas, but for my taste nothing beats Mestre de Obras. Don't leave without tasting their sweet pizzas and take a moment to read over their menu (or ask someone's assistance to translate it), you'll find some interesting pizza names (you'll have a laugh). The bands are present on Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays and the all-you-can eat pizza special from Sundays until Thursdays. Another added point for Mestre de Obras for having pool tables, there are always two of them on weekdays. The public is young, the live music is loud and the energy is good.

The Picanha do Cowboy and the Dallas Grill also are good options with live music. At the Picanha do Cowboy we have an excellent menu and a good selection of live music. Arrive early because the place gets packed easily, even the tables that are placed in the parking. Since The Dallas Grill is a bigger restaurant so it has more of a family environment and is a lot calmer compared with the other places of the city. The bar closes early so pick this venue if you just want to open the night and later leave for another party.

Norvinda Pires Street

This narrow street is full of small bars. You can stay at one bar or even if you want you can stroll through the different options.

In this area the Bebedouro bar is quite famous. This is the bar in Fortaleza with one of the best options for live music, nobody in Fortaleza offers a better selection of MPB then the Bebedouro. The price is moderate, the service is nice and the place is packed. The public who goes to this venue are those who enjoy MPB so you won't find many youngsters who enjoy the tune of pagode (they will be at the Mais ou Menos Bar, for example). For those who likes to play pool, you also find a table inside the house. A few steps down the street you'll find the Fafi Bar, I still have to visit the place but I heard their live music is great.

Outside of these areas there are still several other venues pretty busy every night of the week, such as Boteco with its famous samba. All of these bars in Fortaleza are listed at our Business Listing for the city of Fortaleza. Give your opinion rating the bars that you know, by doing this you'll help other readers to be more informed.

The program of events of the city you can also find in our Calendar of Events.

If you have other tips, let us know in the comment's section of this article.

Have fun!

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