Mercado Modelo

Handicrafts and culture facing the All Saints Bay

There are 8,410 square meters, two floors and 263 stores

A yellow house in front of the All Saints Bay. A traditional postcard from Salvador. Located in the Comércio district, on Praça Visconde de Cayrú, Mercado Modelo is an important tourist attraction in the city. In the same region, other important points of Salvador are also located, such as the All Saints Bay itself, the Lacerda Elevator, Pelourinho, Museum of Modern Art and City of Music of Bahia, Nautical Tourist Terminal, Primatial Basilica Cathedral of São Salvador and Casa do Carnaval da Bahia.

There you will find…

Mercado Modelo has bars, cafeterias and canteens. With 8,410 square meters and two floors, the market houses 263 stores, with gifts and souvenirs from Bahia. Customers can buy typical musical instruments, clothing, hammocks, wood carvings, lace, braided-fiber art, jewelry, decorative pieces made of leather, famous rag dolls dressed as “baianas”, Senhor do Bonfim ribbons and much more. In addition, it has two traditional Bahian cuisine restaurants, Maria de São Pedro and Camafeu de Oxossi.

Those who eat at Camafeu de Oxossi have the opportunity to enjoy good food with a privileged view of the All Saints Bay. The menu has a variety of drinks and food options, including shrimp broth, fish and shrimp moquecas, caipirosca and a cold beer to go with it. The place also has desserts, such as quindim and cocada. The property is open Monday through Saturday from 11 am to 6 pm and Sunday from 11 am to 2 pm.

At the Maria de São Pedro restaurant, the most famous option is casquinha de siri. The place also has a variety of Bahian food options, as well as Camafeu. The property is open Monday through Friday from 11 am to 6:30 pm, Saturday from 9 am to 6:30 pm and Sunday from 9 am to 4:30 pm.

According to the official website of Mercado Modelo, in 1940 it was common to meet Jorge Amado, Carybé, Dorival Caymmi and Pierre Verger there. Jorge Amado even mentioned one of the restaurants in one of his chronicles:

“Maria de São Pedro was a queen of Bahia, made of poise, kindness and art. Master of the greatest of arts, of cooking, she preserved and enhanced the tradition of unforgettable Bahian food, its color, its perfume, its divine flavor… “.

Learn about the history of the place

Mercado Modelo arose from the need for a supply center in the Lower City. There, it was possible to purchase items as varied as cereals, animals, cigars, cachaças and articles for religions of African origins. Today, consolidated as one of the most important handicraft markets in Brazil, Mercado Modelo continues to function. It’s a famous place, opened in 1912, that enchants tourists and meets the needs of the residents of the region.

In 1969, Mercado Modelo suffered the most violent fire in its history and the old property had to be demolished. On February 2, 1971, when the day of the mother of waters, the orixá Iemanjá, is celebrated, the market began to occupy the building of the 3rd Customs of Salvador, a construction of 1861 in neoclassical style, listed by the National Institute of Artistic and Historical Heritage (Iphan). A new fire destroyed the premises and led to an extensive renovation of the building, which was reopened in 1984.

Service

Mercado Modelo
Phone: (71) 3242-5860
Opening hours: Monday to Saturday from 9 am to 6 pm / Sunday from 9 am to 2 pm
Bahiatursa Tourist Information Offices
Phone: (71) 3241-0242
Opening hours: Monday to Saturday from 9 am to 6 pm / Sunday from 9 am to 1:30 pm
Photos: Fábio Marconi

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