Cali
This San Antonio institution does great coffee (including some odd options – lemon coffee, anyone?) and a wide range of desserts, the best of which are…
Must-see nightlife in Colombia
San Andrés
The busiest and best-established club in San Andrés, Éxtasis, on the top floor of the Hotel Sol Caribe, has a huge dance floor that is always packed at…
Cali
This is a friendly neighborhood shop-bar hybrid in San Antonio that's been around for over 70 years. Cheap beer accompanies classic salsa and bolero and…
Bogotá
On a small road between Carreras 9 and 13 in the heart of Chapinero, the classic Theatron is carved from a huge film house. It draws a gay and straight…
San Andrés
The biggest disco in town holds 700 sweaty bodies. There is live music (salsa and reggaeton), which provides the soundtrack for a decent mix of locals and…
Cauca & Huila
On San Agustín's central plaza, this popular cafe offers a wide variety of beverages (coffee COP$3500 to COP$6000) using certified coffee from local farms…
Medellín
One of the more popular clubs in town, Luxury is full of young paisas grinding to reggaeton and hip-hop on Fridays and Saturdays. Turn up well tipsy…
Popayán
A groovy cafe-bar/gallery that attracts a good mix of locals, visitors and expats and serves organic local coffee, hervidos (fruit infusions), and their…
San Andrés
If you want a late-night drink without going to a club, Banzai is a great cocktail bar that's popular with locals. The well-mixed drinks are served…
Medellín
The only real pub in El Poblado, Berlín comes complete with dingy lighting, pool tables and rock classics. It's a welcome respite from the neon-clone bars…
Medellín
Hidden in an unsigned sweaty basement, this friendly salsa club has a distinctly local flavor and is a good place to put into practice your new moves in a…
Bucaramanga
Bucaramanga's trendiest bar is on the 18th floor of the new Holiday Inn (never thought we'd write that!). It's an open-air affair decked in white with…
Pereira
Walk down the long corridor to arrive at this arty garden bar with an open fireplace. Skip the pizzas and burgers, and go for a beer instead. The hip…
Cauca & Huila
This laid-back cafe-bar has an arty vibe that's conducive to conversation over beers or cocktails. It also serves up San Agustín's best pizzas (COP$12,000…
Popayán
The place to go in the center to show off your salsa moves on the little dance floor. It sometimes has live bands, but can be hit or miss, depending on…
Medellín
Hugely popular with backpackers and Medellín's expat community, this unpretentious salsa bar attracts a crowd on Tuesdays for its live band. The vibe is…
Medellín
This unpretentious club a couple of blocks from Parque Lleras pulls a mostly local crowd that comes to dance to crossover, especially on Thursdays when…
Medellín
A hip 2nd-floor cafe-bar overlooking Parque Poblado that is popular with both locals and expats. It has a variety of regular events including language…
Medellín
Attracting an intellectual crowd, this chilled bar-cafe near Parque del Periodista is a great place for drinks and conversation. There is live jazz on…
Cali & Southwest Colombia
It seems that half the town comes here to party: there's often live Andean music after 10:30pm and the convivial atmosphere is fueled by hervidos …
Medellín
A couple of blocks from Parque Lleras, Babylon is popular with an energetic young crowd that comes to dance to reggaeton. On Thursdays and Fridays there…
Leticia
This surprisingly modish joint facing Parque Santander has a red, white, black and chrome interior and attracts a classier crowd than most bars in town.
Villa de Leyva
On the corner of Plaza Mayor, this cozy bar has excellent tunes, atmospheric candles and one of the better beer selections in town.
Medellín
High-end club in the Río Sur complex with regular live performances by popular artists.
Popayán
In a busy street in the center, this cozy Popayán classic plays tango, bolero and Ranchera on scratched old vinyls.
Bogotá
This cozy, historic two-story home with a fireplace by the bar and a softly lit loft sits next to the evocative Plazoleta del Chorro de Quevedo. Sample a…
Bogotá
Travelers, twenty-something nightlife hounds and cocktail connoisseurs pile in to this Zona Rosa hot spot for excellent, high-value drinking. Cocktails…
San Gil
This glorified gas station on the way out of San Gil is the town's hottest after-hours ticket. There's One Shot (a loud and hip bar), Caña Brava (karaoke)…
Medellín
A fairly laid-back bar by Lleras standards, Octava plays good international music, has a 'ball pool' for playing around in and attracts an unpretentious…
Bogotá
One of two big Starbucks-like chains in Bogotá (Oma is the other), Juan Valdez does as reliable a job with a tinto (black coffee), cappuccino or cafe…
Cartagena
It gets tight with an eclectic crowd of all shapes and sizes at this excellent Getsemaní spot for salsa, son and reggae. It's on the 2nd floor overlooking…
Bogotá
El Altillo has two branches – follow the footsteps of in-the-know locals into this one, set in a hidden garden cafe in the historic neighborhood of…
Bogotá
Half-hidden beneath a small shopping mall and not looking like much from the outside, this feisty bar in Chapinero is inspired by the classic salsatecas …
Armenia
More a bar than a real pub, this open-air 2nd-floor terrace is a popular place to kickstart the evening. There are local and imported beers, sport on the…
Bogotá
This no-frills cafe offers inexpensive coffee (COP$2700 gets you a large cappuccino) and something extra to munch on, such as pastries, cookies,…
Leticia
Unlike most Colombian billiards clubs that cater only to men, Barbacoas warmly welcomes women – although a predominantly male crowd plays pool at tables…
Cartagena
Run by an expat German named Stefan, this is one of the city’s few true watering holes. The intimate space fills quickly with locals swilling back 3L…
Bucaramanga
Kick back with a good selection of imported standards and domestic brews (including Bogotá Beer Company) on the wraparound patio at this modern-style pub…
Boyacá
Walk through the fast-food joint on the plaza to find the Disco Bar – a large discotheque that's the only place in town to dance. It only opens once a…
Cali
Set in a huge white dome in Menga, this high-energy club is full of glamorous young caleñas dancing on tables while high-tech lasers slash through clouds…
