Proper draft beer in T2 instead of another warm bottle
Chopp Brahma sits airside in Terminal 2 at Galeão and actually pours cold draft Brahma instead of just handing you a 600 ml bottle from the fridge. It runs in the mid-range $$ bracket for the airport, with a single chopp often costing more than you’d pay at a bar in Ipanema or Lapa, but that’s the airport tax talking.
The bar is landside of most international gates in T2, so it works well if you’re early for a LATAM or Gol departure and want one last Brazilian beer. Reviews peg it around a 4.0 rating, mostly because the chopp is “bem tirado” and consistently icy. Food is secondary: basic bar snacks, fried bites, and sandwiches at typical airport markups.
Expect to pay airport prices: one draft can run the equivalent of several reais more than the same beer in central Rio, and a couple of beers plus a snack easily clears US$15–20. Service slows down when there’s only one bartender on duty, especially in the hour before heavy flights to Europe and the US leave T2. That’s when every seat facing the TV fills up for whatever football match is on.
Regulars don’t always grab a table. Many just stand at the counter with a single 300 ml or 340 ml chopp, keeping one eye on the boarding screens behind the bar. Frequent flyers also mention closing their tab a good 20–30 minutes before scheduled boarding, because the staff gets slammed when two widebodies board close together.
Tip: if you want a quick beer and to catch some football, head here about an hour before your T2 flight, order at the counter instead of waiting for table service, and pay as you go so you can walk straight to the gate when your flight number pops on the screen.