Bar entertainment in Mexico City
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La Botica
Like an old apothecary, La Botica dispenses its elixirs from squat bottles lined up on the shelf. Available varieties are suitably scribbled on pieces of cardboard – try the cuesh, distilled from a wild maguey in Oaxaca. La Botica has opened other branches with similar hours at Campeche 396 in Condesa, and Orizaba 161 in Colonia Roma.
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La Bodeguita del Medio
The walls are scribbled with verses and messages at this animated branch of the famous Havana joint. Have a mojito, a Cuban concoction of rum and mint leaves, and enjoy the excellent son cubano combos that perform here.
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C
Bengala
This low-lit concept bar evokes a desert trek, with decor influenced by Casablanca and The Sheltering Sky, though disco-friendly DJs may put you on an entirely different plane. Its slightly out-of-the-way location only adds to the conspiratorial air. Have a ‘Module’ (a green cocktail of cucumber, Pernod and mescal) and mingle with the film and TV figures who customarily pop up here.
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El Nivel
The country's first cantina proudly displays its license (No 1), dating from 1855. Inside the building that once housed the hemisphere's first university, it's within shouting distance of the Palacio Nacional. Since then, every Mexican president except Vicente Fox has stopped in for a trago. The botanas (drinking snacks) here are particularly fine.
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E
El Colmillo
DJs crank the volume to coccyx-crunching levels at this hallucinogenic hangout. Downstairs there's a dance floor on which to take advantage of the music (deep house; psychedelic trance) and a bar-lounge area; a more subdued upstairs lounge has performance events. The line at the door doesn't keep people waiting too long.
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La Camelia
This restaurant-cantina has been drawing Mexican celebrities since 1931, as evidenced by the star-studded photos on the walls. On Friday and Saturday karaoke nights, it’s your time to shine with a rendition of, say, Michael Jackson or Madonna. Liquid courage comes in the form of tequila or cerveza mexicana.
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Cinna Bar
Looking at Parque España through red-tinted windows, this lounge-cum-dining room sports a self-consciously minimal aesthetic. Smartly outfitted professionals stop in after work to nosh on Vietnamese spring rolls, sip raspberry martinis and groove on sounds concocted by DJs with iBooks.
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Hostería la Bota
This fun and funky bar is one component of the Casa Vecina community arts center, a cultural beachhead in the rough-and-tumble southern fringe of the Centro. Tapas and tequilas are served amidst a profusion of warped bullfighting bric-a-brac and mismatched furniture.
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Mestizo Lounge
This highly social hole-in-the-wall run by gregarious hosts Gina and Manuel is very much at the heart of the mezcal renaissance. Taste a smoky cenizo (a Zacatecas variety) or have a mezcal martini. They make excellent sandwiches, too.
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Mellizo Lonch
Grab a sidewalk table at this highly popular haunt and relish in the collective stupor over a mezcal apple martini or a tobalá (white mezcal extracted from a rare mountain agave). They also pour wicked flavored pulques.
reviewed
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La Puerta del Sol
This quintessential cantina, founded in 1887, still has the double-leaf doors that machos like to push with brio when entering the watering hole. It serves an array of botanas and is famous for its chamorros (marinated pork shank).
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Pride
On the southeast corner of Condesa, Pride is a relaxed gathering place for a youthful, upscale LGBT crowd. Friends gather round the bar or head upstairs to lounge on sofas. It’s conveniently nearby the popular taco joint, El Califa.
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T-Gallery
A low-key crowd kicks back with cocktails in the various salons of this lovely old Condesa home, each appointed with a splendid array of kitschy sofas, coffee tables and mirrors. Jazz, blues and bossa nova combos jam downstairs nightly.
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Pulquería La Botijona
Possibly the cleanest pulque dispenser in town, this institutional green hall near the train station is a friendly family-run establishment, with big plastic pails of the traditional quaff lining the shelves.
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Bar Mancera
This atmospheric gentlemen’s salon seems preserved in amber, with ornate carved paneling and well-used domino tables. Lately it’s been adopted by young clubbers, who set up turntables on Friday night from around 9pm.
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Big Red
A volume dealer, with drinks priced by the ounce (M$18 for Bacardi, M$18 for Centenario tequila), plus whatever mixer you choose. Thus the place attracts a broader cross-section of the populace.
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La Guadalupana
Serving drinks for over seven decades, this rustic tavern breathes tradition down to the blasé waiters in white coats. There are botanas and tortas as well as heartier fare.
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La Risa
University students squeeze into this intimate watering hole that has been pouring pulque since 1900. At M$12 a pop you can well afford to treat a struggling college kid to a mug.
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El Hijo del Cuervo
A Coyoacán institution, this stone-walled hall on the Jardín Centenario is a thinking person’s drinking person’s habitat. Assorted musical ensembles perform Wednesday and Thursday nights.
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Bar El Vicio
With liberal doses of politically and sexually irreverent comedy and a genre-bending musical program, this alternative cabaret is appropriately located in Frida Kahlo’s old neighborhood.
reviewed
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El Tenampa
Graced with murals of the giants of Mexican song and enlivened by its own songsters, El Tenampa is a festive cantina on the north side of the Plaza Garibaldi; a visit here is obligatory.
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Malafama
As trendy as Condesa’s bars and cafés, this sleek billiard hall doubles as a gallery of photo art. The well-maintained tables are frequented by both pool sharks and novices.
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Papa Bill’s Saloon
For those who need their sports fix, this sprawling gringo-style parlor has plenty of flat-screen TVs showing the big game. Happy hour is from 2pm to 9pm.
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La Gioconda
Dark and light draft beer are poured in this happening little pub off a pedestrian thoroughfare.
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