Barrio Antiguo, Monterrey Review

If you love nightlife, live music, and partying with beautiful people over cocktails in high energy dance clubs, then head to the Barrio Antiquo on a Thursday, Friday, or Saturday night. The whole neighborhood gets packed with a younger, affluent crowd, looking to dance and party from about 11pm until the sun comes up. There's lots of clubs (and lots of people).

The Barrio Antiguo is Monterrey's "old quarter", and its a very sedate place during the day, when most of the clubs are closed up tight and the streets are largely deserted, leaving them to prowling tourists coming to gawk at the scenic old homes, shops, restaurants, and architecture. There are a few other points of interest in Barrio Antiguo --- like a small popular arts museum that sometimes hosts developing young artists or indigenous people practicing long-forgotten art forms. The Barrio Antiguo can make for an interesting day time walking tour for casual American tourists. Monterrey is an extremely safe city and there are few neighborhoods where you'd ever actually be threatened (even if some of them don't look very inviting). Barrio Antiguos is definitely in the "safe" category.

But a day-time visit doesn't even hint at the energy of the place after the sun has long gone down. That's when the nightlife crowd comes out to the fill the streets with laughter and music. That's when the Barrio Antiguo REALLY lets down its guard and shows why it is one of the most electric nightlife spots in all of Mexico.

If you're planning a trip to Monterrey and want to know where to go to hear great live music and to mix it up and dance with the hottest women and men in Monterrey, here's a list of some of the Barrio Antiguo nightclubs. Check out their web sites or call ahead of time to find out what bands are playing there and what kind of music, then make your choice...

And by the way, there's a whole string of excellent restaurants along Dr. Coss, from Constitucion all the way down to the Museo de Historia Mexicana. Great food too...some of the best in Monterrey!


Uma Bar
Dr. Coss 837 Sur
Web: www.umabar.com.mx
Phone: (81) 1408-0552
Live bands: rock / pop / sophisticated urban

Aura
Morelos 994
Web: www.myspace.com/auramty
Phone: (81) 8004-0302
Live music: Progressive rock / urban

La Tumba
Padre Mier 827 Ote
Web: www.latumba.com
Phone: (81) 83-45-68-60
Live music: salsa / cubana / blues

Club 22
Padre Mier 1045
Web: www.club22.com.mx
Phone: (81) 8989-1531
Techno / Disco / Dance club / DJs

Nueva Luna
Padre Mier 808 Ote
Web: www.nuevaluna.com
Phone: (81) 8344-1217
Live bands - mix of pop, rock, banda, mariachi, norteno

Bacchus
Morelos 944
Phone: (81) 8342-0553
Live bands: blues / jazz

Cafe Iguana
Diego de Montemayor 927
Web: www.cafeiguana.com.mx
Phone: (81) 8343-0822
Live bands: Alternative music

Manaus
Padre Mier 1045
Web: www.manaus.com.mx
Phone: (81) 8989-1920
Live bands - rock

Suite 821
Morelos 821 Ote.
Phone: (81) 1052-1141

Bar-rio
Padre Mier 1097
Web: www.bar-rio.com
Phone: (81) 8343-0070

Club Rio Latino
Padre Mier 1086 Ote.
Phone: (81) 8114-7145
Owned by Bar-Rio...