Anyone who has been lucky enough to visit San Cristóbal de las Casas in Southern Mexico will know just how charming the city is, with its cobbled streets, cool climate, beautiful architecture, and rich indigenous heritage; and that’s not to mention all the amazing places to eat and drink!
We spent 9 days in the heart of the city, and in that time we went to so many amazing bars. Many of them offer free tapas or nibbles and are always beautifully decorated, each with it’s own distinctive style and vibe.
Not wanting to gate-keep all the best bars in San Cristóbal de las Casas, we put together this list so you can experience them too!
TIP: When you first arrive, we’d really recommend taking the free walking tour to get your bearings. The knowledgable guides give you such an interesting insight into the culture in San Cristóbal, plus point out loads of great places to visit during your stay.
You don’t need to reserve a spot; just turn up at 10am (English & Spanish) or 4pm (English only) at the wooden cross outside the cathedral in the Plaza de la Paz.
How to Get to San Cristóbal de las Casas
First things first, if you’re still in the planning phase of your trip, you’ll need to know how to get to San Cristóbal. Since there’s not an airport in San Cristóbal de las Casas, the majority of travellers arrive on the bus. Major bus routes run to San Cristóbal de las Casas from Oaxaca and Palenque, as well as shuttles from across the border to Guatemala.
ADO is the main bus company operating in the south of Mexico. You can book all your Mexico bus tickets through BusBud.com, which is super easy to use and is all in English. You can book on ADO’s official site, but we found the lack of English on the site a bit troublesome – we didn’t want to book the bus for the wrong direction or something!
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Best Bars in San Cristóbal de las Casas
There are plenty of great places to go for an evening drink so let’s get into our top picks for bars in San Cristóbal de las Casas.
1. La Viña de Bacco
⭐️ Our rating: 9/10
FREE TAPAS – La Viña de Bacco is one of the 2 restaurants on the walking street which gives you free tapas (yes, really!) when you buy any drink! The other is El Cau Vinos y Tapas, which we’ve highlighted below.
The bar is always busy, with an extensive wine list and delicious plate of bruschetta style tapas coming with each drink. They even keep you topped up with free popcorn as you sip and eat – bonus!
Other tapas options on the menu are available to buy. Each plate we tried was really great quality and reasonably good value.
Glasses of red wine start at 35 pesos (around £1.35 or $1.70 USD), and our favourite wine was the Chilean Carmenere.
You can sit inside and enjoy the cosy bar interior, or at one of many tables made from barrels outside along the walking street. Because it’s always busy, you’ll always be amongst lots of people having fun, no matter where you decide to sit.
The only downside we found is that there are a lot of children trying to sell you souvenirs, so if you are sitting outside you’re likely going to get asked to buy something a lot.
📍 Location
🕘 Opening: 1pm – 12pm
2. Ginger Lab
⭐️ Our rating: 9/10
Ginger Lab is a hidden cocktail bar that’s an absolute must if you like a cocktail and are willing to spend a bit more for a great drink (roughly 220 pesos per cocktail – that’s around £8.50 or $10.60 USD).
It’s situated on the rooftop, so it’s perfect for sunset too!
We had a chat with the owner of the bar, who seemed incredibly passionate about the bar’s theme – a scientific twist on cocktails. Your bartender will ask you what kind of cocktails you usually like (such as fruity, sweet, dry, fresh etc) and ask you what spirits you don’t like. From this, they’ll recommend the best matching drink from their menu (or even a custom cocktail), just for you!
They even have tasters of the set cocktails in small bottles and pipettes (science style!) so you can try the flavours before choosing your poison!
If you go here, make sure to get the full experience by engaging with the team and hearing their explanations and recommendations – don’t just order from the cocktail menu!
They also gave us a trio of snacks for free with our cocktails, which was a great touch! You can’t go wrong with some free olives 🫒
📍 Location
🕘 Opening: 3pm – 11pm (closed Tuesdays)
3. El Cau Vinos y Tapas
⭐️ Our rating: 8/10
MORE FREE TAPAS!!
El Cau Vinos y Tapas is the second on our list to offer free tapas with your drinks – clearly, they’ve figured out the key to success! Now, the tapas is never going to be the best option from their menu, but it is a really nice accompaniment to your drink.
We had a beer (35 pesos, which is roughly £1.35 or $1.70 USD) and a glass of red wine from their great range of wines by the glass.
The Saturday night that we visited was busy with live music and a great atmosphere!
We’d recommend either sitting outside (if its not too cold!) or going through towards the back patio where tables are surrounded by plants and greenery, giving it a really nice nature vibe!
📍 Location
🕘 Opening: 12pm – 12pm
4. La Catrina Café Cultubar
⭐️ Our rating: 7.5/10
La Catrina Café Cultubar bar was one of the least touristy bars in San Cristóbal, and we loved it. They play a mix of random live music every night – you just have to turn up and enjoy! The music starts around 9pm and can get quite loud, so if you’re looking to chat this might not be the place for you.
We didn’t try the food but heard great things about the reasonably-priced meals. As an added extra the staff are super lovely here too!
They stay open later than most other bars in San Cristóbal, so if you’re looking for a big night out, this is a great option to keep in mind!
📍 Location
🕘 Opening: 1pm – 3am (closed Sundays & Mondays)
5. Posheria
⭐️ Our rating: 9/10
Give Posheria if you’re looking for a bar that serves local and traditional drinks. They have loads of different flavours/varieties of Pox, a corn based liquor which is super popular in the Chiapas area.
The shop is so beautiful and the owner is really friendly. If you can get there when it is not too busy, make sure to chat with the owner and ask to sample some of the different flavours. Our favourite was the chocolate Pox!
If we weren’t travelling for longer, we definitely would have bought some of the bottles to take home to friends and family as a taste of Mexico! Sadly, we didn’t have the luggage space to spare!
📍 Location
🕘 Opening: 9am – 9pm (Sundays: 10am – 10pm)
We hope you love our list of the best bars in San Cristóbal de las Casas! Let us know on Instagram or the comments below if you make it to any of these fab spots!
Make sure you check out our other articles related to San Cristóbal de las Casas, including the 5 best cafes to visit as well as the 5 best restaurants!
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