“Take the key here, then we talk”, Raphael Vidal Heard from the owner of the Tricolor bar property as soon as the venture gained an end point in mid -2021. Desperate to take the point – in Largo de São Francisco da Prainha, better known as Largo da Prainha in downtown Rio de Janeiro – the owner did not even combine the value of the rent in that conversation. It was only in 2025, by the way, that the two formalized the lease through a contract.
Vidal’s initial investment boiled down to the purchase of one of those “Bafo” barbecues, for R $ 450. In it, he started preparing one of his father’s specialties, termites in Bafo. He turned the flagship of the tavern, properly named Prainha.
Inaugurated in 2021, the venture helped turn Prainha Largo into one of the main tourist centers of the region. “This bar took a proportion that had never been through my head,” says Vidal, 42, who was forced to rent four more properties next door to expand the business. “At first there were 12 tables and now there are 70”.
The property of his first botequin, Casa Porto, also in Largo da Prainha, arrived in his hands even more unexpectedly. He was taking a draft beer in Mauá Square in mid -2013, when he chatted with the then tenant of the property. The space was actually made by deposit and was sublocated, eventually, for parties. In the latest of them, someone stole one of the doors, which explained the tenant’s bad mood that day. Conversation goes, conversation comes, the two went to the real estate of the property. Vidal left there as the new tenant. “The rent cost about R $ 400 a month,” he recalls, who at the time worked as a cultural producer of the Rio Art Museum, the Sea.
After off the institution, he turned the old deposit at Casa Porto, which functioned exclusively as a cultural center from 2013 to 2018. His connection with this universe came from afar. He grew up in the parish, a neighborhood in the west of Rio, and left home at 13 years old. His goal, at that point, was to become a writer and book editor. Graduated in Philosophy from UFRJ, debuted in the world of letters working in bookstores. The editorial coordinator of Pallas Editora arrived.
In 2008, he moved to Morro da Conceição, neighbor of Largo da Prainha, and, when he realized, became one of the main responsible for organizing the collective festivities of the neighborhood-from New Year’s Eve to the local carnival block. In 2012, he produced at Morro da Conceição the event that baptized the book weekend in Porto (End). “I put the writers sitting on the taverns for them to talk about their works and also about samba, macumba and whatever arose the most,” he recalls. The success of the event, which boiled down to a single edition, encouraged him to set up Casa Porto.
In 2018, Vidal stuck in debt to the point of receiving two eviction orders – to say goodbye to the property of Casa Porto and his own residence. To raise some money, he started to prepare moele to breaded and offer the dish to the crooked and right. “It was just what I ate practically throughout the college,” he says. The idea of selling the dish was more than right. And not only did he maintain both addresses, he transformed Casa Porto into a botequim that year onwards.
The business crossed the pandemic without great difficulties thanks to two ideas. One of them was to create the own fleet of delivery to the Botequim delivery – Vidal brought, in all, 18 motorcycle taxi drivers who live in the region. “I did this because the radius of delivery of iFood and Uber Eats, so active, was 8 kilometers,” he recalls. “In my case, it encompasses part of Guanabara Bay and half the center, which was to the flies.” The other idea was the establishment of the so -called inverted Pendura, whereby he loved a good amount among customers – in return, they received credits to consume later. “It allowed me to anticipate three months of salary of the 19 employees I had at the time, and in two moments of the pandemic,” he says.
Vidal participated in one of the round tables of the 4th edition of SindNews in May last year. The event is organized by SINDRIO, the Rio de Janeiro Bars and Restaurants Union, and has the purpose of discussing challenges and opportunities from the food sector outside the home. The great host of Largo da Prainha took the stage alongside Mariana Paes, marketing manager of the Gurumê; de Bianca Faria, creator of the Life B Agency Creation; and me [Daniela Salles] I was responsible for mediation.
The theme of the round table was “Bars, restaurants and the digital world” . According to Vidal, The most important thing when feeding the Instagram of such establishments is spontaneity . “So customers will know exactly what they will find,” he argues, who even posted even about cleaning the pit of one of the houses. “This lack of ceremony was creating a very strong relationship with the goers.” No wonder each of his addresses have tens of thousands of followers.
“The bet of business owners in regions that were relegated to the background is very positive for Rio de Janeiro,” says Fernando Blower, who chairs Sindrio. “It’s a movement that helps create new entertainment hubs in areas where almost no one considered going to have fun. Vidal helped resignify Prainha’s square, which is beneficial not only for him, but also for the establishments that were already there and for those who may arise . Today many people find it feasible to set up bars and restaurants in downtown Rio de Janeiro because of Vidal and chef Lucio Vieira, from Lilia Group ”.
Three years ago, Vidal inaugurated the restaurant Two de February, also in Largo da Prainha. Specializing in Bahian food, the address has been run since 2024 by chef João Diamante. Last November, Capiau entered the sardine alley in the same region. It is regarded as the first botequin in an urban environment to have a wood stove. One of the highlights of the menu is the canned meats, confirmed in fat. And there is one more inauguration in sight. In two months, if all goes well, it will be inaugurated to elbow brewery in Rua da Carioca, also in the center. It is a partnership between Vidal and the breweries Buzios and Uncle Ruy. “It is for those who like to drink with their elbow against the counter,” he has the businessman, who already has about 60 employees and serves more than 22,000 customers per month.
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Source: CNN Brasil
Johanna Foster is an expert opinion writer with over 7 years of experience. She has a reputation for delivering insightful and thought-provoking articles on a variety of subjects. Her work can be found on some of the top online news websites, and she is currently lending her voice to the world stock market.
