Mercado da Boa Vista

The Mercado da Boa Vista is one of Recife's oldest public markets, opened in the late 19th century in the heart of the Boa Vista district, the center of the city's LGBTQ+ scene. Beyond its stalls of produce, meat, herbs and dry goods, its real draw is the cluster of characterful little bars serving hearty regional Pernambucan food, morning to night, with the famous patinho stewed in black beans a local institution. On weekends, the market takes on a second life: with live music from Friday to Sunday, its bars become a lively, festive gathering spot and one of the city's noted spaces of queer sociability, drawing an easygoing mixed crowd that includes plenty of the local LGBTQ+ community. Atmospheric, historic, and thoroughly local, it's a great, unpretentious stop for regional food, cold beer, and weekend music in gay-friendly Boa Vista.