The Top Bars In Puerto Vallarta Mexico

Built behind a glorious bay of golden sand dotted with rocky islands and crammed with big-name resorts, Puerto Vallarta is the capital of fun on the Pacific coast of Mexico. It’s a lively local community made up of Mexicans and foreigners who gather year-round in various bars around the city, many of which have live music and expertly crafted cocktails. Here are some of the very best.

Chictini

The best cocktails with a view? It’s hard to do better than Chictini, overlooking a turquoise pool and the shimmering Pacific Ocean. The cocktails are excellent – especially the house margaritas and the mezcal fusions. There’s also decent botana bar food, with Mexican staples such as tacos, nachos and guacamole, and happy hour deals include large pitchers of white wine sangria.

The Top Sky bar

Roxy Rock House

At Roxy Rock House, cover bands play everything from Zeppelin and the Beatles to Santana and Guns N’ Roses every night after 11pm, and Jack Daniels is available by the bottle. It’s one of the top spots on the Mexican Pacific, attracting vacationers and residents. The bar is two blocks from the beach in the Zona Romantica. Eat first before coming.

bar Frida

At the heart of the LGBTQ-friendly Zona Romantica, this intimate downstairs bar, with an upstairs restaurant serving modest comfort food, is a temple to Frida Kahlo (decorated with paintings, photographs and murals of the artist) and a popular meeting spot on the local gay circuit. There’s a decent range of tequilas and mezcals, and the bartenders mix an excellent margarita.

bar Morelos

This pumping nightclub bar is hugely popular with twenty- and thirty-something Mexicans. There’s a ground-floor lounge, where smiling waiters whisk mezcal cocktails, tequilas and tacos to booths and sofas, while a dance floor is powered by DJs pumping out reggaeton over the sound system. The decor is self-consciously dated, with suspended globe lights, checkerboard floors and a twirling disco globe.

El Colibri

Brick walls, retro-chic Guadalajara tiles, candle lighting – this is a bar made for couples. Soft tunes drift from the speakers while the terrace watches over a lush garden green with jungle plants. The cocktails are strong, with house specialties including a tangy mezcal margarita and a ginger and mint julep (ginger syrup, fresh mint and bourbon poured over crushed ice and topped with ginger kombucha).

bar La Playa

For great cocktails on the way back from the ocean, visit this little sidewalk bar, just off the Malecón promenade, a stroll from Playa Los Muertos. The cocktails are the best you’ll find in the city outside a big-name hotel and come at a fraction of the price. Margaritas, mojitos and mezcalitos are made with premium mixers, freshly squeezed juices and herbs and spices cut right on the spot. There’s live music on some nights.

Twisted Palms Rooftop Lounge

On the roof of a shopping plaza in the old town, you’ll find the Twisted Palms Rooftop Lounge, the best martini bar in the city where Vancouver-native Al shakes and stirs dozens of variations using the best mixers and freshest ingredients. And if it’s not on the drinks menu, he’ll make it for you. There are also good cocktails, including the specialty Black Widow (tequila, crushed blackberry, lime, agave nectar and basil). The decor is casual, with lounge chairs, low tables and sides open to the sea breeze.

If you’re looking for somewhere to stay, why not book into one of the best boutique hotels in Puerto Vallarta? Or perhaps one of the best resorts? For more inspiration while you’re in town, check out the top things to do, including the best beaches in the area. And don’t miss out on the top restaurants in Puerto Vallarta.

Did you know – Culture Trip now does bookable, small-group trips? Pick from authentic, immersive Epic Trips, compact and action-packed Mini Trips and sparkling, expansive Sailing Trips.

Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.

Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.

Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.

Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.

We know that many of you worry about the environmental impact of travel and are looking for ways of expanding horizons in ways that do minimal harm - and may even bring benefits. We are committed to go as far as possible in curating our trips with care for the planet. That is why all of our trips are flightless in destination, fully carbon offset - and we have ambitious plans to be net zero in the very near future.