Entertainment in Southwest Colombia
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A
Saloon
This edgy, arty bar has a student vibe. Foreign DJs sometimes spin here, and every other Friday there’s live music. You can get sandwiches and light salads (COP$10,000 to COP$12,000). It also sometimes hosts art installations. It’s on the second floor of a white building in the heart of Granada.
reviewed
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Agapito
By 02:00 or so, it's time to head to the salsatecas of the Juanchito District, about 12km east of the center. A taxi should get you there from the center for about US$5. Salsatecas generally don't charge admission, and you order drinks by the bottle.
Agapito is next door to Changó, a humbler but no less sexy salsateca, which features a viejoteca on Sunday afternoon, when older folks take over the dance floor.
reviewed
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B
Macondo
This San Antonio institution does great coffee, a wide range of desserts, light sandwiches and salads, and serves beer and wine till late. Jazz plays on the stereo and the smell of coffee is in the air. Try the scrumptious cocktails, like the Melquiades (mango, chocolate, coffee, Baileys, whiskey and blackberry sauce) or the Macondo de Lulo (coffee ice cream with fresh lulo and whiskey).
reviewed
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Tin Tin Deo
This rocking salsa joint attracts some of the best dancers in Cali. Posters of famous salsa singers look down on you from the wall, and industrial fans keep the room from overheating. Drinks are moderately priced, and the cover charge is consumible, that is, you get it back in drinks at the bar. Also sometimes plays música del pacífico (music from the Pacific coast).
reviewed
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Juanchito District
When the sun goes down, calenõs (Cali people) have one thing on their minds - salsa. The city's best-known salsa nightlife is in the legendary Juanchito district, way south of the center. Two of the most famous salsa places here are Changó and Agapito. Come on the weekend - preferably after ten - and take a taxi or a chiva(bus)tour.
reviewed
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Bar Oz
Located about a kilometer from the main strip in Menga, down a country road past several small farms, this disco boasts large replicas of the Sphinx, a small pond, bonfires in good weather, and a restaurant (mains COP$16,000 to COP$27,000) specializing in grilled meat. Don’t come if it’s raining.
reviewed
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Changó
The most famous salsateca in Juanchito, this huge, sophisticated club has candlelit plush booths and a big, smoking-hot dance floor. Most of the week there’s no cover charge (Sunday costs COP$5000), but it’s a COP$10,000, 20-minute taxi ride from town. Sometimes there are dance shows.
reviewed
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C
Av Sexta Corridor
Whether your taste runs to sleazy discos or sleek cocktail lounges, you'll find what you're looking for along the Av Sexta Corridor. Just wander up and down Av Sexta and listen for the kind of music that puts you in the mood - disco, classic salsa, hip-hop and Latin dance are all represented.
reviewed
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Tienda Vieja
This happy, well-worn but well-loved Cali institution plays salsa and Colombian crossover. Seating is in small, colorful wooden chairs – they’re not comfortable, but then you came here to dance, right? In the same complex there’s also a good grill restaurant, Rancho de Jonas.
reviewed
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Blues Brothers
This loud bar is an obligatory stop on Thursday nights, when a live salsa band raises the roof (11:30pm to 1:30am). Staff mix great (if expensive) cocktails, and some nights the bartenders dance on top of the bar and pour shots of liquor down your throat.
reviewed
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D
Café y Chocolate
This groovy little cafe at the foot of Parque San Antonio is a hopelessly romantic place to take a date. The mellow lounge atmosphere is perfect for an early evening drink, and you can order nibbles, but no real food. Some weekends it hosts live music.
reviewed
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Praga
The biggest, most expensive nightclub in Cali, Praga attracts the richest and most beautiful people – if you’ve got it, this is where you come to flaunt it. On Thursday there’s no cover charge, plus domestic liquor is 2-for-1 till midnight.
reviewed
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Fundación Kafka
The small cultural center, Fundación Kafka, is dedicated to all things San Agustín, and on weekends often hosts live music or shows classic cinema. Sells coffee, beer and books about the region’s history.
reviewed
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CC Campanario
Be sure to check out CC Campanario. This monster new shopping mall has a huge drinking hall and is a casual place to meet people in the early evening. There’s also a gourmet food court nearby.
reviewed
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Narguila
This popular hookah bar has no tables, just cushions on the floor, where you sit and smoke flavored tobacco from a water pipe. No dancing, just relaxing. Also serves Middle Eastern food and snacks.
reviewed
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E
Teatro Municipal
The city’s oldest existing theater, Teatro Municipal, was completed in 1918. Today it’s used for various artistic forms, including musical concerts, theater and ballet.
reviewed
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Kukaramakara
This big disco is famous for its live music, usually salsa. Come early if you want a table, or hang out on the 2nd-floor interior balcony, looking down at the band below.
reviewed
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El Sotareño
In the center, El Sotareño is a 40-year-old classic, and plays tango, bolero and ranchera (traditional music of Mexico) on scratched old vinyls.
reviewed
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Palo Santo
For late night disco visit Palo Santo, where the crowd dances on table tops to Colombian crossover. It is COP$7000, 15-minute taxi ride from the center.
reviewed
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Estadio Pascual Guerrero
The America de Cali (www.america.com.co) fútbol team plays in the city at Estadio Pascual Guerrero. The Mio passes right outside it.
reviewed
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F
Cinemateca La Tertulia
For more thought-provoking fare, check the program of the Cinemateca La Tertulia, which generally has two shows daily from Tuesday to Sunday.
reviewed
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Capitán Nirvana
A good bar on Calle 20 (along the stretch known as Av de Estudiantes), which is the place for rock ’n’ roll in Pasto (the name is a reference to Metallica).
reviewed
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Millenio
For late night disco visit Millenio, which plays techno in a warehouselike space. It is COP$7000, 15-minute taxi ride from the center.
reviewed
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G
Teatro Experimental de Cali
Founded by Enrique Buenaventura, considered the father of Colombian theater, this continues to be one of the city's most innovative theater companies.
reviewed
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Andina Peña Bar
On the weekends, don’t miss the live, amplified Andean panpipe music at Andina Peña Bar. Get here before 10pm if you want a seat.
reviewed
