19 Best Bars in Mexico

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. 

The Baja Brewing Co. serves cold, on-site–microbrewed cerveza and international pub fare. You'll find entrées ranging from ahi tuna quesadillas to basil-and-blue-cheese burgers. Our favorite of the eight beers is the Baja Razz Ale; the BBC also brews Oatmeal Stout, a gluten-free honey mead, an Indian pale ale, and experimental brews served the first Friday of every month. If you can't make up your mind, order the sampler.

Come here for the ambience and cocktails (the food has mixed reviews) like the blackberry mojito or house margarita. Once the home of the owner’s grandparents, the building dates back to 1927 and its original brick walls are still intact, adorned with historic family photographs. The courtyard, strung with lanterns and fairy lights, is a pleasant place to enjoy the live mariachi. Happy hour from 4 to 5 pm on mojitos, margaritas and sangrias. 

Cheleros Bar is the perfect place to have a beer and watch the sunset in a nice and comfortable setting. 

Previously known as Dady'O, Cancún's original dance club has rebranded itself as D'Cave and is still very "in" with the younger set. A giant screen projects music videos above the always-packed dance floor, while laser lights whirl across the crowd. During spring break, Hawaiian Bikini contests make the place even livelier. It's only open on Saturday from 9:30 pm to 3 am, and a general access ticket costs $30.

This popular bar by the beach shows most live sports events, features a pool table, and plays good dance music until 4 am every day.

Centro's branch of one of the city's best craft beer bars has a handful of outdoor tables on a pretty pedestrian street and serves up to 150 beers, roughly 80% of them made in Mexico. Look out for beer brands like Colimita, Wendlandt, and Insurgentes.

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 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.

One of the city's classic watering holes has attracted top personalities since it opened in 1870. Don't forget to have your waiter point out the bullet hole in the ceiling allegedly left by Mexican revolutionary hero Pancho Villa. Come at night for live mariachi and good tequila.

Live music on Thursday and Friday coupled with the refreshing cocktails make this one of the best spots to grab a drink in San José del Cabo. Acoustic guitars add to the quaint atmosphere you’ll find in the lantern-lit, stone courtyard. Tapas make a tasty accompaniment to the house sangrias.

Enjoy masterful mixology at this beachfront hot spot, where you can hear live music and enjoy creative cocktails featuring local flavors and ingredients. On Tuesday, when drinks are two for one, this is the place to be. 

This noisy, friendly roadhouse always attracts those looking to down a shot of tequila, sip cold beer, and mingle with old or new friends. The menu features good, dependable, and mostly American fare. From October to June they host live music, ranging in style from pop to blues to country.

This Balinese-style party place is a buzzing beach retreat by day and a more upscale nightclub after dark. Both have bikini contests, DJs, pool parties, and bottle service. Don't forget your swimsuit and beach-appropriate shoes. Expect to pay a $20 cover.

This traditional Irish pub in Cancun's downtown is a favorite of locals who come for the great variety of national and international beers and stay for the live music. It's open every day until 3 am.

This expansive rooftop bar at the edge of the Plaza de República combines elements of modernist chic, tiki bar greenery, and Mexican crafts in a way that, against all odds, works beautifully. Combine that with extraordinary views of the Monument of the Revolution and this makes for a great place to spend an afternoon or evening over beers (or something stronger).

Ready to party? Head here for DJ-spun techno, Latin, reggae, and hip-hop. The adventurous can dance in the cage. It attracts a mixed crowd of mainly young locals and travelers, though after midnight the median age plunges. It's open until 6 am when things are hopping. The restaurant fills with cruise-ship passengers early in the evening.