Pub Calema is a classic Santa Maria bar where live music sets the pace of the night. A lively terrace, popular caipirinhas and spontaneous dancing when the mood rises. It isn’t a club — it’s a steady place to sit, listen and let the hours drift by.
Where the music finds you before you walk in
There are nights in Santa Maria when you don’t choose the bar: the bar chooses you. You’re walking along Rua 1 de Junho, you hear a voice, a keyboard, a melody drifting into the street… and suddenly you’ve stopped, watching musicians playing from a balcony as if that stretch of pavement were part of the venue.
That’s Pub Calema. It doesn’t call you in. It intercepts you.
What it really is, without drama
Pub Calema is one of those bars that work as a fixed point in the night. It’s not modern, it’s not sophisticated, and it doesn’t try to reinvent anything. Its strength is consistency: live music almost every night, an always-busy terrace, and an interior where — when it happens — people dance.
It’s a place to sit for a long while, order another round without rushing, and watch the night — and the street — pass by as if they were part of the same show.
When the music really takes control
Here, music isn’t background. It’s structure. Local singers, often accompanied by keyboards, start early and keep setting the pace of the night. Sometimes from inside, sometimes from the entrance balcony, turning the street into a kind of antechamber to the bar.
The result is curious: people coming in, people staying outside, people drifting back and forth… all under the same soundtrack. It’s not unusual to stay longer than planned simply because the next song sounds better than the last.
At Calema, you don’t go looking for live music. The music finds you.
Drinks, caipirinhas and the happy hour effect
If there’s one thing reviews repeat, it’s this: the caipirinhas work. Plenty of flavours, fair prices and a genuine happy hour — even if some feel it’s not quite as miraculous as advertised — make the first drink easy… and the second one too.
Service is usually described as friendly and hard-working, with certain names appearing again and again for making people feel well looked after. It’s not Swiss-watch fast, but it’s honest, which matters more than it sounds in Sal’s nightlife.
Is there dancing? Yes, but without choreography
Pub Calema isn’t a club. It doesn’t pretend to be one. But when the vibe rises and the inside warms up, people dance. No marked dance floor, no special lights, no posing. Dancing here is simply a consequence of good music and a night that’s going well.
It’s more likely to happen later on, once the terrace has done its job and people have decided they’re in no hurry.
When it isn’t perfect (because it isn’t)
There are complaints about service when the place gets busy, a happy hour that some find optimistic, and prices that, compared to nearby bars, aren’t always the lowest. The word “touristy” appears more than once.
But even those criticisms often come with a revealing line: “still, we came back”. And that says a lot.
Things worth knowing before you sit down
– Ideal for starting the night… or stretching it without moving on.
– Live music usually kicks in from late afternoon onwards, and you feel it quickly.
– Good for groups, but also for sitting alone and watching.
– Don’t expect speed: expect island rhythm.
– If you want pure clubbing, this isn’t it. If you want real atmosphere, it is.
The ending, the way many Calema nights end
Pub Calema doesn’t promise you the best night of your life. It offers something simpler and harder to find: a place where music carries the night without forcing it. You sit, listen, drink, maybe dance… and when you stand up, more time has passed than you realised.
In Santa Maria, some nights start in a bar. At Calema, many simply stay.
