81 Best Nightlife in Peru

This bi-level restaurant and bar opens at 8 am for breakfast and doesn't close until late. Decorated with old guitars and various knickknacks and furnished with leather couches, it's one of the few options in Chiclayo with charm. Tapas and sandwiches dominate the long menu, and there are twenty or so different desserts. The superb cocktail list features new looks at Peruvian favorites, like the chilcano de hierba luisa (made with lemongrass, pisco, lime, bitters, and ginger ale). There's occasionally live jazz and folk music.

Head to this relaxed artistic heaven, popular with thirsty locals, for cheap cocktails and fun music. There's also a light menu.

Housed in a large thatched building perched over the water on wooden poles, Ajary's offers the most Amazonian setting for a drink in Iquitos. It is reached via an elevated walkway at the eastern end of Calle Pevas.

Arandú Bar is the most popular bar on the malecón, with pop and rock music blasting, wild murals covering the walls, and sidewalk tables with river views.

The refurbished 19th-century mansion that houses Ayahuasca would be worth visiting even if it wasn't Barranco's chicest bar. The wild decor—it is named for the hallucinogen used by Amazonian tribes—and light menu only adds to the allure.

Bored with Peru's beer selection? This microbrewery a block north of Barranco's Parque Municipal not only offers several house brews, but also has sandwiches on home-baked bread, empanadas, and blue-corn pizza.

Homey furnishings and a super-chill vibe make this three-story lounge a cozy nightspot after an all-day trek. The menu includes an in-house brew (called Lucho's) and inexpensive pubgrub like piqueos and burgers. Pool tables and a DJ, add to the relaxed, house-party feel.

For something a bit more relaxed, climb up to the second floor of the beautiful Claustros de La Compañia complex to this small wine bar, including some French wine selections, and café serving light snacks.

Enter this large sillar building, open since the late 1980s, and you'll find a choice of several bars. The bar Retro stages live concerts and dancing to hits from the '70s to '80s. At Forum you can dine among tropical furnishings or dance the night away. Terrasse offers great views while dining and a chance to hone your karaoke skills. At Zero, you can belly up to the pub-style bar, grab a beer, and shoot some pool, or you can just hang out at the Chill Out sofa bar.

Above the restaurant Como Agua Para Chocolate, Chocolate Bar has the best selection of tequila in Lima and serves a great margarita.

Two blocks west of Parque Kennedy, Cocodrilo Verde features some of Peru's best musicians, plus visiting acts that play everything from jazz to salsa and bossa nova. Shows start anytime between 9 and 11 pm, depending on the night.

This popular bar just to the right of the Hotel Bolívar's entrance overlooks the Plaza San Martín and makes a wicked pisco sour. Or step inside to the main bar and restaurant, which offer tables on an elevated terrace and a more subdued setting.

On the second floor of an old building across from Parque Kennedy, El Tayta has live guitar music (mostly Latin pop) performed by duos or trios.

A hot spot mainly filled with foreign travelers, this trendy restaurant and pub has an extensive menu with a range of Peruvian and Nikkei food, from sushi to cebiche. Their cocktails, many utilizing pisco that has been macerated in local fruits or herbs, are the most innovative on the strip, and there's loud music for the after-dinner crowd. Service can be hit or miss, and the food is not always consistent, so be warned.

Occupying several floors of a lovely old house next to the restaurant Brujas de Cachiche, Huaringas is a pleasant place for a drink, though it can get packed on weekends.