mexico city nightlife

Mexico City NightlifeA night out on the town in Mexico City often means hitting a nightclub or spending the evening at a lobby bar in one of the big hotels. A nightclub tour is an easy and safe way to visit some of the city's hot spots, since transportation and reservations are pre-arranged for you. These tours usually last several hours and include dinner at a nice restaurant and perhaps a show or a stop at famed Plaza Garibaldi. Check with your hotel's concierge service for tour recommendations or ask your AAA travel agent for help with planning a nightclub tour.

For a retreat high above the crowded streets and breathtaking views of the capital, find a rooftop bar. You can start the night off with a drink or make an evening of it and have dinner as well. Most rooftop bars are open late, especially on Friday and Saturday evenings.

Miralto , on the 41st floor of the Latin-American Tower, serves cocktails and martinis and has a dinner menu heavy on Italian, French and Spanish influences. Bellini , on the 45th floor of the World Trade Center building (Torre WTC) at Avenida Insurgentes Sur and Calle Montecito, bills itself as the world's biggest revolving restaurant. The panoramic city views are usually complemented by live entertainment in the form of a pianist or a jazz band.

Area Bar , on the top floor of the Habita Hotel, Av. Presidente Masaryk #201 in Polanco, morphs from a pool lounge area by day to an upscale bar after the sun goes down, with comfortable seating and an outdoor fireplace for chilly evenings. Balmori Roofbar , Calle Zacatecas #139 in the Roma neighborhood, is architecturally innovative, with minimalist décor, greenery and a paneled roof that opens up when the weather's warm. Cool DJ music attracts a well-dressed crowd of twenty-somethings, and the line to get in can be long.

Cantinas, small, dimly lit places usually filled with hard-drinking patrons, should be avoided for the most part in Mexico City. One exception, however, is La Opera Bar, Av. 5 de Mayo #10 at Calle Providencia. During the day this is a crowded lunch spot, with jacketed waiters and formal service. In the evening dinner is served, but the gilded ceiling, mirrored walls, dark paneled booths and clubby feel also make La Opera a popular spot for an early evening cocktail. Your waiter is likely to show you the bullet hole Pancho Villa supposedly once fired into the ceiling.

Colonia Condesa provides a more laid-back neighborhood setting for evening socializing than the Historic Center. Salón Malafama , Calle Michoacán #78, is a casual hangout with pool tables downstairs and tables upstairs where you can play chess or dominoes. Fever , Av. Nuevo León #67 (near Parque España), is a club with a retro '70s disco vibe that attracts dolled-up crowds who come to dance to DJ-spun house, funk and soul music.

El Hijo del Cuervo , Calle Jardín Centenario #17 in Coyoacán, is frequented by hip students and a mix of locals and foreigners. This bar and restaurant has an outdoor terrace and is located right on Jardín Centenario, Coyoacán's plaza, which makes it a perfect spot to chill with sangria or a beer and people-watch. Sip a traditional margarita and listen to a mariachi band at Bar Jorongo at Paseo de la Reforma #325. The bar has a cover charge.

If you're seeking a true Mexican nightlife experience, head to Plaza Garibaldi. Between calles República de Peru and República de Honduras, about 5 blocks north of the Palace of Fine Arts (M: Garibaldi, line 8), this square is ruled by mariachi bands who serenade paying customers every night of the week. The typical band setup includes a violin, trumpet, guitar and a heart-tugging vocalist who almost always sings about the struggles of love.

Decked out in tight-fitting, silver-spangled costumes and wide-brimmed sombreros, the musicians unabashedly solicit business from the throngs of people crowding the plaza (about $5 U.S. for a song). Sunday night is the best time to hear music in the square itself. Mariachis also perform in the surrounding cantinas and clubs, which stay open into the wee hours. If you're wondering where to eat near Plaza Garibaldi, the restaurant and nightclub Salón Tenampa, on the north side of the plaza, puts on first-rate mariachi shows. At other establishments you can sit and listen to the mariachis while nibbling botanas (snacks).

Plaza Garibaldi is at its most lively late at night and is a traditional last stop for an evening on the town, but the surrounding neighborhood has long been a sketchy one, filled with cheap hotels and gaudy burlesque theaters. In recent years an overhaul spruced up both the plaza and the surrounding blocks. Even so, guard your belongings against pickpockets, and arrange for round-trip taxi transportation from your hotel. Some places will try to gouge money from tourists by raising quoted prices for food and drinks, so stick to the larger, well-known establishments.

Note: Always be careful when venturing out after dark anywhere in Mexico City, even in tourist-centric areas like the Zona Rosa and Polanco. The Metro is not recommended as a way of getting around at night, and you should never hail a taxi on the street. The safest way to travel is to make drop-off and pickup arrangements with your hotel taxi service. Thieves also frequent the popular nightlife districts, so carry a minimum of cash and watch your personal belongings carefully.