Bars and Boozehalls

Café No Sé: Café No Sé publishes this magazine, so it should come as no surprise that it gets top billing from The Insider. Come on down and see us. We’ve got live music almost every night, debauchery is encouraged and sins are forgiven. More than that, we’ve go a new bar that’s 15 feet of hardwood, comfortable stools, smart bartenders and hot chicks. What more could you want?
Also, be sure to try some Ilegal Mezcal while you’re here. We make it in Oaxaca, smuggle it across the border, serve it to our customers and watch as their worlds change.

Café Sky: Café Sky is the place to be for sunsets in Antigua. Their roof terrace offers clear views of all three volcanoes, their frozen drinks can’t be beat. Arrive early, as the terrace seats go quick. After sunset, head downstairs to the bar and lounge for a bite to eat (go for the Filet Mignon) and a chat with either Tom or Cris, they’re both great guys.

El Muro: What a neighborhood joint should be. Great music, mostly classic rock, and always at least one sexy bartender who will allow you to fall in love with her right up until the time she tosses you out on your ass. Our favorite part of the bar is the mix of locals and ex-pats always ready to bend your ear or have theirs bent.

Rainbow Café: Rainbow Café: The Rainbow Café is an Antigua institution - they’ve been here for 16 years. For all that time they have served locals and travelers delicious meals and great booze in a relaxed atmosphere. Their stage provides a venue for local and traveling musicians and every Tuesday night at 5:30 the Rainbow hosts a lecture on topics of local, regional and global interest. Sometimes it’s a presentation by a local NGO, sometimes a social history lesson - but always compelling and thoughtful. Live music starts nightly at 7:30.

Reilly’s Irish Pub:: Reilly’s provides the gear for a proper night on the piss. They serve excellent pub grub to help you form the all important base of stomach settling carbs so you can get sloppy at the right pace. Their motto, “Come as Strangers, Leave as Friends,” is lovely, but not entirely accurate. Our edit would be, “Come as Strangers, Stagger Home as Friends.”
Do not miss the weekly Pub Quiz. Sunday evenings, 6:30PM.

The Rum Bar: Fairly new joint in town, and one of our favs. JP, the owner, is from New Orleans and brought down a love for good booze and amazing food. The bowl of jambalaya is, simply, the best deal in town. During the day, JP also runs a language and a cooking school from the same locale.

El Chaman: If you’re over on the west side of town looking for a chill place to hang, down some drinks and get a filling feed that won’t break the bank, check out our friends over at El Chaman. In some ways, they are a great compliment to their east side companeros at Café No Sé - but they’ve also got their own very cool vibe going on. Tell ‘em we sent ya.

Bistrot 5: The bossman at the Bistrot has just done some remodeling, and while we don’t know dick about Fung Shui, we do know the importance of bar placement and business flow - the Bistrot bar has always been a great place to get loose, but their new ambience (combined with the best happy hour deals in town) have made it even more fun for the local loons. Come on by and see us between 6 and 8 PM if you want to catch the drink and food specials.