Japanese-style drinks bar opens on Mondays in SP – 03/04/2023 – Pitaco Cultural

The little door inside a gallery close to Avenida Paulista is closed, but make no mistake – that’s where The Punch is located, a bar opened after the post-pandemic return and serving good Japanese-inspired drinks in São Paulo.

Booking is recommended, as the place only has a counter and two tables. The idea is to be an intimate space, where you can talk to any of the customers around the counter and especially with Ricardo Miyazaki, the owner.

The best part is that the bar opens on Mondays, a day that usually receives regular customers. “I come every Monday!” says one of them. Make your reservation, knock on the door and be answered by the dear Naomi, Ricardo’s wife, who runs the venture with him. “It’s your first time here, right? Welcome!”, she says smiling.

Miyazak, incidentally, was an executive at a Japanese multinational and decided to change branches and become an entrepreneur. He chats with customers, transitions between Portuguese and Japanese without delay and prepares the cocktails on the menu (and especially those that aren’t) according to the customer’s preference.

“Can I invite you to deconstruct that fear of whiskey?” Miyazak suggests to a client who says she likes any cocktail other than the distillate. Later, she had tasted three or four.

The Punch doesn’t have food, and it doesn’t need to. The idea there is to drink, and for that the house has peanuts and water at will. But, if hunger strikes, the best thing to do is migrate to the restaurants next door, in the same gallery, like the acclaimed Kan Suke.

To start the night, the tip is to order a lighter drink – like the signature Green Garden, which has Japanese gin, Sicilian lemon juice, matcha and shiso leaf.

Then just sing to the host what your preferences are and let him suggest them. Like the classic hanky punky, which has gin and vermouth, or the Kuro Bunê, with whiskey, vermouth, plum liqueur and shochu (a distilled Japanese drink).

Prices aren’t exactly cheap – they range from R$50 to R$60 per drink–, but if the idea is to drink on a Monday, it’s not worth exaggerating. On top of that, Naomi can escort you to the door to make sure you hop in your Uber and head home in peace.

Good drinks!

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The Punch. Rua Manoel da Nóbrega, 76, (Galeria Ouro Branco/store 17). Paradise, Sao Paulo. Mon. to Fri.: 18h to 24h. Sat.: 17h to 24h. Closed on the fourth Monday of the month.

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