Housed in an electric-blue colonial building in Rio's docklands, Trapiche Gamboa is the place to come if you want to hear excellent live samba in unpretentious surroundings. The live music here has been voted the best in Rio by local press, and you'd be hard pressed to find a livelier crowd. As well as the chance to strut your stuff with the locals, Trapiche Gamboa offers a good selection of meals and snacks – including very good crab cakes and an excellent caldo de feijao (bean soup). Don't miss the caipirinhas – sugar cane rum mixed with everything from lime to strawberry, passionfruit or tamarind. - Lucy Bryson
