Savassi Clubs and Discos

The nightclub scene in Belo Horizonte is plentiful and mixed. If you know where to look, there is something for everyone. The upscale clubs usually have a consumption minimum, which, if you stay the entire night, will not be difficult to exceed. However, these minimum fees make it expensive to barhop, an international tradition that has not taken hold in Brazil. (Brazilians not only like to stick to one place for the entire evening, they also tend to return to the same place every weekend.) Most clubs give you a ticket that they stamp each time you order and it can be extremely expensive if lost (as much as R$300). Clubs usually get started around midnight and go until the sun comes up.

 The Savassi nightclub cluster is on Ruas Tomé de Souza and Sergipe, west of the praça. There you’ll find several options, including Café Cancun (Rua Sergipe 1208, tel. 31/3287-3223), which opens for music around 9 p.m. They have a R$15 consumption minimum for women and R$25 for men, with an additional R$5 entry charge. Reports are that the crowd at Cancun can be a bit snooty. The Pop Rock (Rua Sergipe 1211, tel. 31/3284-8006) across the street has live cover bands and large crowds, so on weekends it’s best to swing by during the day to get tickets or call tel. 31/3284-8006 (R$5 entry with R$20 consumption on weekends and a flat R$10 on weekdays). Bwana (Rua Tomé de Souza 1145, tel. 31/3281-2339) is a club with a slightly harder edge, sporting pop and Brazilian axé music (a type of country) for a R$25 consumption on weekends. Drinks range from R$3–10. Not far from these spots is Lunico (Av. do Contorno 5727, tel. 31/3264-5867, www.lunico.com.br, shows start around 11 p.m.), a jazz and rock venue. Jazz is usually played on Wednesdays with rock on Thursdays. Weekends are a crapshoot. Music starts at 11 p.m. but they also have a Japanese/Thai restaurant attached if you want to fuel up before all that jazz.