Colombia (Lonely Planet, 5th Edition) - Jens Porup [60]
DRINKING
Some of the city’s most atmospheric bars – that is, if you’re into 300-year-old homes with corner fireplaces and old tile floors – are in La Candelaria, a great spot to try a hot mug of canelazo (a drink made with aguardiente, sugarcane, cinnamon and lime), while watering holes get more Euro-styled and upscale around Zona Rosa or Parque 93.
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Central Bogotá
LA CANDELARIA
Considering the student scene in the area, La Candelaria cafes focus on drinks alone after hours. You can find plenty of life around the corner of Calle 15 and Carrera 4 – with reggae, rock and tango bars – or along Calle 11 by Universidad de la Salle (cnr Calle 11 & Carrera 2), but our favorite is Callejón del Embudo (or ‘funnel’) – the tiny alley north of Plazoleta de Chorro de Quevedo, lined with sit-and-chat cafes and bars selling chicha (an indigenous corn beer). Be warned: one bartender swore ‘too much chicha is really bad for the brain!’
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COFFEE
Coffee’s huge in Bogotá – supposedly nine in 10 households brew a pot daily – but much of it isn’t very good. That’s a pity considering the quality of the bean Colombia produces. The two big chains here – Juan Valdéz and Oma – are Starbucks-styled, but do as reliable a job with a tinto (black coffee) or cappuccino or cafe americano as anyone in town. You’ll find them all over town (particularly the mustached icon of Juan Valdéz); the north has the most, so here are a couple central locales:
Oma (Map; cnr Carrera 8 & Calle 12; 7:30am-8pm Mon-Fri, 9am-6pm Sat) Also carries sandwiches.
Juan Valdéz (Map; Museo Botero, Calle 11 No 4-41; 7am-11pm Mon-Sat, 10am-7pm Sun) Another nice locale is between Zona G and Zona Rosa at Calle 73 & Carrera 9.
For good independent cafe options, try one of the cafes on Calle 14 between Carreras 3 and 4, such as the cozy Café del Sol (Map; Calle 14 No 3-60; 8am-8pm), filled with lots of happy couples when we visited, and tempting sandwiches made to order.
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El Viejo Almacén (Map; 284 2364; Calle 15 No 4-18; 7pm-3am Tue-Sat) One of half a dozen bars/clubs on the block, the Viejo Almacén is a classic tango dive. Soft lit space with oodles of Carlos Gardel pics, a wall of 5000 dusty tango LPs, and couples taking a step or two as some of the vinyl spins. Beer is COP$1500.
Yumi Yumi (Map; Carrera 3 No 16-40; 11am-midnight Mon-Sat) Right off Av Jiménez, this pocket-sized lounge/restaurant – run by a bleach-haired Brit bloke and mustached local chef – fills with student passersby and hostel guests for excellent, experimental two-for-one cocktails (try the sour lucita, with tequila and lulo fruit) for COP$14,000. The Thai curry special on Monday and Tuesday (COP$9000) is the best touch of Bangkok in Bogotá.
Pequeña Santa Fe (Map; 281 5587; Carrera 2 No 13-14; noon-10pm Sun-Wed, noon-1am Thu-Sat) A cozy, historic two-story home with a fireplace by the bar and soft-lit lot upstairs sits next to the evocative Plazoleta del Chorro de Quevedo. It’s one of a few great spots here to sample a hot mug of ‘canelazo Santa Fe’ (a yerba-buena tea with aguardiente), or a beer.
Casa de Citas (Map; 282 6368; Carrera 3 No 13-35; noon-10pm Mon-Tue, noon-3am Wed-Sat) Named for an earlier incarnation – when prostitutes advertised themselves from the balcony above – the saloon-styled Citas is now an atmospheric cafe, adorned with Castro photos, that hosts live rumba, jazz or salsa shows Thursday through to Saturday. Great COP$7500 set lunch during the day too.
CENTRO INTERNACIONAL
The business district tends to clear out after dark. You can find a few bars up the hill in Macarena.
El Libertador (Map; 245 1220; Calle 29 No 5-90; 6pm-3am Tue-Sat) Busy with 20-something cool kids, this posh cocktail bar, above a restaurant on a boutique-eats strip near Museo Nacional, has soft-light rooms with lounge seats, a mounted deer head and pricey malt whiskeys (from COP$16,000).
CHAPINERO
This sprawling bohemian district with many gay bars and theaters sits south of the high-end eateries of the