303 Best Bars in Mexico

Since 1870, this convivial cantina has been a favorite spot for socializing, drinking, and dining on hearty Spanish fare in historic Tlalpan. The long, narrow space with an ornate wooden bar, vintage artwork, and brick archways is lively day or night. You can order delicious tortas and other items to go from a small take-out window up front and enjoy eating them on a picnic bench in nearby Plaza de la Constitución.

One of Centro's most atmospheric cantinas, La Mascota seems perpetually packed, even when in reality only a few tables are full. Cheerful, bright, and frenetic, it's also among the relatively few remaining cantinas to offer free botanas (snacks), listed on a short rotating menu, with every drink.

Remember—whatever happens in La Mina Club stays more than 1,000 feet underground. This is the world's only nightclub in a mine. DJs spin modern dance music—don't expect salsa and merengue—while revelers admire the toxic waters deep below through glass floors. It's open Saturday night 10 pm–3 am, with a cover charge of MX$150. It's also open Thursday 4 to 10:30 (MX$50), and later on Friday night, although if its booked for a private party then, it won't be open to the public.

Specializing in one thing and one thing only (pulque, the fermented nectar of the agave plant), his bar is decorated with wall paintings of Mexico’s pre-Columbian past. The pulque (about 4.5% ABV) comes in a variety of flavors to sample, and be sure to enjoy the ever-revolving cast of characters here, including students, neighborhood fixtures, and older folks. 

Below the popular restaurant Páramo, this lively spot with vaulted brick ceilings offers up one of Roma's most extensive selections of craft beers on tap and by the bottle. Order a flight to sample a few different kinds of ale, which range from aromatic sours to hoppy Pacific Northwest–style IPAs. There's a good selection of gastropub fare as well such as tacos, chili dogs, nachos, and chocolate brownies.

The trendiest club in town and a favorite of locals and foreigners, La Santa has two different dance floors, one playing electronic and house music and the other mixing a variety of pop and rock in English and Spanish. There is a stylish swimming pool in the second room, where things can sometimes get a bit out of control. It has some great parties, but can get a bit too crowded.

Much-lauded and regularly named among the world's 10 best cocktail bars, Limantour looks nevertheless remarkably approachable—a narrow, neatly designed space with one of the city's first truly serious mixology programs (hence its phenomenal reputation). The surprisingly affordable drinks, like the herbal Green Park (with gin, celery bitters, basil, lime, and egg white) and the Machete (San Cosme mezcal with tangerine liqueur, grapefruit and lime extract, agave syrup, and spearmint), delight the senses and explain why ardent cocktail aficionados flock here. You'll find tasty bar snacks, too.

If you love a good beer, Los Muertos Brewing Company is for you. The first craft brewery in Puerto Vallarta offers a relaxed atmosphere and the best beer on tap in town. It's a mix between a typical cantina and a traditional sports bar and they have a selection of rock and pop both in English and Spanish. Young gringos love it, and it's also getting attention from locals who come for the pizzas and stay for the beer.

The name sounds rather utilitarian, but the dim lighting and intimate setting here are anything but. Enjoy stunning views of El Arco—you are, after all, on the Cabo San Lucas end of the Corridor—at this elegant bar and lounge that's part of Esperanza's signature restaurant Cocina del Mar. Linger over quiet drinks or smoke a cigar as you listen to the sounds of the ocean and live music from Thursday to Sunday.

This craft beer bar represents Mexico's burgeoning artisanal brew culture in a relaxed and fun atmosphere. In the country that gave you Corona and Bohemia, a more sophisticated beer culture is growing slowly but surely, especially in recent years. Check out this tiny little spot where you can find beer from all over the world, including several from Mexico.

A small group of French and Mexican friends created this inviting, cosmopolitan bar with a top-flight mixology program that features local botanicals and bitters as well as a house-brand Absinthe distilled in Paris. The relatively short cocktail menu changes weekly but always features some novel creations. There's live jazz, blues, soul, and other music once or twice a week. Downstairs, you'll find sister establishment, Loup Bar, which specializes in natural wines.

Craft cocktails are served in this tiny but fashionable bar ideal for a date or catching up with a close friend. Owned by tour guide Anais Martinez, the space has a hip and charming allure, with a location in the welcoming and laid-back neighborhood of Narvarte Oriente. Small snacks are available to accompany the fine cocktails and wine. 

Although Papaya Playa Project is a hotel, many folks simply patronize its beachfront club, where they can kick off their flip-flops and dance among the trees. Party people, in particular, appreciate the DJs spinning electronic and house music on Saturday night or the monthly full-moon events.

Behind the colorfully muraled facade of this wildly popular pulqueria, you'll find three floors to enjoy plain and flavored (blackberry, guayaba, mamey, apricot, mango) versions of the milky millennia-old beverage distilled from the fermented sap of the very agave plants that give us mezcal and tequila. The most popular seating area, especially on warm evenings, is the expansive roof-deck. Top DJs and occasional live bands provide a nice beat to the socializing. And if you're not much for pulque, fear not: there's a full selection of liquor and beer, plus nachos, tacos, burgers, and the like.

Reservations are a good idea, especially on weekends, at this beautiful bar perched on the rooftop of a dapper early 20th-century town house that houses the similarly trendy restaurant Fonico on the ground floor. You can sample the superb, inventive cocktails before deciding on which one you'd like to order. 

For drinks with a view of El Arco, head to The Rooftop bar and lounge at The Cape hotel. The sleek setting boasts a beer garden, handcrafted cocktails, and live music at sunset. If it gets too breezy, move to their Glass Box boutique hotel bar specializing in tequilas and mezcals.

Puerto Vallarta's only rock house is a very energetic club that features live music every night at 11 pm. Roxy is an institution and one of the few places that attracts all kinds of visitors—you'll find nationals and foreigners of all ages on the premises, and they're not afraid to sing and dance. 

The slogan of this classic dance halls says it all: "Whoever doesn't know Los Angeles doesn't know Mexico." A flashback to the hot pink splendor of Mexico's mid-century boom years (it opened in 1937), Salón Los Angeles is a fairly quiet place on most nights, where older couples from the surrounding neighborhood come to dance to live bands playing salsa, cumbia, and danzón. But when big acts come through town, the hall, large enough for 600 people, bursts to life. These are the nights to be here, so keep an eye on the line-up on their website. Just note that this is out of the way for most city visitors, so plan to take an Uber to get here.

This stylish nightclub can seem a bit small, but it features an enormous dance floor. The light and sound systems are state-of-the-art, which is highly appreciated by the world-famous DJs that come here to mix it up. They play mostly electronic dance music (EDM), but, as the night goes on, you'll also hear some '80s and '90s pop-rock hits. 

Los Cabos' Baja Brewing Company tends to get all of the love when it comes to the local craft beer scene, but this brewery in Todos Santos has a wider variety with arguably better flavor—all 28 taps are made fresh on-site. Todos Santos Brewing is open seven days a week and regularly organizes fun entertainment like live music, trivia, and karaoke.

You'll find the best and largest frozen margaritas in town at Wet Wendy's. Sit at the bar, and down one of the potent concoctions, or grab a table in the outdoor garden to dine on remarkably good food and dance to the salsa, rock, and jazz bands that play here several nights a week. Service is friendly, so don't be surprised if the bartender asks you if you want "the usual" on your second visit.

It housed conquistadors during the 16th century; today the Centro is a Spanish cultural center with daily art exhibits, plays, films, and other events, including occasional live indie, electronic, and rock bands on the terrace of the bar-restaurant.

This sloppy gem of a loft is part metro stop, part college-dorm commons, part debating society, and part pulquería. It's run by 1950s national lightweight boxing champion and folk hero Epiphanio "Pifas" Leyva, and serves beer and pulque (a drink made with the fermented sap of one type of agave plant) to a young, intellectual crowd that loves to sing and dance to the excellent jukebox of punk and local guacapunk (Mexican ska) classics. If you want a rowdy afternoon (the bar is usually closed by 11, and always closed on Sunday), this is the place. Note that it's technically in the Doctores neighborhood, but borders Colonia Roma.

Set in the vault of an art deco bank in the heart of Centro, the capital's coolest jazz joint hosts local and international acts. The intimate setting and enthusiastic audiences seem to bring out the best in performers. It's open Wednesday through Saturday, and offers a small menu of international dishes.

A classic cantina in the colonia Tabacalera, 5 Caudillos serves up botanas (snacks) that rotate through weekly specials, with options like chamorro (roasted pork shank) and solomillo (pork loin) drawing crowds on Thursday. Musicians play daily after 4 pm.

Seis Uno Dos (La Paz's area code) is a nice rooftop lounge overlooking the malecón. Come here for sunset cocktails or to dance the night away to an upbeat DJ set.

Don’t be fooled by the name “bad water.” This artisanal brewery pours a mean oatmeal stout and imperial IPA. Nearly a dozen handcrafted beers are served in the container bar where menu items like fish tacos and artisanal pizzas pair well with just about everything on tap.

Inside a cavern, Alux has a bar, disco, wine cellar, and restaurant. There's a MX$100 drink minimum.