The pronunciation is “Boo Tech KO”. In importance the same as the Churrascarias, but diferent… more a man’s thing. The term Bar is not appropriate to describe Botecos… let me try to explain.
It is:
• The corner bar
• A neighborhood bar
• An after-work bar
• A beer on the weekends bar
• Your watering hole bar
… well… you get the picture.
It can’t be too fancy, but it can be a dive, pit, hole-in-the-wall, or greasy spoon… no minimum standards apply to Botecos. To survive, they have to have a good, cheap snacks’ menu (tiragosto) with items such as fried cheese balls, fried chicken or beef dishes and for Botecos along the coast, sh dishes.The beer must be stupidly-cold (estupidamente gelado). Doesn’t make sense in English, but it means is really, really ice-cold beer.
Botecos are not restricted to Brazil by any means, but the term best fits bars in countries with a tropical climate. In Vietnam we had Botecos (in Saudi Arabia... no way), Thailand and Panama. You don’t have Botecos in Alaska, Norway or Russia. You have to be in a tropical climate.
Some Botecos are organized, clean and presentable….but if too much so then I don’t think of them as a Boteco. That describes a bar.
