Bogotano Nightlife

juanalejo says on Jun 19, 2004, 16:58:

nightlife As you probably remember the option is quite wide and it really depends on your taste. The "in" area now is called the T-zone which is located in the Zona Rosa between Carrera 12 and 13 and Avenida 82 behind the Andino Mall. There is a wide variety of restaurants and terraces and for you to sit down and see people pass by. Popular with foreigner also. Near-by clubs are Le Club and Gotica. Park 93 is also still very popular and a thursday night at San Angel is quite interesting. Usaquen has also nice restaurants. And obviously do not miss a night out at Andres Carne de Res in Chia where you will have a fantastic night.

0 funny, 0 helpful.

ColombiaBoard says on Jun 19, 2004, 19:33:

Bogota nightlife As Juanalejo correctly said, the "in" places at the moment are located around the Zona Rosa whose anchor is the Andino Mall, there are about three blocks to the north, south and east from the Andino Mall full of small cafes, restaurants, bars and discos, the T is where the trendiest restaurants are located.
Another "in" area is the Parque 93 (93rd street x Calle 12), there are bars, shops, restaurants.
Usaquen, if you remember, is a small town which is now a neighborhood of Bogota, on weekends people go there to the bars, restaurants, etc. all around the main Plaza.
I really don´t know much about the Chapinero area but currently there are also many bars and small restaurants in that area.

0 funny, 0 helpful.

Thededalus says on Jun 20, 2004, 09:50:

Hi guys. Thanks for the feedback. One question, where San Angel? Is in the Parque 93 that you mentioned?

0 funny, 0 helpful.

juanalejo says on Jun 20, 2004, 12:59:

San Angel yes park 93, I found out last night they are building a new one also in park 93, which is great news because the current one gets over crowded, the new one looks much bigger.

0 funny, 0 helpful.

Thededalus says on Jun 20, 2004, 15:47:

dress code Are nice jeans okay for these kinds of places, or do people wear slacks?

Thanks a lot.

0 funny, 0 helpful.

ShazCas says on Jun 21, 2004, 03:15:

Nightlife Yes, Treffen is still around. It's been done up since you were there, but it's still the same place. There are a couple of good places opposite Treffen and up a bit, opposite the petrol station, on the septima with 60 more or less. One's called Antifaz, they also have a club in the Candelaria with the same name which is also good. They play salsa and a mix of latin rock, and are cheaper and more laid-back than the Zona Rosa / 93 type places.

A really good place for salsa is the Goce Pagano near Los Andes University. It's a famous salsa bar with a large screen and a friendly atmosphere, and it isn't pretentious and cold like some of the places in the 93 / Zona Rosa. The address is Avenida Jimenéz No. 00-06, but all taxi drivers know where it is.

It can be quite nice just to stroll around the Candelaria in the early evening on a Friday and go from bar to bar. There are many little bars that are constantly changing, offer beer at 1,000 pesos a bottle, and have all sorts of different music. I say early evening because it can be a bit dangerous late at night.

For all of the above, you can wear whatever you want, and as for the Zona Rosa and the 93, nice jeans will be ok, but you'll notice that in that area of town people are dressed up to the nines. I find people pretentious and stuck-up in many of the big clubs in these areas, but you can just have a wander round and you'll see that some of the smaller bars are nice. One place I would wholeheartedly recommend is Galeria Cafe Libro, a salsa place on Calle 81 No. 11-92. It has a great atmosphere and is very lively, you should love it.

Good luck and have a good time!

0 funny, 0 helpful.

litost says on Jun 21, 2004, 16:39:

I completely agree with Shaz... although it's true that most of the best and "in" places to go out in Bogota are located in Zona Rosa and Parque de la 93, the atmosphere can get way too snobby and stuck up. It's really not the best way to see and meet REAL colombians, don't get me wrong, I love to go out in the area because there are some really great places, but the uber-high colombian class can really get on my nerves sometimes (btw, I am colombian). My recommendation would be to mix some nights out in these areas, with some other ones in neighborhoods like La Candelaria and Chapinero. Not as flashy or hip, but it's more relaxed, people are more authentic, and everything's cheaper as well. Not so many big clubs, what you'll find the most are little cafes and bars, especially in La Candelaria.

There are a few true gems around the Chorro de Quevedo, one is called Merlin and the other is the Gato Gris (or Negro?). Go uphill passing by the Externado and behind La Salle is the Pasteleria Francesa, delicious little place to have a coffee or glass of wine with french pastries. Treffen is cool in Chapinero, there are many other interesting places in Chapinero near la Septima like Bar 23 and In Vitro. Around the calle 74 with carrera 14 or something like that is the cooles classic rock bar I've been to, it's called Crab's.

I won't say more because it's been nearly two years since I left Bogota and those things tend to change quickly. Enjoy!

0 funny, 0 helpful.

Thededalus says on Jun 21, 2004, 17:26:

Thanks so much for the input. I will definitely hit a number of these places and mix it up between lo uber-cool and down-to-earth.

And, yes, the Pasteleria Francesa is awesome. It's on my list of places I have to go to again...

0 funny, 0 helpful.

greg says on Jun 25, 2004, 15:09:

I recently went to a place called Plaza de los Americas. Probably spelled it wrong but anyway there were a lot of bars and places to eat. i found it very interesting and had no problems.

0 funny, 0 helpful.