For most Brazilians, you just have to mention Leblon that one of Manuel Carlo's soap-operas comes to mind. It was here that the Globo TV author chose to live and set most of his soap operas. And here, as well, we have one of the most expensive footage in the country.
In a little while I will show you how much it costs to live here by the sea. Today I'm going around the neighborhood following a script for a perfect day in Leblon, and why not, a day as his most famous character, Helena. My name is João Victor and this is Tesouros do Brasil.
Leblon is a very small neighborhood where the beach is only 1. 3 km long and has little less than 50 thousand inhabitants. it's a third of the size of Copacabana.
Like everything here in this region before becoming a charming neighborhood, Leblon was a sugar cane field planted by the Portuguese. And before that, who lived here were the naked natives, "painted green on an eternal Sunday". But the history of the natives is not a happy one, because the Tamoios who lived here, were decimated by the Portuguese who took clothes contaminated with smallpox and spread it in this region of Leblon, Ipanema and Lagoa.
They ended up catching the disease and dying. Over time, these huge farms were divided into smaller ones, until in 1845 a guy named Charles Le Blond, you already know where I'm going, right? He bought a farm that was right in the place where the Leblon neighborhood is.
This land owned by Charles Le Blond started to be called Le Blond field and later it was reduced to Leblon, which is how we know it today. I'm at Talho Capixaba, one of the darlings of the folks who live here in Leblon. This Delicatessen started as a butcher shop many years ago, then the owner's son took a baker's course and started making artisan breads, which at that time was not as common as it is today.
Nowadays, every bakery has specialty breads, but this was one of the first places to make it in Leblon and then it exploded, they started getting huge queues. Now it is more delicatessen than butcher, but it still has a butcher corner inside. The atmosphere is super relaxed, they serve breakfast on the sidewalk.
I asked for full breakfast so that I can taste it and tell you it's really good, but they also serve sandwiches, you can come here and have a snack. Very buttery, crunchy. Delicious!
Av. Delfim Moreira, the one that is by the sea in Leblon, has the most expensive footage in Brazil. But it was not always like this, until the beginning of the 20th century, in the early 1900s, living by the sea was not at all chic.
Just to give you an idea, I think it was until 1917 or 19, it was still forbidden to bathe in the ocean in the city of Rio de Janeiro because they were concerned with. . .
offending good morals, you know? Because people would have to wear swimwear in the middle of the city. Then, what happened?
From 1923 . . .
Oops, a leaf fell here. Pushed mostly by the construction of the Copacabana Palace Hotel, a movement began to occupy more of this region of Rio. Now let's talk about numbers that I know you are wanting to hear.
If you want to live in Delfim Moreira, that street by the sea, you will have to spend, on average, R$ 40. 000 per square meter. I found this apartment, it costs 42 million reais.
It is an apartment of almost 900 square meters and in addition to this money, you still have to pay R$ 8000 of condominium fee and R$ 6000 of land tax, every month. Expensive, huh? After that hearty breakfast I came to the Penhasco Dois Irmãos municipal park, which has four viewpoints with a beautiful view of both Leblon and other parts of Rio de Janeiro.
Guys, I'm without a mask because it's completely empty and this is a good tip for you to come during the week, which is super empty. Another tip for those who come to visit this municipal park is to take an Uber. You can come walking, but it's a steep climb, with several curves, so if you're really looking to exercise, you can come walking.
I came by Uber. Ask to be dropped off at the visitor center, at the top. Not right at the entrance to the municipal park.
Then you go up some stairs and arrive at the first lookout, which has this view. From now on, the ride is easier, it's just downhill. (Singing Bossa Nova) I think that a 21st Century Helena, from 2021, would probably leave her apartment here in Leblon, and come to the park to breathe.
She would bring her yoga mat, do a meditation . . .
here's a tip Manoel Carlos! Make the next Helena come for a walk in the Penhasco Dois Irmãos park. I am now in one of the main tourist spots in Leblon, the beach.
It is a very short stretch of 1. 3 km only, that the most inattentive tourist can even confuse it with Ipanema beach because, really, it is the same strip of sand, but it has a division, it is split by a channel called Jardim de Alah. And although it looks like the same beach, Leblon has its peculiarities.
Of the busiest beaches in the south zone of Rio like Copacabana and Ipanema, Leblon is definitely the calmest. Even on hot holiday days and sunny Sundays, it is never fully crowded like Ipanema and Copacabana. Today I won't be enjoying the beach because I want to show you other things.
I'm sitting at the beach kiosk called Azur, which is one of the best. For those who like seafood, come here and I am sure you will be satisfied with what you are going to eat. Or drink, also!
It is a great place for you to sit, have a coconut water, a cocktail, a caipirinha. It is also from the beach that you can see one of the most iconic buildings on the waterfront, the old Marina hotel that singer Marina Lima immortalized in her Virgem music. When I said that Ipanema can be confused with Leblon, it is because it's a tradition in Rio that each beach has a design on the boardwalk, but the boardwalk on Ipanema and Leblon beaches are the same.
Azur specializes in seafood. To start my lunch I ordered some oysters. Have to be careful with lemon at the beach, It burns and stains everything.
I know that oyster is a bit of a controversial food, but I love it! Tell me in the comments if you like oyster. And why only one appetizer when you can have two?
So, I ordered one of the flagships of the house which is the octopus vinaigrette and it comes with a soft roll. Let me taste it. All these portions of the starters, these plates for snacking, are generous portions, the ceviche, this octopus.
. . I recommend it.
Another cool thing about Azur is that, from Monday to Friday, it has special prices during lunch. I ordered this seafood stew which is delicious, but the trick is to always add the house's hot sauce, which is very tasty. I'm at the Kurt bakery which has a cool story.
A Jewish German fled the Second World War in the 1940s and came to Rio, he opened fist a charcuterie, then he opened this bakery in a hidden corner, behind a newsstand. He started making these European sweets and people started to line up. To resume, they opended 1940s and today in 2021 Kurt is one of the most traditional bakeries in the city.
I researched and heard that the most traditional ones are the apricot and bee sting cake. Look, she's saying that I'm right. I only have room for one, which one do you recommend?
The bee sting! So give me a bee sting and a cup of coffee, please. Thank you Wow, it's very tasty.
This top part has a crispy layer with honey. The filling is smooth, but it is not too sweet, with a taste of vanilla, wonderful. Everything is quite good, but here in Rio it's hot, so hot, I think it's almost 40 degrees.
After this dessert, this coffee, I think I need something else. That's right, a draft beer! Let's go.
People, a tip from Helena to Helena, if you come to explore Leblon come with a comfortable shoe because this neighborhood is an invitation to long walks. The main avenues participated in a renovation project called Rio Cidade where they tidied up the entire neighborhood at the end of the 90s, I think the project ended in 2001. They levelled the sidewalks, straightened the intersections, changed the lamp posts, the signs and trees, everything, so this neighborhood is very nice for you to just stretch your legs.
So you're walking and you pass a fabric store, there are some clothing stores and nice restaurants. It's really cool that you can come here to Leblon for a stroll. Bring me a draft beer, please.
A small one to start. Some of you already know, I’m not from Rio, I’m from Brasilia, I moved here 10 years ago and one thing I discovered in Rio is that they have a habit of calling the bohemian part of the neighborhoods "Baixo something" so there is Baixo Copacabana, Botafogo, and now I'm at Jobi, which is one of the bars that are part of this region called Baixo Leblon, which is located between Aristedes Espindola, Ataulfo de Paiva and Rua Dias Ferreira. It's kind of a meeting place for people who like to have a beer and meet friends.
I'm in Cazuza square next to his statue, but before I continue telling the story, I want to know if you're already subscribed to this channel, if you're not, press the button and also turn on the bell to receive alerts for new videos. Also, leave a little comment and like this video, Oh and follow me on Instagram @TesourosDoBrasil. This square is called Cazuza because the singer lived nearby and frequented this region a lot.
The 80s and 90s were years of great cultural effervescence in Rio de Janeiro. I was reading an article that said that the artists tribes were a bit separated, although they always mixed, they hang out different places in Leblon. It said that in this area, at the end of Leblon were the "poor" artists and the rich ones, the bossa nova bunch, were closer to Ipanema.
Those rich ones were Tom Jobim, Chico Buarque and Vinicius de Moraes. This statue of Cazuza was installed in 2016. The artist who made it is the same who made the statue of Brigitte Bardot in Búzios.
I have a picture with her, let me put it here on the screen for you to see. I'm in Dias Ferreira which is a very well-known street in Leblon because it is super trendy, it is a great place for you to come after the beach or also at night because there are several restaurants. Today I'm here especially to visit the Liz Cocktail Bar, a new enterprise by Tai Barbin, which is a famous bartender in the city, he has traveled the whole world opening bars.
He accepted our invitation to teach me how to make a drink so I'm going to visit his bar before it even opens to the public. Here we go! So guys, I’m going to introduce you to Tai Barbin.
Tai, tell me what is the essence of Liz Cocktail Bar? First of all, it is an honor to be able to receive you here and you who are watching. I am one of the owners of Liz Cocktail & Co, a bar focused on classic cocktails in the marvellous city of Rio de Janeiro.
What is a classic? How was it done? It is a lot of history, since the end of 1700 it has so much interesting history, so many wonderful cocktails.
What we do here is a journey, a journey through time. We take people from the end of 1700 until today, going through several classics. you drink exactly as it was in 1700s.
What are you going to do today? You said you're going to mix a classic one, one that you want me to try. When we talk about the history of cocktails, we usually refer to old fashioned as a classic, the father of cocktails, the basis of all classic cocktails, the first.
But before old fashioned, historically, there is a gin cocktail that would be today an old fashioned gin. And this will be a good experience because I never had it, so it will be the first time that I will try it. The basis of it, as I said, is gin, I will use a Tanqueray, which is a London Dr style.
It is in the lemon peel where all the essential oils are. And then you leave that oily layer, looks like a gasoline leak on the road, that's exactly what we want, a layer of even greater complexity. Boy, what a beautiful thing!
And here's our gin cocktail. Hope you like it. The smell!
I can already smell the lemon. Really, the sweetness is just right, just enough to cut the harsh alcohol. It is so tasty and despite he saying that it is not a refreshing drink, I find it quite refreshing.
Very good, approved! After that delicious drink at Liz, I finally came to visit the Rainha bar. it is the last restaurant of chef Pedro Artagão, who is the same chef of the kiosk that I had lunch earlier, Azur.
He decided to open a bar in Dias Ferreira street in honor of the traditional Brazilian pubs. Here you have varied menu, from appetizers to hearty dishes to share. To start the meal, a crackling of pork belly with lemon.
It's so good! After the crackling, a 'pastel' packed with cheese and onion. Delicious!
To finish this dinner at the Rainha bar, I ordered a cod which is delightful. I'll also take the opportunity to finish this video. I hope you enjoyed this perfect day in Leblon, Helena's day.
And if you haven’t seen it yet, there’s a lot of videos on the channel with very cool walks and itineraries in Rio de Janeiro. There is one at Urca neighborhood, in Copacabana, the Rodrigo de Freitas lagoon and even in Paquetá Island. It was a pleasure to stroll around Leblon and show you everything.
My name is João Vitor and this was the Tesouros do Brasil in Leblon! See you next time.
