63 Best Nightlife in Costa Rica

The rain does get a bit loud on the metal roof, but the wide selection of coffee drinks here is worth the occasional racket.

Open sunset to midnight for tapas and cocktails, wine, and beer, this open-air lounge on the third floor has tasty drinks, fun music, dancing, guest DJs from New York, and a clubby feel you may not be expecting to find in the middle of the jungle. 

A scant two tables and a small counter are the only seating at this tiny place, a converted garage, which serves coffee from its own finca in Tarrazú in the Los Santos region.

There's live music almost every night and open-mic night on Monday at this Italian-owned hot spot. The fun gets started around 7:30 and goes late into the night if enough performers show up. Cool down with a bowl of excellent, chili-spiced, chocolate Italian gelato while you watch the show.

If you're out this way, Chao's makes for a pleasant open-air space for a beer and some seafood and fries. After dark, get here and back by taxi.

Music blasts from the dark, uninviting entrance, but farther back is a brighter, spacious deck with pool tables and dancing. Directly behind is an open-air beach bar with a more laid-back atmosphere and a breezy ocean view. You're likely to see fire dancers in the street out front.

The elevated, glassed-in café here lets you survey the ongoing hive of activity on the small, shaded plaza in front of the post office.

Lively reggae, soca, and samba blast weekend evenings from the turquoise Coco's Bar. The assemblage of dogs dozing on its veranda during the day illustrates the rhythm of local life.

Local expats meet up at this popular sports bar and grill, which has an all-day happy hour from 9 to 7, TVs for Monday Night Football, a full range of bar food, craft beer, and live music most nights. Tuesday features karaoke at 7:30. There's also free Wi-Fi, but don't expect to be able to focus on work over the noise.

One of Costa Rica’s budding brewpubs serves up four of its own craft beers and one seasonally rotating one, as well as possibly the country’s best selection of international brews, plus burgers and appetizers. Weekend nights get crowded. The folks here can also arrange guided tours ($9--$29) of their brewery near Heredia in the Central Valley.

Popular with the surfing crowd, Crazy Monkey Bar features live salsa music, a fire show, and DJs that attract locals who really know how to move—and a crowd of appreciative onlookers. Friday night is ladies' night.

El Observatorio strikes an unusual balance between casual and formal: it's the kind of place where an over-30 crowd in ties goes to watch a soccer game. Something is on here every night except Sunday: usually a selection of stand-up comedy, live music, or karaoke. Some evenings present some more highbrow cultural offerings too.

After a sunset surf session, pull up a bar stool in the sand and enjoy a craft beer made at the neighboring Volcano Brewing Company. Happy hour is from 5 to 7, and there’s live music on weekends. If you’ve worked up an appetite, try the chicken wings, jalapeño poppers, hamburgers, and nachos. This is the best place to watch the surfers over a cold one.

The best place to enjoy a quiet sunset margarita—or make that a “rooster-rita”—is at this laid-back bar and restaurant on the beach. You can relax on the wooden deck, or at the tables right on the sand, and enjoy a romantic dinner featuring fresh fish and Tex-Mex favorites. Portions here are huge, and there's free Wi-Fi, a pool table, a big-screen TV, and occasional live music to keep you entertained. It's open 11 to 10, though it does close for private parties so you may want to call ahead. Guests from the Four Seasons often anchor here for a drink before sailing back to Peninsula Papagayo.

The curved, polished-wood bar at this marina is cooled by breezes off Golfito Bay. It's a pleasant place to meet locals, tell fish tales, and sit and watch the sunset over the bay. Drink specials, including $2 beers and $6 cocktails, are offered all day long.

With an on-site, full-scale brewery below and a rancho restaurant above, this hip brewpub with live music many nights has become the liveliest nightspot in town. Belly up to the long bar, relax in a quieter lounge area, or take a table overlooking the garden and the Barú River estuary. Above-average bar food and pizza accompany the many beers on tap; you can order a flight of four ales to taste, then order your favorite. It's open till 10:30.

A popular watering hole with the under-30 set, this spot has televised sports by day, varied music by night, and an island theme of beach paintings and surfboards. Costa Ricans refer to this style of bar as an "American bar," which is fairly accurate.

A wonderful breeze wafts through this huge, semi-open-air U-shape bar just off the beach. Nights are dedicated variously to bingo, karaoke, live music, and open-mic performances.

This lively beachfront hotel has live music select nights, and Taco Tuesday (half-off tacos). The crowd is thirtyish and up.

Music fans chill out here. The boxy club hosts an eclectic live-music lineup.

An LGBTQ+ crowd frequents La Avispa, which has two dance floors with videos and karaoke, as well as a quieter upstairs bar with pool tables. The last Friday of each month is ladies' night. The neighborhood between downtown and the bar is sketchy; take a taxi.