Located in the historic center of Oaxaca city, La Farola is an unpretentious bar that offers great food and drinks. The bar is well equipped with an excellent variety of mezcals, beers and cocktails. Small plates served here offer the ideal sustenance for a prolonged night. Head-bobbing pop-music and friendly staff offer the perfect company for a casual night out with friends.
At La Tentación, located about three blocks from the Zócalo, dancing is the name of the game. Here, groove to tunes by live bands as well as DJ's and their well stocked bar. The energy is always high here, so those looking for a fun filled night would do good to check out La Tentación.
Located in the heart of Oaxaca, In Situ Mezcaleria is an intimate bar that showcases the biggest collection of traditional and artisanal mezcal selected by owner and writer Ulises Torrentera. In an attempt to promote the ancient culture of this distilled alcoholic beverage, the renowned author of cult books on mezcal, Torrentera's bar features various types of agaves, perfectly placed in order of their elaboration and origin. An excellent place to experience the rich culture of Mexico through its legendary preparations, a visit to this bar is a must when in Oaxaca.
Nueva Babel is a small bar located just about four blocks from the Zócalo. This tiny yet lively bar often hosts jazz groups and musicians and is one of the better known live music venues in the Centro Histórico. Even when it's packed, Nueva Babel still manages to exude a laid back atmosphere that would make anyone feel right at home.
Producers and distributors of the finest traditional mezcal in the city, the products found at Mezcaloteca are a cut above most of the others you would find in the city. Intimate, quaint and almost always filled with excited mezcal enthusiasts, this is where you should head to if you want to have a shot at Mexico's premier alcoholic beverage. Taking pride in its Maestro Mezcaleros heritage, this store honors its inherited tradition through the use of age-old distilling methods, techniques and recipes. The maguey plants are hand picked by experienced staff to ensure a flawless batch of mezcal.
This trendy microbrewery is a great little hot-spot for those looking for homemade beer. There are usually several microbrews on tap, and bartenders with a passion for beer who serve them. Grilled cheese sandwiches and burger sliders dominate the smallish menu, but shrewd patrons know that the bar connects to the Gourmand deli next door, where they can order freshly prepared salads, sandwiches, and charcuterie plates. The place has a homespun look to it, with warehouse-sized ceilings, ladders, and visible beer-making operations behind the counter and above it. In some ways the place recalls all the new and suddenly popular microbreweries, but there is a definitely an Oaxacan feel to it.
The owners of this bar will guide patrons through comprehensive tastings of the mescal and dark micro brews available. It’s a small place, colorfully decorated, and more than suitable for a casual date or a pit stop for drink and snacks. In addition to the mescal and microbrews, La Mezcalerita offers pulque, an alcoholic drink rarer than mescal made from fermenting sap from agave trees, and craft beers, wines, and mead. Indoor and outdoor seating, and drink prices that are more affordable than nearby restaurants in the historical center make the bar popular with locals and tourists.
The fermented agave alcoholic spirit, mescal – also known as maguey, or peyote – is Oaxaca’s drink of choice, and the Mezcalerìa Los Amantes is one of the best places in the city to sample it. The small establishment feels bohemian, with just a few seats, educational mescal tastings, and shelves teeming with old bottles and traditional clay pots. The four or five-course tastings are paired with knowledgeable staff who give lessons on the history of Mexican spirits and the particular, labor-intensive processes for making them. The name “Los Amantes” derives from an Aztec legend about Mayahuel, from whose remains watered with Quetzalcoatl’s tears would grow the maguey plant.
This karaoke bar inside the Casa Bonita Hotel has the sultry lighting, leather seating, and plush velvet of a trendy nightclub. The idea is to make karaoke singers feel like pop stars, and it works. The place is well-designed, and includes a stage, projection wall, and plenty of seating around the bar. There’s a dance floor too, which is sometimes used for club nights, but more often to dance to and cheer the karaoke singers. A decent menu of cocktails, beer, and mescal are worth checking out.