Mexico Guide
Oaxaca
Nightlife
1 Caffe del Borgo Matamoros 100 Tiny, popular Italian bar where ebullient Oaxaqueños rub shoulders with language students and tourists around high tables while enjoying beers, aperitifs or coffees, all to a deafening soundtrack that ranges from soft rock to salsa and indie alternative.
2 Candela Murguia 413 
951/514-2010. Set in a charming colonial house, Candela is a restaurant by day, but the place really comes alive after 11pm when the dancefloor is packed with locals and tourists coming to practise their salsa, rumba and merengue, accompanied by a live band. Try to arrive before 10pm at the weekend in order to secure a table. M$55 cover.
3 Casa del Mezcal Flores Magon 209 Longstanding, classic Mexican cantina in the market district with cheap shots of mescal.
4 La Cucaracha Porfirio Díaz 301-A It's hard to miss this roomy colonial-style bar with a roadhouse feel. If you want to expand your repertoire of tequila or mescal with a M$100 taster flight in a loud and often frenzied environment, this is the place. There is live entertainment and dancing at the weekend.
5 Decano 5 de Mayo 210 A folksy, cosy café, at night Decano is transformed into a lively bar with a varied selection of music and decent, inexpensive light meals. Full of young Oaxaqueños and foreigners, with a laid-back, bohemian feel.
6 La Divina Gurrion 104 Arguably the best bar in town, this friendly, funky space in front of Santo Domingo is decorated with masks and model animals; dripping candles on chunky wooden tables add a gothic feel. There is a good variety of beer, spirits and tequila, and unlike many other local bars, the music won't blow your ears off.
7 Freebar Matamoros 100 Dark and dingy space that becomes a packed madhouse on weekends, with locals and some foreigners dancing to alternative music and spilling into the street.
8 Hipótesis Morelos 511 A romantic, intimate little piano bar, with music starting around 10pm and small tables tucked in dark corners.
9 La Nueva Babel Porfirio Díaz 224 Loungey wine bar also serving coffee and snacks, and sometimes featuring live folk music and poetry readings. Opening time: Closed Sun
10 La Sol y La Luna Reforma 502 This restaurant by the cathedral has live jazz and occasional salsa dancing Thurs– Sat, from 9pm. M$45 cover.
11 La Tentación Matamoros 101. With just a few tables and two-for-one cocktails 5–8pm most nights, this is a good place for a happy hour cocktail. Depending on the season, there is live Latin music and rock (M$45 cover) from 9pm to midnight – it's often packed with sweaty, gyrating gringos and Mexicans.