303 Best Bars in Mexico

Dark and a little spooky, Gin Gin is a real scene, from the skull-lined, red-lit entryway to the hookah smoke-filled bar area. Enjoy a cocktail at the bar, and watch the night unfold.

Part of the Gitano brand that also has venues in New York City and Miami Beach, this atmospheric jungle bar—with bulbs hanging from the trees and flickering candles at every table blinking like fireflies in the night—is known for its handcrafted mezcal cocktails. Cool beats come compliments of a DJ Friday nights and live bands on Wednesday and Sunday in high season. Mezcal tastings are also available. Come early (this place shuts down around 11), and bring a loaded wallet as drinks are powerful but pricey.

Cheap drinks are the name of the game at Happy Ending, whether you're looking for an early evening pregame or a last call nightcap. They're known for housing an impressive number of beer pong tables as well as an all-hours deal of two beers and two shots for just $5. (The house tequila is unspeakably foul, however, so maybe opt for just the beer.)

Open since 2005 as part of a larger project to revitalize Centro Histórico, La Bota has since become a neighborhood institution. Set in a long, convivial room, its walls plastered with pictures and objects, the space participates in cultural and literary projects for the neighborhood while providing one of the warmest, coziest places around for a beer and Spanish-inflected snacks like pan de tomate and cheese and meat boards.

Hussong's Cantina has been an Ensenada landmark since 1892, and has changed little since then. Ask anyone here and they'll tell you that this is where the margarita was invented by bartender Don Carlos Orozco in October 1941; however, this is just one of several local establishments that state that claim to fame. Regardless, come by Saturday when you can get two margaritas for the price of one, or two-for-one beers every Tuesday and Thursday. A security guard stands by the front door to handle the often-rowdy crowd. The floor is covered with sawdust, and the noise is usually deafening, pierced by mariachi and ranchera musicians and the whoops and hollers of the pie-eyed.

On Roma's northern border with Colonia Juárez, this long and narrow order-at-the-bar beer garden is populated by picnic tables and lushly landscaped, making it surprisingly easy to forget the traffic noise outside (especially if you snag a seat near the back). The beer selection is vast, and you'll find plenty of notable brews from Mexico's up-and-coming artisanal brewers. There's burgers, sandwiches, and other pub fare, too, along with a selection of cocktails.

What was until recently an empty lot on one of the city's busiest avenues is now the closest thing Mexico City has to a beer garden: there's a small green lawn, picnic tables, potted plants hanging from a postindustrial steel grid, and big open windows in the concrete facade that open onto the traffic outside. The bar serves a wide range of craft beers, including several on tap that are made in-house. The food tends toward barbecue standards like burgers and hot dogs. You may occasionally stumble upon a band playing or a trivia night. For more details, check out their website.

When you're looking for live music, cold beer, good bar food, and a satellite TV that's always tuned to the current game, make tracks for Jax, open daily until 11 pm.

Live music is played in this simple but fun grill. You can also enjoy burgers, steak, salads, and tacos here, as well as blues and good rock.

Joe's Oyster Bar has become perhaps Mazatlán's most popular club, although it's really not much more than a palapa and a volleyball court. Locals and tourists dance to pop and hip-hop. Get there early and watch the sunset over a couple of drinks, a plate of shrimp, and yes, some oysters.

This is the spot for those who are into electronic music, with capacity for 1,000 revelers.

If you belong to the 50 and over crowd who likes to rock out, you'll have a riot of a time at Jungle Bar. This outdoor spot is always packed, thanks to its low prices and live music. It can take forever to get your drinks, though, so take advantage of their two-for-one deals and order several at once.

Kachimba is a great spot for live Cuban music. It's open Thursday to Sunday.

This small bar serves up some of the best sushi in Del Valle as well as inventive cocktails featuring Mexican and international liquors. Dark and intimate, the space relies heavily on a Japanese industrial aesthetic, with concrete, stainless steel, and wood all put to good use. There are DJs on the weekends, and it gets pretty rollicking at night. 

Hookah smokers here puff on fruit-flavored tobacco that wafts away into the open tropical night. On weekends, belly dancers weave their way between the tables.

An anchor of Playa's live music scene, cool Kitxen features bands from Mexico and the Caribbean playing everything from rock to reggae. Cash only.

This small, lively craft beer bar and garden abuts the eastern edge of the CENART campus and is a great spot for drinks and a light bite before or after seeing a performance or perhaps a movie at the neighboring Cineteca Nacional Churubusco. You'll find one of the city's largest selections of domestic and international beers here, and most everything is available to go.

La Azotea, located on the roof of Pueblo Viejo restaurant, is a popular haunt for the well-heeled and well-dressed crowd, making for supreme people-watching as well as great sunset views. There's a bar menu, too, for nibbling a jicama taco, for example: breaded shrimp with chipotle mayo in a thinly sliced jicama wrap.

One of the relatively few terrace bars in the city, La Azotea ("The Rooftop") occupies a small space in the restored art deco building known as Barrio Alameda. Technically a restaurant serving sandwiches and grilled meat, La Azotea is a beautiful place for an afternoon beer (they have a good list of craft brews) with gorgeous views over the trees of the Alameda and the spire of the Torre Latino. It closes early at 10:30 pm.

The largest bar inside the inviting and seemingly always busy Mercado del Carmen, La Barra sits right at the entrance to the food hall and is a great spot for creative cocktails and artisanal mezcal. You can drink at the bar or enjoy your libations with food at one of the hall's communal tables.

As far as posh hotel bars go, it's hard to top the Hilton Los Cabos La Biblioteca (meaning "The Library"), a fancy little bar completely dedicated to the celebration of tequila and mezcal. There's nothing raucous here, just intimate conversation over a Margarita or other agave-based cocktails. Mexican antojitos (small appetizers) and raw snacks provide the perfect complement or you can choose to pair your cocktails with an intimate five-course dinner. 

A trendy, youthful crowd congregates in this always-busy bar co-owned by actor Diego Luna and decorated with pop-art murals. You can sometimes catch alternative and rock bands performing, and there's better-than-average bar food (burgers, Jamaica quesadillas, seafood tacos, etc.) along with an extensive selection of mezcal and other top-shelf booze.

People of all ages come to salsa and drink mojitos made with Cuban rum at this wonderful Cuban bar and restaurant with a friendly vibe. The small dance floor fills up as soon as the house sextet starts playing around 9:30 pm. There's no cover.

Graffiti-styled La Bodeguita del Medio, a franchise of the famous Havana outpost, features live Cuban music every day.

A small mezcalería located in the Hotel Downtown, La Botica is easily the best place in Centro Histórico for a mezcal. Though mezcalerías have proliferated in the area in the hopes of luring in tourists, few serve as respectable a selection in such a pleasant spot, with a list of 35 distillates from across the county and balcony views over the street below.

Calle Sopeña hops with nighttime activity, thanks in part to interesting spots like La Capellina: restaurant by day, bar by night, La Capellina does great drinks and hosts live music ranging from Latin jazz to blues.

This trendy spot serves natural wine primarily from Mexican women-owned labels, plus coffee and dessert from Taller 17.

La Corte de los Milagros is a relaxing haunt where you can listen to Cuban-style ballads. It's open Wednesday through Saturday.