Nightlife in Mérida

What to see, what to do, where to go in Mérida at night

Name the night of the week you want to go out on the town and we'll let you know what is happening! Do you want a bar scene? A sidewalk café? A candlelit dinner? A taco place where the locals eat? Do you want to people watch and take in the local culture? Do you want to dance? Would you like to take in a concert? Sing karaoke? Listen to Yucatecan trova music? See an English speaking movie? Let your hair down? Take a city tour? Check out a local club? Mérida has 101 things to do at night. Of course, the night of the week dictates how hopping things will be.

There are basically two versions of life in our city - the tourist version in the downtown area and the local version in the north part of town.

Let's start with things to do in the Historical Center. This is where you will find the true typically charming flavor of Mérida, where even the locals go when they want a special night out. Restaurants are open every night.

You can people watch on and around the Main Plaza. A popular local place is the Dulcería Colon on the north side of the Plaza. This is where you can savor a fruit sorbet like VIP guests do when they visit Mérida. There are sidewalk cafes under the arches of the Olimpo Cultural Center. Other outdoor cafes are around Parque Hidalgo (Calle 60 between 61 and 59.)  Or you can visit the cafes along the cobblestoned street between the Peon Contreras Theater and the Jesus Church (Calle 60 between 59 and 57.) There are Guatemalan and local vendors around both these parks. They offer their wares but don't hassle you with hard sells.

Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights are called Corazón de Mérida (Heart of Merida.) This is when Calle 60 is closed off to traffic from the Main Plaza up to Calle 55 from 9 pm to 2 am and the restaurants and bars put their tables and chairs in the street. This is literally an open-air fiesta as there are bands on every block, stiltwalkers and other shows. On Saturday nights you can also go to Fiesta Mexicana at the beginning of the Paseo Montejo at Calle 47. Here you will find vendors, food booths and Mexican folkloric entertainment all in the open air.

If you are looking for clubs, there are several in the downtown area where you will find the local crowds. Ay Caray on Calle 60 between 57 and 55 is an upstairs bar that is popular with the younger crowd, noisy, with a pool table.  Azul Picante and KY60 are also places where you can dance the night away. The first is a salsa club and the other has a variety of music from tropical to pop.

If it is Thursday, Friday or Saturday night and salsa is your fancy, grab a taxi and go to Mambo Café! But remember, get there around 11 PM. Night life starts late and then goes on till sunrise if you have the stamina!

For many, a night out on the town starts with a delicious dinner that can be something as simple as some tacos or as elegant as a candlelit dinner in an exclusive restaurant.

Pancho's Restaurant-Bar on Calle 59 between 60 and 62 is a classic with a tropical Mexican revolutionary ambiance, good food and music. This is a fun, cosmopolitan place. Open 6 pm to 1:30 am. Don't get there too early!

La Parranda on Calle 60 at 59, is another fun restaurant-bar with colorful decor and good Mexican cuisine.  This is a good place "to drink 2" as the locals say.

If you are looking for a more Bohemian type of place for dinner, La Casa de Frida on Calle 61 is a very Mexican niche with excellent food. Try their chilies en nogada - they are fantastic. Amaro Restaurant on Calle 59 between 60 and 62 is a restaurant-bar that offers vegetarian cuisine and on weekends they have trova music for those that like our local music. The garden patio here is a must!

The following is the nighttime version of what the locals do in the north part of town along the Paseo Montejo and the Prolongación Montejo.

Slavia Restaurant-bar is located right across the street from the Monument to the Flag and is an excellent place to begin the evening with dinner and a drink. Their eclectic French Oriental decor is great! And the dim lighting certainly adds to the atmosphere. Don't miss their list of 600 martinis!

La Tratto is another classic where you can have a wonderful dinner with their multiple promotions or just have a drink at the open-air bar. Known as South Beach Miami of Mérida, you will find lots of locals here. La Tratto's sister restaurant is Trotter's, where you will find a more elegant atmosphere. The food is also guaranteed to be good here.

La Hach in the lobby of the Hotel Fiesta Americana is an excellent bar to have a drink while listening to live music.

La Parranda from downtown, has a branch restaurant in the north part of town- a place that is always busy with an almost full house each night. Because of their good Mexican food and promotions, this is a hopping place!

El Cielo Lounge is a bar that is open from Thursday to Saturday. You will find all kinds of music here - not just lounge music. Open air and under the stars, the decoration is minimalist and all in white with a huge bar. This is a very popular place on Thursdays and Fridays. Saturday night is pop night. This is where Mérida's "beautiful people" hang out!

Tequila Rock is a disco with a wide variety of music, with mostly pop. Thursdays offers the free bar and Saturdays are VIP - which means everyone! Tequila is where Mérida's younger "beautiful people" like to go.

If you want to be the star and sing Karaoke head to Canta Mexico on the Prolongación Montejo. They have a wide selection of music in English and Spanish.

For movies in English, there are 12 cinemas in the Gran Plaza in the north part of town, six in the Centro Siglo XXI also in the north part of town and 12 in the Cinepolis in the west part of town at the Plaza de las Americas, where the Mambo Café is located. The newest shopping plazas in town, Altabrisa and Galerías, have cinemas as well.

Mérida has something for everyone!

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