Bars and restaurants on Praça Antenor Navarro

Varadouro's square brings together bars in historic mansions and has entered the agenda for the Center's requalification.

Praça Antenor Navarro, in the Varadouro neighborhood, is surrounded by buildings in eclectic and art deco style, originally designed as shops. Today, according to Jornal da Paraíba, these buildings house bars, artists' studios and cultural spaces, which has turned it into one of the addresses of nightlife in the Historic Center.

Among the venues mentioned by the Qual a Boa guide, from October 2023, is Centrô, a bar and restaurant set in a historic building on the square itself, near the church of São Frei Pedro Gonçalves, with cultural programming. Next to the church, on Largo de São Frei Pedro Gonçalves, the same guide points to Vila do Porto, with a sunset view and cultural performances, and Confeitaria Phelipea. These are the venues we can name based on recent journalistic sources; others that circulate in guides and social media have not been confirmed by news outlets and were left out.

The square is also part of public plans. When announcing Viva o Centro, João Pessoa's City Hall included the renovation of Praça Antenor Navarro and the restoration of historic buildings among the planned actions. A July 2026 report on the sector, released by Paraíba Business based on the Abrasel-Stone Index, places the Historic Center among the capital's leisure hubs, with stronger activity on Fridays.

Those planning to visit should check in advance, directly with each venue, the days and hours of operation, since they are not stated in the sources and may change. The square is also one of the stops on the Center's cultural route, and a daytime visit to the mansions and the church complements the evening.