Mérida - Nightlife
What to see, what to do and where to go in Mérida at night time?
Name the night of the week and we’ll let you know what is going on in Mérida! Do you want a bar scene? A sidewalk café? A candlelight dinner? A taco place where the locals eat? Do you want to watch people 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 meet people on and around the Main Plaza. A popular local place is the Dulceria Colon el parque Hidalgo (Calle 60 between 61 and 59.) Or you can visit the cafés along the cobble stoned 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. On the north side of the Plaza there are some nice sidewalk cafés under the arches of the Olimpo Cultural Center.
Saturday nights are called "Corazon de Mérida" (Heart of Mérida.) This is when Calle 60 is closed off to traffic from the Main Plaza up to Calle 55 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, stilt walkers and other shows. Locals are dancing on the sidewalk to hot Salsa rythms and every once in a while you can watch local gentlemens giving "private Salsa classes" for tourists.
Every saturday night at the end of Paseo Montejo and Calle 47 there is a dancing and music festival called "Fiesta Mexicana". Here you will find vendors, food booths, music and dancing shows 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 and has 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.
Trova music, the romantic music of Yucatán, can be enjoyed daily at the Hotel Mérida Mision (Calle 60 and 57) – the entrance is right on the corner.
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 p.m. Night life starts late and then goes on till sunrise if you have to stamina!
For many people, 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 candlelight dinner in an
exclusive restaurant.
Pancho’s Restaurant - Bar on Calle 59 between 60 and 62 is a classic with a tropically Mexican revolutionary ambiance, good food and music. This is a real cosmopolitan fun place.
Open 6 p.m. to 3 a.m. Don’t get there too early!
La Parranda on Calle 60 by 59, is another fun restaurant-bar that is another fun place with fun 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 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 to die for!
The following is the night time version of what the locals do in the north part of town along the Paseo Montejo and the Prolongacion Paseo Montejo.
El Cielo Lounge - bar is open from Thursday to Saturday. Here you will find all kinds of music – not just lounge music. Part of the location is open air "under the stars". The decoration is very special - with sofas all in white, colorful lights and a huge bar. El Cielo is a very famous place and Thursdays and
Fridays are very popular for their open bar.
Saturday night is pop night. This is where Mérida’s “beautiful people” hang out!
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 unique
in Mérida! The dim lighting and the smell of
Shisha (waterpipe) certainly add to the nice and
relaxing atmosphere. It makes you think you
were in another world! Don’t miss their list of
600 martinis!
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!
Tequila Rock is a disco with a wide variety of music, with mostly pop. Thursdays offer open bar and Saturdays are VIP – which means everyone! Tequila is where Mérida’s younger “beautiful people” hang out.
If you want to be the star and sing Karaoke head to Canta Mexico on the Prolongacion Paseo 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, 6 in the Centro Siglo XXI also in the north part of town and 12 in the Cineopolis in the west part of town at the Plaza de las Americas, where the Mambo Café is located. Additionally a lot of new Plazas were built in the last couple years all around the city of Mérida. There you can also find cinemas.
Mérida has something for everybody!
Note: This page has been created for you to get familiar with the beautiful city of Mérida, its surrounding and our culture. Services, opening hours and prices can vary. We sincerely hope you find the information provided useful and informative.
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