Diógenes is a small, dark, yet not unfriendly salsa bar. This is the sort of low-key place you might fantasise about planning a heist or finalising a dodgy deal, while taking another swig of rum or puffing on your cigar. Diógenes Calle 52, 40 – 172, El Centro (+57 4) 239 3879
3 Cordilleras
3 Cordilleras is the end-product of a long nurtured dream about brewing beer in Medellín. When Juanchi Velez Abad first travelled to the United States in 1996, Medellín was dominated by large, mass-market breweries that focused on low prices and lots of advertising as opposed to quality and choice. Juanchi became fixated with the idea [...]
Roots
Roots is a small club with plenty of bold references to uprising and revolution. Those looking to simmer down to some conscious 70s roots reggae or dub might feel aggrieved as the tempo is typically upbeat and occasionally breaks out into full blown Ragga. Roots Calle 44, 73 – 93, San Juan
Salón Málaga
Salón Málaga is a tango dance hall as it undoubtedly was in the 1950s. In 2007 Salón Málaga celebrated its 50th birthday, but today it offers more than a trace of Medellín as it was half a century ago. Salón Málaga isn’t slowly fading away. In fact, its stubborn refusal to die or to change has [...]
Timeout
Timeout thinks of itself as a US style sports bar with pinstripe waitresses and football memorabilia. There’s little interest in Medellin for slam dunks or touchdowns and so one is much more likely to be watching a local game of soccer in Timeout than anything from the northern American hemisphere. You might also be encouraged [...]
Medellín Beer Factory
Medellín is unlikely to stomach the Bogotá Beer Company in its own back yard in the foreseeable future, hence the inevitable arrival of the Medellín Beer Factory. As the title might suggest, the Medellín Beer Factory offers a wide range of Colombian and international beers in a pub-like setting complete with pool table, rock n [...]
Wall Street
Wall Street serves up beer and rock with a touch of class in the heart of downtown. Those who dismiss El Centro at night for fear of encountering mischievous streetwalkers with missing teeth are unlikely to be enticed by the idea of a rock music club in the heart of downtown. But, despite its rock [...]
Melodie Lounge
Created by a team of chefs, designers and architects, Melodie Lounge offers an extensive menu of cocktails and appetisers, accompanied by soothing electronic, jazz and funk. With lots of comfy sofas and dimmed lighting, Melodie Lounge is one of only a few places in Medellín where you can relax and converse without being drowned out [...]
La Octava
La Octava provides reasonably priced drinks in an upmarket location. La Octava is immensely popular with backpackers, students and young professionals who often fill the bar to capacity and take full advantage of it’s relatively affordable prices. Watch out for the occasional complimentary shot when ordering a beer to maximise on good value for money. [...]
El Pub de Octava
El Pub de Octava pumps out large cocktails and classic tunes from all genres of music. The cynical might conclude that flipping from Europop to Cuban salsa is a little too much like putting your Dennis the Menace comic on the same shelf as a classic English text from the 1800s. But, truth be told, [...]
