Entertainment in Oaxaca State
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A
Café Central
The social hub of Oaxaca’s artsy, bohemian, alternative scene, the Café (or Bar or Colectivo) Central is owned by one of Oaxaca’s innovative painters, Guillermo Olguín. It hosts rarely seen live-music acts (often on Thursday), dance and independent films, and uses its wall space as an alternative gallery for celebrated and unheard-of artists. On Friday and Saturday it leans toward being a nightclub with an unpredictable, eclectic music mix. There are cover charges for a few events.
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Hostal Carlos Einstein
Toward the west end of the beach, this place also boasts a lively scene most evenings, as guests, staff members and the owner (often seen in some type of ceremonial costume of his own making) pass around guitars, patter on African drums and sing trippy songs about their journies along the astral plane. If you’re a traveling musician, you might be able to exchange an evening’s performance for a free night’s stay and breakfast at the (rather dingy) hostel.
reviewed
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B
Hotel Monte Alba\'n
This hotel presents a 1½-hour version of the Guelaguetza nightly, usually to recorded music.
In a grand old high-ceilinged building smack on the Alameda de Leo\'n, the Monte Alba\'n is an atmospheric place all in all, though the fluorescent lighting and somewhat threadbare rooms diminish the romance. The cheaper, interior rooms are no great shakes, but the exterior rooms are large and have balconies or views of the cathedral.
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C
Candela
Candela’s writhing salsa, cumbia and merengue band and beautiful colonial-house setting have kept it at the top of the Oaxaca nightlife lists for years. It’s open as a restaurant from 7pm, so arrive fairly early for a good table, and either learn to dance (free classes from 10pm to 11pm) or learn to watch.
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D
La Casa del Mezcal
Open since 1935, this is one of Oaxaca’s most atmospheric bars, 1½ blocks south of the Zócalo. It’s a cantina, but a reasonably respectable one. One room has a large stand-up bar and shelves full of mezcal; the other room has tables where botanas are served. Most, but not all, customers are men.
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E
La Divina
La Divina, facing Santo Domingo Church, has a disco-esque interior, and music from salsa to house to trance to reggae. There's live rock a few nights a week, and early-evening (18:00) movies on other nights. As the evening progresses the crowd may generate a warm enough atmosphere to spill out into the street.
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F
Fandango
One of a trio of interconnecting bars in a corner building known as La Casa de los Perros (House of the Dogs), La Embajada is popular with a student and international crowd for its rock music, magazine-style montage decor and drinks from tea, coffee and chocolate to beer, mezcal and wine.
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G
La Embajada
One of a trio of interconnecting bars in a corner building known as La Casa de los Perros (House of the Dogs), La Embajada is popular with a student and international crowd for its rock music, magazine-montage decor and drinks from tea, coffee and chocolate to beer, mezcal and wine.
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H
La Hostería
The Hostería restaurant shows the 1993 Italian travel-and-crime movie Puerto Escondido nightly. This film (directed by Gabriele Salvatores) has attracted thousands of Italians and others to Puerto and is worth seeing, even if it makes the town seem more remote than it really is.
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La Nueva Luna
Run by indefatigable Carlos from Argentina, this bar is the nightlife and social center of the Mazunte traveler scene. Come here for live Latin or reggae from around 10pm to midnight most nights, plus assorted other events such as aerial acrobatics, dancing and art classes.
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Tapas & Pisto
Upstairs from Los Danzantes restaurant and in keeping with its sensuous theme, T&P’s main bar is home to black lights and loud music. Its contrastingly quiet rooftop terrace (open 6pm to 1am Tuesday to Sunday) offers fabulous views to Santo Domingo Church.
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J
Cineclub El Pochote
El Pochote shows independent, art-house and classic Mexican and international movies (the latter in their original languages with Spanish subtitles). There’s usually a different theme each month. To find it, duck under the old aqueduct into Parque El Pochote.
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K
La Crema
Spacious but dark, this quirky, rock-themed den boasts loud tunes, the best cocktail list in town and delicious wood-oven pizza. The hard-partying university students knock ’em back while eyeing the action from a perch overlooking the Plaza Principal.
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L
Casa Babylon
This cool little travelers’ bar has a great Mexican mask collection and a big selection of books to exchange. It has live music or a DJ several nights a week. The owner prides herself on her mojitos and caipirinhas.
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M
La Pasión
This smart contemporary cantina has half a dozen screens for music and sports, and a section of sofas and easy chairs at one side. Live Latin music from 21:00 Thursday to Saturday. Enter through the Mayordomo restaurant.
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El Olivo
Serving tasty, upscale pinchos (skewers) and tapas, this is Oaxaca’s most serious cocktail bar, with excellent pours and a good beer. The woodsy-chic minimalist decor and terrace make for a refined atmosphere.
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O
La Puesta
The open-air discoteca La Puesta provides an active nightlife, cranking out reggae, funk, techno, hip-hop and Latin tunes into the wee hours, though nothing much happens before midnight.
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La Casa Mágica
A favorite with San Agustinillo’s amiable little bunch of expats, this welcoming Irish-run bar offers pool, darts, drinks and light food, a couple of hundred meters up the hill opposite Hotel Malex.
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P
Café del Jardín
The Jardín has a peerless position beneath the arches at the southwest corner of the Zócalo. In the evening you’re likely to be serenaded by one of the funkiest marimba ensembles in the country.
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Q
Freebar
Freebar hosts a young and vibrant international crowd that doesn’t mind being rammed together to soak up beer and the atmosphere. There’s space to dance if the crowd isn’t too dense.
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La Tentación
Foreigners and residents alike have a great time when this venue gets up a head of steam – best on Friday and Saturday, when you can move to live salsa, merengue and cumbia.
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Tipsy Blowfish
There’s often decent live rock at this friendly Texan-run bar, recently relocated to bigger digs, across from the golf course, near the burgeoning bar scene in Tangolunda.
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T
Cinemar
This mini-cinema, in the PJ’s Book Bodega building, shows films ranging from the best Mexican movies to the latest general releases in Spanish and English. It has air-con.
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La Papaya
Huatulco’s hottest disco attracts mostly an 18-to-25 age group. Dancing on the bar, an aquarium with bikini-clad humans and mud-wrestling help warm up the atmosphere.
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Paletería Zamora
Thirst-zapping Zamora blends up a full range of cooling fresh-fruit drinks, licuados and aguas frescas (fruit blended with water and sweetener).
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