With Jhony’s, Lilian Gonçalves ceases to reign alone – 08/23/2023 – Bars and night

A few years ago, when WhatsApp and Instagram were taking their first steps, Rua Canuto do Val was Lilian Gonçalves’ street.

The daughter of Nelson Gonçalves, called by many the Queen of the Night, dominated the bohemian scene in Santa Cecília — under her baton were bars like Biroska, known as Casa dos Artistas.

Still in the 1970s, with the presence of Rádio Globo, theaters and studios in the region, Lilian’s Biroska was a catalyst for part of the artistic world in São Paulo.

Another striking bar of hers was Espetinho, a place that welcomed artists, journalists, police, croupiers, manicurists, girls and male escorts. Customers were welcomed into the early morning by the charismatic Bete, now famous with her own business, on Avenida São João.

Despite the true Babylon that was Espetinho, there were no fights there. The disputes took place only by the microphones of the legendary karaoke. Anyone who’s stepped in there and peed in the leopard-print bathroom would know that 3094 was the “Evidence” number.

An outsider on the street was Adega Cantinho do Vinho (I confess that I don’t know if that was the official name of the bar, but everyone called it that). Wines of dubious quality, tables in barrels, half-light and passionate couples.

There was also a group of nasty bars on the street, such as Amarelinho and the bars of Baixinha and Seu Mané, which, at the latest, closed shortly after midnight. Everything was simple and typical of the neighborhood at that time, before the hipster invasion: rooster tail, colored egg, ready-to-eat dish, chilled jurubeba and animal game.

Running outside was Jhony’s Bar. The prices on the menu were updated with the use of white paper or stickers. The flagship was not the parmigiana, but a hearty and succulent feijoada, which attracted hordes of taxi drivers from the city on Wednesdays and Saturdays.

Roasted goat and pork knuckle were other stars of the house, which was then played by the friendly Gimba and his partner, the serious Seu Beto. It was a cafeteria that on weekdays received workers from the region and, on weekends, served residents of buildings and tenements.

When the snack bar was bought by Toninho, Juninho and Reginaldo, in 2012, nobody imagined that it would be the new street empire. The trio reinvigorated the menu, improved the kitchen and filled the house with waiters like Jack, Rafa, Helião, Pancinha, Vascão and other lively young people.

The Nababesque parmigiana offered there, nicknamed “parmejhony’s”, was the turning point. The formula with a good tomato sauce, well-cut fillet and mozzarella without moderation, made the house fall in the mouth of the people.
Hearty food, cold beer and non-crying nightcap brought audiences from other places.

Compliance with the Lei do Psiu, which made the snack bar religiously close at 1 am, meant that the house did not earn the enmity of the neighbors.

Over time, the tables on the sidewalk on Canuto and Aureliano were not enough to serve so many people. Soon, the trio took over the corner of Mercadinho Alvarez, on the corner of Martim Francisco.

Two more units followed, one in the place of the wine cellar, on the corner with Veridiana, and the fourth on Fortunato, where Mané’s bar used to be. In the wake of their success, Moela arrived
and Mirandês. Lilian continued with some of her houses, such as Siga la Vaca and Frango com Tudo, but without a doubt, Canuto is the street where Jhony’s is located.