12 Best Bars in The North Coast and Northern Highlands, Peru

This two-story restaurant and bar opens at noon for lunch and doesn't close until late. Decorated with old guitars and concert posters and furnished with leather couches, it's one of the few options in Chiclayo with charm. Tapas and sandwiches dominate the long menu, and there's a good selection of daily desserts. The superb cocktail list features new looks at Peruvian favorites, like the chilcano de hierba luisa (made with lemongrass, pisco, lime, bitters, and ginger ale). There's occasionally live jazz and folk music.

This Swiss-themed upstairs bar features a broad menu of Belgian, German, and Peruvian brews in a relaxed, convivial setting. Guests sing Latin pop songs while sitting at the pine picnic tables, and there are Argentine steaks and grilled sausages if you've got the munchies.

Huanchaco's version of the beachside tiki bar features humorous decor (think caballitos de totora instead of canoes and "Polynesian" heads that resemble Sideshow Bob from The Simpsons), but the drinks are delicious, and you can dance while the sun goes down. There's also a menu of seafood snacks.

A large selection of aguardientes in flavors that range from leche to mora is available at this friendly local bar. Also on tap: mixed drinks typical of the Peruvian jungle and live music on weekends. Try the arcoiris (rainbow), a sampler with one shot each of the bar's 12 different sabores.

The line for this ever-popular disco starts to form around 11, as locals in their early twenties to early fifties gear up for the (excessively) loud salsa and reggaeton and good cocktails. The first-floor bar and dance floor cost S/10 to enter.

Worth checking out, especially on the weekend, this laid-back spot at the northern end of the main drag has good music and drinks, as well as tasty artisanal pizzas.

The ever-popular Tambo is a three-story entertainment complex, with a ground-floor restaurant, a second-floor dance club, and a third-floor gaming area with drinks and billiards. Locals go to groove to salsa and Latin pop until the wee hours of the morning.