Welcome to Mexico City also known as CDMX and formerly known as DF, District Federal. The DF name has been used for two centuries in Mexico, but as of 2016 the city has decided to change their name to CDMX, Ciudad de Mexico. Just like the DC in the United States, DF was for Mexico. Under its new status, Mexico City will have the same legislative powers over public finance and security.
To you as a tourist, this won’t really matter but I’m telling you this so you won’t refer to the city as DF. Mexico City is the largest city in the Western Hemisphere. Some say it is Sao Paulo in Brazil or perhaps they are near the same size. Does it really matter? No! They are too massive cities and you can have fun in either place. Although you need to be bilingual, knowing Spanish or Portuguese because English is not so common in said cities. You can get by using English in the touristic districts such as La Condensa of Mexico City but I recommend a language crash course. I have one available as a bonus in my ebook deluxe bundle.
Below is a list of popular bars by neighborhood in the touristic areas. As big as the city is, it’s just impossible to visit every bar. During my time there, I visited bars in the La Condensa, Juarez, and Roma. Venturing out further to different areas can take more than 15 minutes by car and will result in additional gems. It really does take a months to get to know the city well.
The neighborhoods La Condensa, Roma, and Juarez are excellent choices because of relative safety, locations with probability of English-speaking staff and Mexicans who are into foreigners. Those areas get many foreigners and tourists alike. You can expect to see people from the states, Canada, France, Spain, Germany, Netherlands and more.
The downside to those areas is higher prices, more competition if you are a single male and lots of traffic. Still it’s totally manageable compared to 1st-tier cities in the states. If the streets were congested, I took a bike from one of the three bike sharing services. You can pre-game by buying beers at one of the many convenient stores. Just do this before midnight and drink quickly because Mexico City is one of the few places which prohibits drinking on the street.
My favorite pre-game drink there is a pint of Grand Dougles for 22 pesos. That’s just over a dollar and zero carbohydrates. It’s just 5% whiskey mixed with carbonated water. Too bad not all convenient stores have them. If you read my Guadalaraja nightlife guide then you know the nightlife in that city starts late on the weekends after 11pm. Well, get ready earlier in Mexico City. When 11pm hits the clock most bars will be populated especially in Condensa. I recommend going out at 10pm.
Advisory
Before venturing out and going wild in the city, I must advise you that some night clubs utilize ID profiling technology. If you don’t know what I mean see this website. While most people may glaze this over, the truth is that when you enter the venue, a bouncer will scan your ID which gets saved for an indefinite amount of time, then any action you take inside the club is being recorded. This means your face can be matched from the camera footage so be careful what you do.
Onto to the list… Scroll to the bottom for descriptions of each bar.
Bars in Condensa
- Peralta $$ Av. Tamaulipas 50, Hipódromo
- Phoenix Bar $$$ Cadereyta 16, Colonia Condesa
- Wallace Whiskey Bar $$ Av. Tamaulipas 45, Colonia Condesa
- Nyiuyorquina $ Av. Tamaulipas 30, Hipódromo
- Salon Pata Negra $$ Av. Tamaulipas 30, Hipódromo
- Ice Bar $$ Av Nuevo León 73, Hipódromo
- Savu $$ Av Nuevo León 73, Hipódromo
- Hookah Lounge $$ Campeche 284, Hipódromo
The great thing about Condensa is the concentration of bars within 3-4 blocks. There’s a heavy police presence on the weekend but you can occasionally spot fights or drunk patrons being booted by bouncers.
Take your time walking around and finding a location that suites your taste. This applies to Juarez/zona rosa which covers four city blocks. On the west side of Juarez, you will find the LGBT scene with dozens of bars to choose from just by looking from the outside. I didn’t check out the inside of the bars here so I can’t make recommendations.
Bars in Juarez (Zona Rosa)
- La Terraza $$ Calle Génova 25, Juárez, Cuauhtémoc
- A Dios Le Pido $ Calle Génova 21, Juárez, Cuauhtémoc
Going one block to the east in Juarez, you will run into the street with massive foot traffic and no vehicles except at the intersections. Get to this spot before 10pm and observe the pedestrians. Go sit in one of the outdoor bars and scope out the scene. Say hola to any cutie walking by and start a conversation. You will see girls visiting from out of town. If they are from the north they dress nicer.
This actually happened to me on several occasions just sitting at the entrance of a bar drinking a beer. When I saw cuties walking by, I’ll I had to do is wave my hand whenever they made eye contact. They came to my table surprisingly shy yet friendly. It’s easy to see that people there are walking at a slow pace to have a fun night and get drunk. Even though Mexicans drink a lot, I was pleased to see that there wasn’t anybody falling or vomiting on the street like you see in the states and South Korea.
The difference between La Condensa and Juarez is that in Juarez you can walk around more and meet people outside because of all the outdoor bars. While in Condensa, everybody goes inside bars because very few of them have outdoor seating and more commonly dance bars with two floors.
Salsa Dancing
- Mama Rumba $$ Calle Querétaro 230, Roma Nte
- Salsa Condensa Dance Club Gral. Salvador Alvarado 20, Hipódromo,
- Mambo café Insurgentes $$$ Av de los Insurgentes Sur 644, Col del Valle Centro
While it’s possible to dance salsa in most bars since they play top mixes of music, it’s better to go to a dedicated salsa bar for live music, beautiful women and skilled dancers. The three main salsa places I found in Condensa and Roma were good quality and catered to different age groups.
The following are the descriptions of each venue from personal experience:
Peralta
I would describe Peralta as a dive bar with friendly service, good music and occasional dancing. This is a great all-around place but it’s small. You can go alone, with a date or a friend to enjoy reggaeton music. There’s space to stand, sit inside and outside. Go there for a few drinks to warm up before going to a bigger club.
Phoenix Bar
Right at the corner of Peralta, you will see Phoenix Bar. It makes a great segue place. It gets packed on the weekends and there will be a waiting line at 11pm. Not only that but the bartenders will charge any price they want for drinks. You can ask for the menu but they probably won’t show it to you. The cheapest drink is a beer for 60 pesos and I’ve had bartenders ask 70 and 80 pesos. It’s clear they take advantage of foreigners here.
It’s only one floor with a decent-sized dance floor and top music. Attendance includes sexy local women as well as many foreigners. If you don’t drink much, you can still have a good time here and find your next date. It’s not too loud here so you can chat at the bar and pull a girl to dance with ease. For some strange reason this place isn’t great yet it’s very popular.
Wallace Whiskey Bar
Across the street, you cross a median and find Wallace Whiskey Bar. The loudest whiskey bar I’ve ever been to. Drinks start at 45 pesos for a beer. There is plenty of some seating in the front and the side of the bar but you will have a difficult time hearing a conversation unless you go to the back of the bar. There’s a second floor but it’s only the bathroom.
I like the classy decorations inside and it makes a great date place but going solo is not recommended. I would recommend this as a backup bar or a place to take a date.
Nyiuyorquina
If you are having difficulty to pronounce this bar’s name like I did, then break down the word into syllables. Say “New Yorkina”. That’s exactly what it sounds like in Spanish. The bar is an all-around great bar and you can see what’s inside from the glass windows. No need to waste time waiting in line if you don’t like what you see inside. The drinks are affordable, almost everyone is standing and the music is good. What else could you ask for?
There are standing tables should you have a group or just want to hang out by the entrance, but after a certain hour you will have to buy a bottle to reserve a table. They won’t let you hold a table just with beers. That’s the only downside of New Yorkina.
Salon Pata Negra
At first impression, you think this is just one venue since a crowd forms and you can see the inside through the glass walls, however Pata Negra is actually two venues. There’s an adjacent entrance to go to the second floor which is much larger than the first floor. While each of them get crowded on the weekends, you can barely move on the first floor. It’s a restaurant where they remove the table and people standing to watch sports.
The second floor has two areas with big dance floors and two different DJs. You can enjoy a variety of music including latin music in the front and electronica in the back. They even switch back and forth so music can be random. Nonetheless, this place is perfect for being solo, finding women and dancing. It’s frequently visited by locals and foreigners alike. Thankfully, it’s got less attitude and friendlier bartenders than Phoenix bar.
La Terraza
In the Juarez neighborhood, it’s best to meet people on the street before choosing a bar since bar choices are abundant. Also most places are tables only there. La Terraza is unique because it has giant glass windows for great views of the strip and excellent service. Even a DJ that gets the crowd rowdy. Girls were actually standing on their chairs here.
While this bar is great, it is only tables so come with a friend for sure. When the crowd gets rowdy you can mingle around without a problem. It is also a place where a group of girls were gawking at me so I had no choice but to approach them and see what’s up. It was a group of four girls and one guy celebrating a birthday.
A Dios Le Pido
If you’re a cumbia lover, you will like this place. It’s not easy to find because it’s on the second floor and has no windows. I happened to enter because the promoter told me they had cumbia inside. This place also has tables but no need to get bottle service. Another bonus is karaoke later in the night. I got there before 11pm before they started the song list. It’s better to go here with a friend or after finding someone to tag along.
Salsa Condensa Dance Club
This is mainly a dance school which has dance socials. It is very close to metro Patriotismo and has a website salsacondesa.com. You can join almost any day of the week but don’t expect to get drunk here and have too much fun. It’s a good place to start if you’re a beginner and don’t care to drink.
This is actually not a party venue nor bar but it’s a great place to practice salsa. It seems to be open everyday of the week and first lesson starts at 7pm. They offer different styles of Latin dancing and sell tickets in packets. Come hear to sweat rather than drunk.
Mambo Cafe Insurgentes
This place is more modern, upscale, and spacious thus charging premium prices. It can be a hit or miss depending on the day you go. I noticed an older crowd here and more males than females. Thursday night was not busy so if you go, give try Friday or Saturday.
Mama Rumba
Out of all three, Mama Rumba is the most popular as they offer one hour of salsa lessons from 9pm-10pm included with the cover charge. Even if you arrive after 10pm you still have to pay a fee. It is 120 pesos, $6 USD on Fridays/Saturdays, 100 pesos on Wednesdays/Thursdays. The lessons take place on two floors with beginners on the second floor, intermediate and advanced on the first floor.
If you don’t want to take lessons, get there at 10pm. By midnight most people are paired up or just exhausted since most hotties will always have a guy grab her to dance between songs. Pro tip here for ordering drinks is to get them from the first bar by the entrance. Service is slow from waiters when it’s busy but its less crowded upfront. You can also order from the 2nd floor bar but that floor may not be open every night.
That summarizes my list of recommended venues you can enjoy in the touristic neighborhoods. Don’t let your guard down just because it’s a safe neighborhood, stuff can still go wrong. If you want to be adventures, there are bars in centro and all over Mexico City but I think you will get comfortable in La Condensa and Roma. Locals are friendly and will take interest in you.
While you are in Mexico, don’t forget to check out Guadalajara and my comparison of the two cities.