Azotea Calle 7
Barrio La Soledad
Downtown’s most elegant nightspot perches in a garden on the rooftop of the Hotel Presidente and offers terrific views and inventive cocktails.
16 Best Nightlife in San Jose, Costa Rica
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The metro area's hottest nightlife has migrated to the Central Valley suburbs of Escazú and Heredia these days. Both are about 20- to 30-minute taxi rides from downtown San José. The capital isn't devoid of places to go in the evening, however. There are still plenty of bars, dance clubs, and restaurants and cafés where you can spend the evening. Take taxis to and from when you go; it’s the safest option if you’re out after dark. Most places will be happy to call you a cab—or, if there's a guard, he can hail you one—when it's time to call it a night. Remember that all venues are nonsmoking.
No one could accuse San José of having too few watering holes, but aside from the hotels there aren't many places to have a quiet drink, especially downtown. Barrios Amón and Otoya have little in the way of nightlife outside the occasional hotel bar.
The young and the restless hang out in the student-oriented places around the University of Costa Rica in the eastern suburb of San Pedro. The Calle de la Amargura (Street of Bitterness), named for the route Jesus took to the crucifixion, is much more secular than its name suggests and rocks loudly each night. (Nighttime robberies have occurred on "The Calle," so be wary.)
Don't write off every place around the university as rowdy. There are a few quiet bars and cafés where you can carry on a real conversation. Barrios La California and Escalante, an area anchored by the Santa Teresita church, connect central San José with San Pedro, and house some of the city's trendiest nightspots.
Café del Barista
Barrio Aranjuez
The rain does get a bit loud on the metal roof, but the wide selection of coffee drinks here is worth the occasional racket.
Café Miel Garage
Barrio Otoya
A scant two tables and a small counter are the only seating at this tiny place, a converted garage, which serves coffee from its own finca in Tarrazú in the Los Santos region.
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Cafeoteca
Barrio Escalante
This café sits at the entrance to the trendy Kalú restaurant and blends and roasts its own coffee on-site.
Club Teatro
Barrio El Pacífico
RuPaul has nothing on the performers at San José’s largest LGBTQ+ venue. The drag shows here aren't just any drag shows; they include gymnastics and trapeze, too. The venue is safe, but the neighborhood is dicey. Take a taxi to and from here.
Club Unión
Barrio La Merced
The elevated, glassed-in café here lets you survey the ongoing hive of activity on the small, shaded plaza in front of the post office.
Costa Rica Beer Factory
Barrio Escalante
One of Costa Rica’s budding brewpubs serves up four of its own craft beers and one seasonally rotating one, as well as possibly the country’s best selection of international brews, plus burgers and appetizers. Weekend nights get crowded. The folks here can also arrange guided tours ($9--$29) of their brewery near Heredia in the Central Valley.
El Observatorio
Barrio La California
El Observatorio strikes an unusual balance between casual and formal: it's the kind of place where an over-30 crowd in ties goes to watch a soccer game. Something is on here every night except Sunday: usually a selection of stand-up comedy, live music, or karaoke. Some evenings present some more highbrow cultural offerings too.
Franco
Barrio Escalante
Fashionable Franco serves gourmet beverages made from the country’s premium coffees. Your inner amateur barista may want to check into the slate of coffee workshops offered here.
La Avispa
An LGBTQ+ crowd frequents La Avispa, which has two dance floors with videos and karaoke, as well as a quieter upstairs bar with pool tables. The last Friday of each month is ladies' night. The neighborhood between downtown and the bar is sketchy; take a taxi.
La Bodeguita del Medio
Paseo Colón
The mojitos flow and the chips and guacamole keep coming at this west-side restaurant that showcases live (usually Cuban) music most evenings after 9.
Merecumbé
Many Costa Ricans learn to merengue, rumba, mambo, cha-cha, and swing (called cumbia elsewhere) at a young age. Play catch-up at dance school Merecumbé, which has 16 branches around Costa Rica. With a few days' notice you can arrange a private lesson with an English-speaking instructor. An hour or two is all you need to grasp the fundamentals of merengue and bolero (what Costa Ricans call the rumba), both of which are easy to master and work with the pop music you're likely to hear back home.
Mil948
Barrio Escalante
At this cozy cocktail lounge, once the house of iconic president José María Figueres, the mixologists will whip up any of your favorite drinks or acquaint you with inventive new ones. The name is a mashup of “1948” in Spanish, the year Figueres came to power in a brief civil war.
Ram Luna
Aserrí
In the far, far southern suburbs, 14 km (9 miles) south of downtown San José, Ram Luna is most famous for the views—the lights of the Central Valley sparkle at your feet—and the music. Make reservations if you plan to be here for Wednesday or Thursday evening's folklore show—a bilingual emcee fills you in on the cultural background of what you're enjoying—or Friday evening's dancing to live music.
Stiefel Pub
Barrio Amón
Craft beer is taking hold in Costa Rica, and Stiefel has 10 microbrews on tap to the accompaniment of a lively pub atmosphere.
Underground Brew Café
Barrio Escalante
Behind the yellow gate here—there’s no sign, so just ring the bell to be buzzed in—are some of Barrio Escalante’s best-crafted coffee drinks, along with yummy baked goods and panini if you’re feeling hungry.
