In the shadow of the Christ the Redeemer statue the Cobal occupies almost a whole city block and is a popular meeting spot any time of the week. Shoppers throng the indoor market looking for the freshest of vegetables or artesanal cheeses during the day. On warm evenings, however, hundreds fill the outdoor tables knocking back literal towers of draught beer. Straight up and no-frills, its pretty functional, but no-one is complaining. The most popular spots are Espírito do Chopp with their estupidamente (almost frozen) cold beer, and sushi joint Manekineko. With so much room to cover service can be slow, but live music at the weekend diverts the attention.