Porto Alegre Public Market, Historic marketplace in central Porto Alegre, Brazil

Porto Alegre Public Market is a two-story eclectic building with neoclassical elements, bordered by Largo Glênio Peres, Avenida Borges de Medeiros, Avenida Júlio de Castilhos and Praça Pereira Parobé. Its arcades surround a central courtyard now covered by a steel-and-glass roof added in the 1990s restoration, with escalators and two elevators linking the ground floor to the upper level of restaurants and snack bars.

The first market on Praça XV opened in 1844; the current building was designed by German engineer Frederico Heydtmann, begun in 1864 and inaugurated on 3 October 1869 at a cost of 246 contos de réis. A second floor was added in 1913, and fires in 1912, 1976, 1979 and 2013 damaged the structure. A restoration completed in 1997 added a steel-and-glass roof over the courtyard.

The market keeps local eating traditions alive: Banca 40 has served its ice cream for decades, the century-old Gambrinus restaurant and the 101-year-old Bar Naval remain meeting points for Porto Alegre residents. Stalls also sell yerba mate, gaucho utensils and items for religious rituals, and the building hosts community and cultural events.

The market sits in the lower part of the historic centre, between Largo Glênio Peres and Praça Pereira Parobé, next to the Paço Municipal and facing the Chalé da Praça XV. Two escalators and two lifts link the ground floor to the upper level, and there are four public restrooms. The ground floor was flooded in May 2024, when water inside reached 1.5 metres.

The 1990s restoration added a steel-and-glass roof over the inner courtyard, linking the ground floor with the upper level; the project won an award at the 3rd São Paulo International Architecture Biennial in November 1997. The 2013 fire, blamed on an electric deep fryer, destroyed about 10% of the building, and the masonry structure held.