On the edge of Praça Tiradentes, halfway between Centro and Lapa, the gutter and the stars, is one of the hottest club venues to emerge in 2011, Espaço Acústica. Opened in 2010, it rapidly became the adopted home of parties like Bootie Rio and Phunk! thanks to its blend of club and classic-Lapa bar, upmarket without being pretentious, cocktail as well as chopp-friendly.

Set across three floors, the top is an open air terrace complete with bar and the perfect place to start on a steamy evening or escape to when the dancefloor gets a bit too sticky for comfort, even though the air-con keeps things fresh as a daisy for the most part. Bear in mind when you arrive that if downstairs is empty it probably just means everyone is hanging out on the roof. Nice. Depending on the party the music is either pumped throughout the building or separated into different styles, notably when the small stage gets the occasional live guest for an album launch. Expect a queue at the weekends unless youre prepared to arrive super-early, but grab a beer in the square and take in a corner of the city on the up.