30 Best Nightlife in Lima, Peru

The refurbished 19th-century mansion that houses Ayahuasca would be worth visiting even if it wasn't Barranco's chicest bar. The wild decor—it is named for the hallucinogen used by Amazonian tribes—and light menu only adds to the allure.

Bored with Peru's beer selection? This microbrewery a block north of Barranco's Parque Municipal not only offers several house brews, but also has sandwiches on home-baked bread, empanadas, and blue-corn pizza.

Above the restaurant Como Agua Para Chocolate, Chocolate Bar has the best selection of tequila in Lima and serves a great margarita.

Two blocks west of Parque Kennedy, Cocodrilo Verde features some of Peru's best musicians, plus visiting acts that play everything from jazz to salsa and bossa nova. Shows start anytime between 9 and 11 pm, depending on the night.

This popular bar just to the right of the Hotel Bolívar's entrance overlooks the Plaza San Martín and makes a wicked pisco sour. Or step inside to the main bar and restaurant, which offer tables on an elevated terrace and a more subdued setting.

On the second floor of an old building across from Parque Kennedy, El Tayta has live guitar music (mostly Latin pop) performed by duos or trios.

Occupying several floors of a lovely old house next to the restaurant Brujas de Cachiche, Huaringas is a pleasant place for a drink, though it can get packed on weekends.

It's easy to miss the Jazz Zone, hidden in a colonial-style shopping complex called El Suche. Head up a bright-red stairway to the dimly lit second-story lounge for performances of everything from Latin jazz to blues and flamenco, with salsa or other dance music on weekends. Shows start at 10:30.

Facing Barranco's main square is one of the neighborhood's most venerable establishments, though the premises definitely veer toward the bare-bones and bohemian. Built by Italian immigrants in 1905, the former pharmacy is packed nightly with limeños drawn by the cheap drinks, historic setting, and ham sandwiches.

The most tourist-friendly peña, La Dama Juana offers 90-minute shows in an atmospheric Spanish-colonial-style building in Barranco. Performances start at 8:30 pm, and a traditional Peruvian buffet is served from 7:30 to 10 pm. There's also a Sunday show that starts at 2:30 pm; the buffet opens at 12:20.

La Noche is in a funky old house at the far end of the pedestrian street lined with bars known as El Bulevar de Barranco. The building includes a concert hall with a separate entrance (and admission fee) where local rock, Latin pop, and jazz bands perform. It's a great place for a drink even if you don't see the show.

La Posada del Ángel is decorated with a wild collection of antiques and art, including statues of angels. It's one of the few bars in Barranco suited to conversation, and guitarists perform Latin American classics from 10 pm to 2 am. The bar has two more locations just down the street at Prolongación San Martín 157 and Avenida Pedro de Osma 222.

With its big dance floor and convenient location a few blocks west of Parque Miraflores's southern end, Legendaris is a popular weekend spot, drawing a young, mostly gay and lesbian crowd. Open Thursday through Sunday.

This popular restaurant also features a low-lighted lounge in front, and a lively back patio.

Down several flights of stairs from the lower level of the Larcomar shopping center is this cavernous dance club, a see-and-be-seen destination for Lima's beautiful people. The club and the shopping center are built into a cliff, so if you need a break, step out back for a sweeping view of the Lima coast. The bar is open Friday and Saturday from 9 pm to 6 am.

This lovely little bar in an adobe building one block south of Barranco's main square is a memorable spot for a drink, with its high beamed ceilings and glass cabinets filled with liquor bottles. Nights draw a substantial crowd.

With more than three decades in business, Sachún's mix of Andean folk dancing and música criolla draws a predominantly older crowd. The food here is a cut above that at other peñas.

Popular with the young crowd, Santos occupies one floor of a historic building up the steps from the Puente de los Suspiros. Its long balcony overlooking the Bajada de los Baños affords one of the best views in Barranco.

There are plenty of places to dance in Miraflores, but this Cuban-owned bar on the Calle de las Pizzas is among the most entertaining. On weekends, it offers salsa classes from 7 to 9, and a live band plays Cuban beats from 11:30 pm to 2:30 am. A DJ spins Latin dance music the rest of the time.

With outdoor seating on the porch and terrace of this restored mansion built in 1905, and a cozy indoor cellar bar, Victoria Bar offers both intimate and lively options, along with its Old Barranco setting, trendy crowds, and excellent cocktails. DJs spin dance music on weekend nights.