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The metro area's hottest nightlife has migrated to the Central Valley suburbs of Escazú and Heredia these days. Both are about 20- to 30-minute taxi rides from downtown San José. The capital isn't devoid of places to go in the evening, however. There are still plenty of bars, dance clubs, and restaurants and cafés where you can spend the evening. Take taxis to and from when you go; it’s the safest option if you’re out after dark. Most places will be happy to call you a cab—or, if there's a guard, he can hail you one—when it's time to call it a night. Remember that all venues are nonsmoking.
No one could accuse San José of having too few watering holes, but aside from the hotels there aren't many places to have a quiet drink, especially downtown. Barrios Amón and Otoya have little in the way of nightlife outside the occasional hotel bar.
The young and the restless hang out in the student-oriented places around the University of Costa Rica in the eastern suburb of San Pedro. The Calle de la Amargura (Street of Bitterness), named for the route Jesus took to the crucifixion, is much more secular than its name suggests and rocks loudly each night. (Nighttime robberies have occurred on "The Calle," so be wary.)
Don't write off every place around the university as rowdy. There are a few quiet bars and cafés where you can carry on a real conversation. Barrios La California and Escalante, an area anchored by the Santa Teresita church, connect central San José with San Pedro, and house some of the city's trendiest nightspots.
The viny, jungly interior and exterior might make you question if you’re indoors or outdoors here. Partake of a good selection of inventive cocktails and craft beers all to the accompaniment of burgers and appetizers. Enjoy mellow jazz or blues on occasional evenings with the over-30 crowd who frequents this place.
Snag one of the front tables at this enjoyable place for a nighttime drink on the second floor of the Hotel Balmoral, and you can survey the passing parade on Avenida Central. You’ll hear occasional live music on weekends.
The rain does get a bit loud on the metal roof, but the wide selection of coffee drinks here is worth the occasional racket.
A scant two tables and a small counter are the only seating at this tiny place, a converted garage, which serves coffee from its own finca in Tarrazú in the Los Santos region.
The elevated, glassed-in café here lets you survey the ongoing hive of activity on the small, shaded plaza in front of the post office.
One of Costa Rica’s budding brewpubs serves four of its own craft beers and one seasonally rotating one, as well as possibly the country’s best selection of international brews, plus burgers and appetizers. Look for the CBRF sign in front. Weekend nights get crowded.
Craic’s certainly looks Gaelic and has several beers and stouts on tap—some are Irish, some are not—and the pub grub here is pretty American. The overflow at this popular place spills into the outdoor garden on warm nights.
An LGBTQ+ crowd frequents La Avispa, which has two dance floors with videos and karaoke, as well as a quieter upstairs bar with pool tables. The last Friday of each month is ladies' night. The neighborhood between downtown and the bar is sketchy; take a taxi.
Many Costa Ricans learn to merengue, rumba, mambo, cha-cha, and swing (called cumbia elsewhere) at a young age. Play catch-up at dance school Merecumbé, which has 16 branches around Costa Rica. With a few days' notice you can arrange a private lesson with an English-speaking instructor. An hour or two is all you need to grasp the fundamentals of merengue and bolero (what Costa Ricans call the rumba), both of which are easy to master and work with the pop music you're likely to hear back home.
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