Lord Jim Pub, Rio de Janeiro

Whilst staying in Rio for the Rio Oil and Gas convention earlier this year I was desperately searching for somewhere to watch the English Premier League football (soccer) match between Manchester United and Arsenal. The concierge at my hotel front desk was very helpful and assured me that there was only one place to watch English football in Rio, the Lord Jim pub in Ipanema. He handed me a flyer with a map showing how to get there and I and a couple of colleagues piled into a taxi on Avenida Atlantica. Five minutes later we found ourselves in a quiet tree-lined street (Rua Paul Redfern, as I recall) one block back from Ipanema Beach. I looked out of the taxi window and imagine my surprise when I saw a genuine red London telephone kiosk beside the front door of a pub that looked for all the world as if it had been transported, lock, stock and barrel from the streets of Kensington. We paid the taxi driver (about 10 reais) and walked into the pub. Once inside we were greeted by a very friendly, English speaking waitress who saw us to a table and handed us a menu. We ordered three pints of Guinness. Once I had acclimatised to the semi darkness inside I had a chance to look around. From the horse brasses on the traditional wooden beams, the brass drip trays on the bar, the hunting prints that adorned the walls and the landlord chatting to the regulars at sitting on the stools at the bar I could have been in a pub in any English vollage on a Sunday lunchtime. The time came to order lunch and we sampled a number of different dishes. My colleagues chose Bangers and Mash (pork sausages, mashed potato and onion gravy) and Beef and Guinness Stew, while I went for the Full English Breakfast (two fried eggs, grilled tomato, pork sausage, toast, fries, baked beans and fried mushrooms). They were all delicous, a real taste of home. We settled down to watch the game on the large screen and, as the place began to fill up with an interesting mixture of merchant seamen, tourists in club colours, curious Brazilians and oil platform workers the atmosphere became genuinely warm and friendly. This was helped greatly by our host, Julian (a Londoner who has lived in Rio for three years) who kept up a constant stream of information about must see spots in Rio and stories about his life there. In all we spent about three hours at the Lord Jim and probably drank more Guinness than was good for us. We also returned that night and the transformation was remarkable. The place was packed to the rafters with a young, good looking crowd of well-heeled Cariocas grooving to sounds from the 60s to the present day. To sum up, excellent, friendly service, good hearty British cuisine (with a few Brazilian dishes thrown in and a nice selection of curries), great beer and a real fun crowd. Highly recommended.

Yesterday I took my girlfriend to Lord Jim Pub and had the worst experience in a long time. Fisrt we had to pay R$ 5 to get in, because of some DJ that would play, and which we didn't see a shadow - by the way we didn't want to see a DJ, we went there to eat. The nightmare started with the pub not serving any english beer, or any other besides some cheap brazilian beer called Itaipava, famous for leaving you with a throbbing headache the next day. Still fine, since we were focusing on the food. The menu at first glance seemed ok. Some steaks, some traditional english bar food. I ordered the T-Bone Steak cooked medium rare to medium, the price was running at R$ 22 - one of the top priced dishes; my girlfriend ordered the Sheppard's Pie. About 45 minutes later the food arrived. My girlfriend's dish came out ok besides the long time to deliver. On my plate though, was the most terrible piece of meat I had ever seen cooked in my whole life. Something that wouldn't be served at Abu Ghraib, I'm absolutely sure. The steak was overcooked to a charred piece of wood I could not cut through with the knife they provided me with. I called the waitress to show her that and to tell her I couldn't possibly eat it, and she simply looked at it and asked if I wanted something else instead. I said no, since the steak was what I left the house to eat. She said "Ok, I'll take it off your check" like she was doing me a favor. We got up to pay the bill and I told the manager what had happened. He looked incredulous and didn't appologise. Simply said he was gonna reprimand the Chef. Result: I left the place hungry at about midnight, having paid R$ 38 for my girlfriend's pie and 2 cokes. I will never in my life go back to that place again, and if you plan on going, think twice.

Lord Jim will go down in my history book as one of those unforgetable bars in an unforgetable city. Brings back many great memories. Many a cool pint were lifted here. Nothing like being in a bar in Rio, sipping a cold chopp, smoking a fine cigar and soaking up the atmosphere of brasleiras around you. Comfortable, cozy and plenty of great music to listen to as you enjoy your stay. Great staff as well. Also, great place to catch a game from your home country as they have a nice satellite system which picks up all of the games/matches. Going back in 6 weeks and will definitely visit Lord Jim again. Lord Jim Pub will always remain in my memory as one of those places in the world where you wish you could transport yourself with the snap of your finger to escape from the predicaments of life......... The best!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

the place is a health risks , smelly and dirty . The staff have a dont care less attitude and looking to pick up foreigner.

..... to a new location just across the street which whilst losing the a little of the charm of the old place, is much cleaner and better presented. I lived in Rio for 2 years and this was my second home. Having read some of the negative comments on here, it's obvious that LJs isn't the place to go for a quiet night out and a peaceful meal. Having said that, why the previous poster ever thought that would be the case in an English pub perpelexes me a little. Lord Jims IS a great place to watch the football. The owner is a crazy about football himself so you'll always find a game on in there. And for a good, proper night out, you can't beat it. There's a bit more a "real" feel to LJs than the overly commercial Shennanigans Pub.

Great spot watched Liverpool beat Chelsea in the semi final of Champions League and then went off and celebrated by getting a massive tattoo! Lord Jims will always be a special pub to me.. a home from home. Great comfort food and great people in the bar.. the regulars and tourists. Highly recommend it :)

Went to watch the Heineken Cup Final here as it seemed to be one of the only places in town showing it. Sat down with a group of friends and was presented with a card which was marked every time we ordered a beer. A few hours (and more than a few beers) later we decided to leave. I paid for my girlfriend and I first and left, i thought it was quite expensive but since it was the only place around showing the match I fobbed it off and paid. My other friends paid later and i didnt meet them again until the next day when we were leaving Rio. They informed me that they questioned the cost of beers when presented with the bill and found that the bar girl had made a significant "mistake" when totting up the total which eventually turned out to be significantly less (60reals) less than my total even though we had consumed the same quantities! In short, these guys will rip you off at the drop of the hat. if you have to go there make sure you keep an eye on some of the poor maths.

the Lord Jim is a genuine pub in the most affluent part of Brasil, not just Rio. As such the rents etc are some of the mostvexpensivebin Rio, therefore, of course the drinks are a little more expensivevthan in small local bars elsewhere in Rio. We try to show all English sports even at awkward hours, such as the Rugby World Cup etc. and of course like all bars and clubs in Rio use a card system to charge drinks, cash overvthe bar is a no-no in Brasil. Also, due to the Brasilian culture they expect a minimum charge which is discounted as part of your bill on leaving, sometimes there is also a fixed entry charge, if there is a band or it is a nightclub. The Chelsea game, for example, was on a Wednesday and the minimum consumption was R£15 about £5 sterling or 2 beers. We do not try to confuse anyone, however, in Brazil the system is different.

R U Joking mate. not enough Aussies, but like the Ashes , a good fight for good and evil was fought over the pints/ kegs. Would like some rugby union on the box?

I have been to Lord Jim's many times and have always been pleased with the service and music. The last time I went there was a "shot girl" selling shots of jagermeister in test tubes. She's Eastern European with all of her plastic assets hanging out. Anyway, we bought a few rounds of shots with no problem but at the end of the night we were settling the bill at the cashier when the shot girl told the other members of our group that she would give them 3 shots for free. While I was walking back to the table she told my friend and I that we still owed for 3 shots the girls just drank. My buddy paid for the shots before our girls explained the shots were free. Of course, the manager could not be found and the cashier who always speaks perfect English couldn't help us. Really? Rip us off for a few reais when we always spend 300-400 reais every time we go to Lord Jim's. Farewell Lord Jim's, too many places in Rio that won't rip us off.