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Bars and clubs are scattered all over Santiago, but a handful of streets have such a concentration of establishments that they resemble block parties on Friday and Saturday nights. Pub crawls along Avenida Pío Nono and neighboring streets in Bellavista yield venues aimed at a young crowd (the drinking age is 18). Across the river and further west, Lastarria hosts a busy bar scene. To the east in Providencia, the area around Manuel Montt and Tobalaba metro stations attract a slightly older and better-heeled crowd.
What you should wear depends on your destination. Bellavista has a mix of styles ranging from blue jeans to basic black and, in general, the dress gets smarter the farther east you move, but remains casual.
Note that establishments referred to as "nightclubs" are almost always female strip shows. The signs in the windows usually make it quite clear what goes on inside. The same is true for certain cafés with blacked-out windows, called "cafés con piernas" (literally: coffee with legs).
Hidden on a side street downtown, you might be forgiven for thinking that La Chiminea was just a hole in the wall. Besides towering plates of French fries and happy-hour specials, this place has an undying love of all things Chilean, especially cueca. Come here with nothing but a competitive spirit and a hanky, a dance essential. Classes run Monday and Thursday at 8 pm and cost 2,500 pesos.
At the base of Cerro Santa Lucía, partially in a former convenience store, Catedrál is one of three establishments run by the same owners, all connected but with separate entrances. Live music and a heated-in-winter upstairs terrace make the Catedrál's bar popular among the 30-plus crowd (no happy hour). Upmarket Ópera restaurant serves dishes from far-flung places, such as trout wrapped in phyllo, veal, pork, and other nicely presented oven-cooked meats. Around the corner, on the street Mercéd is the café with Belgian sandwiches, large portions of cake, soup, and most importantly, the creamiest ice cream in Santiago.
Open since 1943, Santiago's foremost jazz club has hosted the genre's greats like Louis Armstrong and Herbie Hancock, as well as esteemed Chilean performers. Performances take place between Wednesday and Saturday, and cost between 5,000 and 7,000 pesos. While you're clicking your fingers, order pizza, pasta, and other Italian dishes from La Fábrica, with which the club shares a roof.
Identifiable by the leering devil on the sign, El Diablito is one of the only divey places left in Lastarria/Bellas Artes, whose decor sports spurs, stirrups, and other metal items. If you want to see what this area felt like about 10 years ago, before gentrification, this is a good spot to try. It's popular for drinks after work or late at night.
This classic of Barrio Yungay predates the current immigration of hipsters and the revitalization of the neighborhood. For nearly 70 years, the kitchens have turned out Chilean specialties such as the heavy-hitting chorrillana, a plate of French fries covered in stewed onions and sausage, and topped with a fried egg. They also teach classes in the stompiest style of Chile's national dance, the cueca brava. Classes are Wednesday through Saturday at 7:30 pm and cost 4,000 pesos. Given the timing, it's best to dance first, then eat.
A secret meeting place during the Pinochet regime, El Rincón de las Canallas still requires a password to get in (it's Chile libre, meaning "free Chile"). The walls are painted with political statements such as "Somos todos inocentes" ("We are all innocent"). It's a two-story affair, with loads of graffiti and business cards on the walls and ceiling.
This spacious gay resto-bar welcomes everyone and is open every night except Sunday. From your table, you may spot models and other members of the "farandula" (Chilean celebrities) who frequent the place. Lunch is well priced, with dishes such as eggplant lasagna or ají de gallina (Peruvian chicken stew) available for around 9,000 pesos. It functions as a bar-restaurant until 2 am, but may close earlier on quieter nights like Monday or Tuesday.
The venerable gay disco Fausto, in business for more than 40 years, has polished wood paneling that calls to mind a gentlemen's club. It has a few different sections, a show at 2 am, and offers free admission to men during their birthday month. There are occasional theme parties and entertainers. Unlike many other gay clubs in Santiago, Fausto attracts a more solidly thirties-and-up crowd. Fausto is open until 4 am or later.
If you're itching to dance salsa or merengue plus enjoy food and a show, come to this club Thursday, Friday, or Saturday night. It starts with an all-you-can-eat buffet of Cuban specialties, and at midnight, there's a 40-minute show with sensual professional dancers. Only after that does the dance floor open to the public.
Close to the main drag of Avenida El Bosque Norte, this is an honest-to-goodness pub serving Irish food and beer. The upstairs, downstairs, and outside area often fill with expats and their friends.
Located within Patio Bellavista, La Casa en el Aire is a great place to catch live bands. There's also a larger venue with a terrace at Antonia López de Bello 0125. If your Spanish is good, you can listen to storytelling and stand-up, too, or even perform. There's a happy hour daily from 4 to 9.
This brightly colored house in Bellavista is a great place to take in local music with a down-to-earth and generally young, local crowd. Peñas are traditional watering holes where la nueva canción chilena, a kind of Latin American resistance folk music, was first popularized. Due to their historically political nature, peñas became clandestine during the dictatorship.
A large dose of New York City spirit in the form of a hip-hop soundtrack and subway street art makes for a distinctly urban drinking experience at cocktail bar Nkiru. Located on the ground floor of 45 By Director hotel, it attracts a young, hip crowd keen for signature cocktails.
This gay-friendly small club gets full quickly, but salsa dancers say it's the best in Santiago. Classes for beginners to advanced are 3,000 pesos and run Wednesday through Friday from 8. Come alone or with a partner. Pisco cocktails from 3,500 pesos.
Three floors of fun await at Sarita Colonia, the only Peruvian drag bar and restaurant in Chile. Named after a Peruvian saint for the poor, Sarita Colonia is brimming with kitsch religious artifacts and is one of the most fun places in Bellavista for a night out. Order a ceviche or the Peruvian classic lomo saltado. The bar serves delicious pisco sours.
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