56 Best Bars in Mexico City, Mexico

You'll find some of the city's most esteemed mixologists slinging drinks in this swanky cocktail bar in a grand old house off Cibeles. The menu changes regularly, but you might try El Viejo Reyes with Ancho Reyes (a poblano and ancho-chile liqueur from Puebla), Siete Misterios Doba-Yej mezcal, Angostura bitters, and flaming orange oil, or Gin Gin's take on a mule with Bombay Sapphire, ginger, yerba buena, cane syrup, lime, and soda. There are tasty food options, too. There are additional locations in Condesa, on the eastern side of Roma Norte, and in Polanco, but this one has the most inviting ambience.

Open since 2005 as part of a larger project to revitalize Centro Histórico, La Bota has since become a neighborhood institution. Set in a long, convivial room, its walls plastered with pictures and objects, the space participates in cultural and literary projects for the neighborhood while providing one of the warmest, coziest places around for a beer and Spanish-inflected snacks like pan de tomate and cheese and meat boards.

This small bar serves up some of the best sushi in Del Valle as well as inventive cocktails featuring Mexican and international liquors. Dark and intimate, the space relies heavily on a Japanese industrial aesthetic, with concrete, stainless steel, and wood all put to good use. There are DJs on the weekends, and it gets pretty rollicking at night. 

One of the relatively few terrace bars in the city, La Azotea ("The Rooftop") occupies a small space in the restored art deco building known as Barrio Alameda. Technically a restaurant serving sandwiches and grilled meat, La Azotea is a beautiful place for an afternoon beer (they have a good list of craft brews) with gorgeous views over the trees of the Alameda and the spire of the Torre Latino. It closes early at 10:30 pm.

The largest bar inside the inviting and seemingly always busy Mercado del Carmen, La Barra sits right at the entrance to the food hall and is a great spot for creative cocktails and artisanal mezcal. You can drink at the bar or enjoy your libations with food at one of the hall's communal tables.

A trendy, youthful crowd congregates in this always-busy bar co-owned by actor Diego Luna and decorated with pop-art murals. You can sometimes catch alternative and rock bands performing, and there's better-than-average bar food (burgers, Jamaica quesadillas, seafood tacos, etc.) along with an extensive selection of mezcal and other top-shelf booze.

A small mezcalería located in the Hotel Downtown, La Botica is easily the best place in Centro Histórico for a mezcal. Though mezcalerías have proliferated in the area in the hopes of luring in tourists, few serve as respectable a selection in such a pleasant spot, with a list of 35 distillates from across the county and balcony views over the street below.

With its endearingly faded elegance and beguiling collection of vintage bullfighting artwork, costumes, and memorabilia, this cavernous cantina from the 1950s feels decidedly from another era. Along with its wonderful neighbor, Bar Mancera, it occupies the 1535 Palacio del Marqués de Selva Nevada. Although international hipsters have gained a foothold, La Faena still entices a steady flow of old-timers and often features mariachis, live Latin jazz, and dancing.

Part of a national chain, La No. 20 is an upscale cantina with slick decor and high-end mixology service. Mariachi bands roam the bar, while young professionals dine on satisfying (if pricey) old-school Mexican cuisine. Try to nab a table on the terrace for the full experience.

One of the city's classic watering holes has attracted top personalities since it opened in 1870. Don't forget to have your waiter point out the bullet hole in the ceiling allegedly left by Mexican revolutionary hero Pancho Villa. Come at night for live mariachi and good tequila.

One of the best, and certainly the most famous, of the city's remaining pulquerías, La Duelistas is most first-timers' bar of choice for sampling fermented agave sap. Always busy, Las Duelistas is a psychedelic trip of a place. Try a sampler of the day's curados (pulques flavored with pureed fruits and vegetables). Just keep in mind that it's cash-only.

At the W Hotel, Living Room is a lounge-style bar packed with intriguing design touches and creative cocktails. Living Room has a more happening ambience than your average hotel bar, thanks to resident DJs that spin regularly in the evenings.

Zona Rosa's prime hangout for bearish gay guys and their admirers actually draws a pretty varied crowd. It acts as a generally more mature alternative to the more raucous crowds you'll find in many of the bars around the corner on Calle Amberes. It's open only Thursday through Saturday night.

An emblematic pulquería of the colonia Doctores, Hija de los Apaches is a perfect place for a prefight drink before wandering a block over to Arena México. Serving up mugs of fermented agave, flavored in house with pureed fruits and vegetables, Hija de los Apaches turns into a salsa club most evenings of the week. There's no doubt it's a lively, down-to-earth, singularly Mexico City kind of place.

The famed cervecería opened this flagship cantina in 1928, three years after Corona beer was launched. Still a popular hangout for people who live or work in the neighborhood, it is one of the friendliest joints in town, and now boasts three other locations in Centro (all inexplicably within a two-block radius) and another in the Zona Rosa. Try a torta of pulpo (octopus) or pierna (roast pork leg) with your giant mug of beer. Photos on the wall show the clientele reacting to the 1986 World Cup at the heartbreaking moment defeat was snatched from the jaws of victory by the national team.

This long bustling bar ranks among the city's most popular pool halls. Since there's often a wait for the tables (it's two-for-one games before 4 pm), the bar area is an always buzzy gathering spot. There are often contemporary photography exhibits on the walls, and pretty good pub fare is served, too.

A small bar with delicious cocktails, Scotch is a great place to stop after dinner in Polanco. Although ccasionally filled with smoke from cigarettes or sparklers, the music and the vibes make up for that.

Serving Mexican and imported artisanal beer, including three brands brewed on-site (you’ll be engulfed by the scent of malt while you imbibe), seating at this small bar is mostly communal and against dark walls with tattoo-style art. Snacks (including charcuterie plates and guacamole with grasshoppers and pork rinds) are served each afternoon, with a special brunch menu on Sunday.

This expansive rooftop bar at the edge of the Plaza de República combines elements of modernist chic, tiki bar greenery, and Mexican crafts in a way that, against all odds, works beautifully. Combine that with extraordinary views of the Monument of the Revolution and this makes for a great place to spend an afternoon or evening over beers (or something stronger).

A dark back room and naked, muscular, bar-top dancers make for a cruise-y atmosphere at this long-popular Condesa gay bar. It doesn't attract as much leather gear anymore, but is a favorite of otters, bears, and guys who favor Scruff as their favorite hookup app.