It’s no secret that Mérida has amazing nightlife - from modern bars to traditional
cantinas to Irish Pubs (yes, we have them here too) - there’s huge diversity, great
music and great drinks! As seasoned veterans of the local bar scene, we put together
our guide to the best bars in Mérida centro. These are the places we love to visit on
our Friday night bar crawls and other events - if you’d like to join us, there’s more
information below.

La Negrita
When it comes to Mérida’s cantinas, La Negrita is the one. This iconic local hangout
is open from 12 pm-10 pm every day and its colourful, deceptively large beer garden
is sheltered by trees (if you go while the sun’s up, you will be thankful – believe us).
There’s live music every night (tropical, salsa and Latin flavours) and a huge menu of
food and drinks. Drinks range from local Yucatán brews to litre jars of cocktails and a
wide variety of mezcals, there are free snacks, and during daily happy hour (5-8 pm)
you can get a beer for less than 20 pesos ($1USD). There’s a reason La Negrita has
become one of the city’s most popular hangouts, and we love it there!

Pipiripau
Named after this song, Pipiripau is one of the most welcoming, friendly and exciting
spots to hole up for a beer or three, a mezcal or two (careful), a margarita or… a few
margaritas, and some delicious tacos, empanadas, or whatever else floats your boat.
Pipiripau also has a great outdoor area, adorned with calaveras, Frida Kahlo, and the
patron saint of Pipiripau, Chico Che. Come Friday, the place is packed out with
people partying and dancing to the live salsa bands and DJs on offer. This is a latenight
joint, opening at 5 pm and staying open till 2:30 am - making it one of our
favourite places to end a bar crawl!

Mayan Pub
This is a distinctly Mérida take on a more traditional pub… by which we mean it has a
pool table and foosball. Mayan also has a massive beer garden (are you detecting a
theme yet?) with live bands and music ranging from Latin and salsa vibes to straightup
pub rock. Happy hour is 8:30-10:30 pm where you can get a cubeta (bucket) of
five beers for 100 pesos, and 2 for 1 margaritas along with cheap spirits.

Murciégalo Mezcaleria
Like your mezcal? Or perhaps just curious to try a few different types? Well, this is the
spot for you... Oh, there are a few other reasons as well... Like the great music. Or the
food. Or the modern interior. Or the incredible selection of classic and house special
cocktails. This bar is central and has a much smaller, more intimate vibe than many
of the other places around town. The service is great, and so are the drinks. They
offer a wide variety of promotions (a burger, a beer AND a mezcal for $119 MXN?!).
There's a reason we host our weekly Language Exchanges here (Wednesdays 7-9pm,
2-for-1 cocktails on offer!).

Dzalbay Cantina
Dzalbay Cantina is without a doubt one of the best spots for music in the city. It was
started by four guys (one from Mérida, one from France, one from Spain and one
from the US) who met at the Yucatán Symphony Orchestra where three play
instruments and one is the orchestra’s librarian. So to say they know music is an
understatement, and we are more than happy to reap the benefits of their
knowledge. You can head there any night of the week to hear anything from jazz,
blues or rock, to Cuban sounds, to obscure / vintage vinyl DJs playing the best tunes
from their crates. The beer is cheap (about 25 pesos, or $2 USD) and cold, and with
a more traditional cantina closing time of 10 pm, you can get your live music fix and
still be home at a reasonable hour.

La Fundación Mezcaleria
We’ll cut straight to the point with this one. The Mezcaleria runs a promo where you
can get two shots of mezcal and one beer for 50 pesos ($2.70 USD). Seriously. With
value like that, it’s impossible not to like this local treasure! But there are many more
reasons that we love to spend our time here - the party atmosphere, the free salsa
classes on Wednesdays, the beer garden and the music selection of local DJs. It’s
open till 3 and a great place to let your hair down!
You can find us at these places and more on our fortnightly pub crawls, every second
Friday. They are open to anyone and you can find more details (and amazing party
videos) on our Instagram. See you at one soon!