Oaxaca City
This swanky tasting room is by far the best place in the city to visit if you want to learn about mezcal. Not only can the staff here teach you about how…
Must-see nightlife in Mexico
Tulum
Mojitos sweetened with freshly pressed cane sugar are the main attraction at this popular Cuban bar, with fun music acts in the rear garden. Most nights…
Cancún
Identified from the street only by a doorway and neon sign, Amarula blends dark, sultry style with the architectural details of an old Cancún house. The…
Zona Rosa & Reforma
Pre-Hispanic cacao is treated with artisanal respect at this pleasant outdoor plaza. The Mexican fermented hot chocolate has a deep, textured flavour…
Tijuana
Step into what seems like an aging shopping mall, to some gritty alleyways that, behold, house the heart of Tijuana's craft-beer scene as well as a slew…
San Cristóbal de las Casas
Coffee hounds, we've sniffed out the bean scene and this is the best place in town. Here's the checklist: single origin/single farmer production (tick)…
Condesa
This bar in affluent Condesa is dark enough to make everybody look lovely in a warm glow, with an excellent cocktail in hand. Knowledgeable, English…
Guadalajara
With smoke-yellowed walls and antique chandeliers dangling from high ceilings, this vintage dance hall simmers with the decaying glamour of Old Havana…
Chihuahua & Central North Mexico
Attached to the Posada de María, this is the go-to destination for Durango's best coffee. Friendly English-speaking baristas can prepare your high-quality…
Xalapa
The 'Coffee Flower' is one of Xalapa's top social hubs. It combines an artisan coffeehouse, with the intimate live music venue Cauz, which also doubles as…
Guanajuato
Not the place to come looking for a glass of wine…The Beer Company is a small narrow bar with a roof terrace and the best selection of craft beers …
Veracruz City
The baristas have won awards at this creative, third-wave coffeehouse that's a fab alternative to Veracruz's most traditional caffeine haunts. Its cold…
Bahías de Huatulco
Part of the success of Huatulco is that it can cough up something as cool as La Crema, a dark-lit upstairs bar where a thrown-together mesh of old sofas…
Ensenada
The oldest and perhaps liveliest cantina in the Californias has been serving tequila since 1892. A Friday or Saturday night will be packed with locals, a…
San Cristóbal de las Casas
By day Cocoliche is a bohemian restaurant with lots of Asian dishes, but in the evening its vintage lanterns and wall of funky posters set the scene for…
Mazatlán
The oldest and best of Mazatlán's three microbreweries, this award-winning, friendly neighborhood bar room serves four core beers, including a hoppy IPA,…
Roma
This romantically lit cocktail bar regularly ranks as one of the top 50 bars in the world and the best bar in Latin America. The service and cocktails…
Chihuahua & Central North Mexico
Mind-blowingly good coffee is dispensed at this sleek cafe, where coffee culture is taken seriously. The friendly and passionate baristas also sell…
Central Pacific Coast
Get your groove on at this popular on-the-beach bar where DJs spin funky electronic music or live salsa acts take the stage. Even during the quieter…
Manzanillo
At the center of Manzanillo's music, arts and surf scene, this hostel's beach bar hosts live bands on Saturday nights. The occasional surf tourney or art…
Cabo San Lucas
Escape the cesspool that is downtown Cabo San Lucas and regain your dignity at this classy rooftop bar, complete with trickling water features,…
Puerto Vallarta
Arrive after midnight in order to share sweat with attractive strangers on the dance floor to the pulsating beats of house and techno. If you come earlier…
Isla Mujeres
For a little local flavor, spend a lazy afternoon over cold drinks and free snacks in this atmospheric, fan-cooled Caribbean house. The jukebox selection…
Zacatecas
Founded in 1906, this oft-crowded classic is filled with bohemians, musicians, drunks and poets. The art showcases some well-known local and international…
Zona Rosa & Reforma
This is an underground bar, literally. Pass the hidden entrance into the moody interior, and Xaman resembles the laboratory of a cocktail cult. Herbs like…
Roma
This upstairs club-performance space is like being invited to Roma's coolest friend-of-a-friend's apartment for an intimate live performance or dance in…
Mérida
This place, run by a trio from Calabria, Italy, offers an ambitious 'manifesto' indeed: a revolution in coffee brought about by the fusing of Italian…
Querétaro
A shining light on the local drinking scene, the Lighthouse exudes elements of old with a recent polish (it originally opened in 1927 and is believed to…
Cuernavaca
Cuernavaca's coolest nightspot and hangout cafe, this French-owned place in a vintage-hip loft space downtown has good wines, local and imported beers and…
Barra de Navidad
Come morning, regulars and visitors turn up, and Alison serves them excellent Oaxacan coffee from a local roastery (free refills), along with a frequently…
Roma
Mix one part Mexican vintage decor, one shot of rock vibe and throw in mezcal, beer and snacks (including veg options) and you have a bar full to its low…
Puebla
This tiny bar among the antique stores of La Plazuela de Los Sapos has been serving liqueur shots for over century. Try sweet and strong la pasita (raisin…
Veracruz
Its sleek interior decked out with books on art, design and history, the region's loveliest coffee shop carefully sources its beans from select fincas …
Condesa
Long-standing Felina has come of age. Quiet confidence is felt in its low-level music, and in cocktails that don't rely on sweetness but leverage real…
Mazatlán
Tótem is hard to pin down. It's an airy cafe with a rooftop garden, an eclectic menu of breakfast dishes and light nibbles, and a particular passion for…
Mérida
This historic cantina is easily one of Mérida's most charming and atmospheric spots. Its gorgeous bar is original and there are several grand rooms for…
Tapachula
Given that Tapachula is the gateway to the Coffee Route (Chiapas' coffee fincas), it's surprising how few contemporary cafes there are here. Thanks to…
Chiapas
The young owner doesn't shout about her brews as much as we think she should. So we will. Come here for the best coffee in town and enjoy the locale's…
Veracruz
Some of the best coffee in Coatepec comes from a cafe with two tables and four chairs (five if you count the owner's). Owner Avelino Hernández – known…
Coyoacán & San Ángel
Enter through swinging saloon doors and head to the open-air patio, where wailing mariachis do their thing in this traditional drinking establishment –…
