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You'll either love it or hate it here. If you have any airs and graces, it probably is not for you. If, however, you enjoy drinking bargain-basement booze sitting on plastic beer crates surrounded by students, punks and goths, then welcome to nirvana.
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Bar Berri
Bar Berri is run by Eduardo, the son of a Basque immigrant, and is one of the most buena onda (good vibe) bars in the city. Perhaps more of a winter place due to its cozy low ceilings, it does serve some snacks such as empanadas, but the owners know the main appeal - to drink and be merry. Check out the antique cash register.
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Bar Central
Self-consciously cool Bar Central has DJs spinning discs while regulars indulge in tasty snack food and select from an impressive range of cocktails in hip red surroundings. Nine different types of pisco sour are available - although it's best to avoid the pisco sour mango.
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Bar Dos Gardenias
A portrait of Che surveys the revelers in this relaxed little enclave with low lighting and high spirits. The Buena Vista Social Club soundtrack is often played on the speaker system - although there are live performances of folk music and tango several nights of the week.
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Barroco
All dangling chandeliers, high ceilings and candlelight, Barroco is a lovely atmospheric little bar overlooking leafy Plaza Brasil. It is a most agreeable place to while away an evening with your nearest and dearest.
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Batuta
Batuta is one of the funkiest live music venues in the city, with both up-and-coming and more established acts shaking, rattling and rolling on stage to an enthusiastic, and usually packed, crowd.
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Blondie
A dance-floor spectacular that remains a well-stomped student favorite, this is a must for any indie kid. Alternative and 80s music are the dominant tunes in the striking old theater setting, where a massive video screen looms over the main dance floor. Expect to hear Blur, Pulp and all the usual Britpop suspects, although be ready for a stiff measure of techno on the other floors.
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Bokhara
Bokhara is the hedonistic gay venue of choice. It's open every night with different drinks on special and some flamboyant live shows from . It has two levels, playing mainly house and techno.
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Café del Teatro
A free-spirited young crowd makes Café del Teatro the happening bar of the moment in laid-back Barrio Brasil. Formerly a café, it now has regular events in an old theater out the back, and a welcoming bunch of regulars mingle among the brightly decorated canvases on the wall.
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Club de Jazz
The most established jazz venue in Latin America (Louis Armstrong and Herbie Hancock are just two of the greats to have played here), Club de Jazzis essential visiting for any jazz or blues aficionado. It is housed in a large wooden building within trumpeting distance of Plaza Ñuñoa. It also occasionally opens on a Wednesday.
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El Diablito
Despite its kitsch fake Hollywood memorabilia and clutter, somehow this bar works. Maybe it's the small candle-lit tables where you can huddle conspiratorially into the wee small hours. But most likely it's the cheap pisco sours and the schops (draft beers).
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El Tunel
Retro is the theme in this popular nightclub where '70s classics have the mid-20 to 30-somethings all doing their best John Travolta or Olivia Newton-John. DJs mix it up with a few '80s favorites, and everyone emerges perspiring but happy.
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Etniko
Etniko is the in place of the moment - and boy, does it know it. It is pretty funky, mind you, with a sleek, low-lit central courtyard, a DJ at the turntables, and the atmosphere abuzz with media gossip and goings-on. Being hip comes at a price, of course, and being seen with the in-crowd ain't cheap.
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Flannery's Irish Geo Pub
Guinness and Kilkenny imports help make Flannery's Irish Geo Pub one of the most popular gringo watering holes in Santiago. Your favorite team playing back at home? This is the best bet for catching the action on TV.
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Havana Salsa
You can't fail to notice the fake Havana-themed facade to this established Cuba-inspired dance venue/restaurant. It's the place to go if you can't help shaking to the 'uno dos tres' of the salsa beat. Some extravagant live shows are also staged here.
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HBH Brewery
HBH Brewery is a laid-back microbrewery with two main styles of beer - both highly rated by beer buffs. It is a popular hangout for students and connoisseurs of the dark and blonde stuff.
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La Casa en el Aire
La Casa en el Aire was established in the 1990s 'to give a space for alternative culture'. It's a romantic hideaway that will nourish your mind with poetry and theater (Wednesday nights), and soothe your soul with folk music on the other evenings of the week. A limited menu, mainly snacks, is available.
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La Chimenea
One of the best places in Santiago for live music and events, La Chimenea gets packed to the rafters - and not just on weekends. Bands vary from local indie to traditional bolero. There's always a fun crowd here so arrive early for a seat near the stage. It occasionally shows movies.
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La Feria
Euphoric techno and house beats, an up-for-it crowd and banging DJs mean that La Feria is still the place to go in Bellavista for a fix of electronic music. It's unmarked and hidden behind a big iron door - you'll need to knock to get in.
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La Piojera
Saved from developers by protests from its loyal clientele (including presidents and poets), this incredibly atmospheric drinking den is often improbably packed and noisy. You'll feel the earth move with the terremoto (earthquake), a potent mix of wine and ice cream; the chicha (Chilean cider) also comes highly recommended. Troubadours are usually on hand, plucking their guitars to traditional folk tunes.
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Las Lanzas
A good-time crowd flocks to this cheerful bar/restaurant, partly for its location opposite Plaza Ñuñoa, but mainly for its inexpensive prices. It comes into its own in the summer months when revelers spill out onto the sidewalk terrace.
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N'Aitun
N'Aitun takes its name taken from a Mapuche word for free, and this atmospheric, intimate little venue was a regular gathering spot for leftists opposed to the dictatorship during the 1980s. It has live music on Fridays, when acts range from indie bands to bolero and tango duets.
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Phone Box Pub
It is hardly the most subtle effort to appeal to the expat community, but Phone Box Pub pulls it off. Walk through the doors (styled, you guessed it, like a British phone box) and you have a combination of fine ales (Tetley's is on tap here, and the Kuntsmann Amber is a delight) as well as a lively, relaxed atmosphere.
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Teatro Municipal
Teatro Municipal is the most prestigious performing arts venue in the city, with shows including opera, tango, classical, musicals and dance. It's a beautiful venue dating back to the 19th century.
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Teatro Nacional Chileno
The Teatro Nacional Chileno troupe is affiliated with the University of Chile and performs classic comedies, just a stone's throw away from La Moneda.
