Gay dive bars will never be the same for me. Tucked away…read morefrom the beaten path, la envidia appeals to the more colourful and queer of Oaxaca's locals. The staff definitely didn't seem thrilled to see some tourists in for happy hour but in all seriousness, I get it- we're obnoxious outsiders. If you're a gringa like the likes of me be respectful of what the locals have going on here- it's a dying breed of gay bar in the rest of North America and it relies on a special local aura to keep it going. Dark, exceptionally dingy and reminiscent of those places your mother warned you against, I wish I could be a less obtrusive regular here. For a couple sweet hours my partner and I sat at low little barstools and enjoyed 13 peso beers and mezcal that makes your nose hairs actually burn. Oaxacan queers party hard. Finally, entering the washroom I was greeted by three cockroaches, zero toilet seat and among the more questionable bars of soap I've seen in my life. It was a bit of an anxious pee session, lemme tell ya. These facilities are not for the faint of heart. Stop here for the booze, not the glamour.

Good vibes, & drinks are worth it. Definitely recommend to try it out. They do charge for to get in…read morebut worth it

Glad to see there is a dedicated queer space in Oaxaca. However, the cover was larger than other…read moreplaces. I do appreciate the security in place but felt odd that it was a bit confusing to enter and what to do as we were not aware it was a drag night. The drag show was alright. Only complain for me is that I wish the lights would dim when it was time to dance and there wasn't a drag artist on.

Selva is a gorgeous little cocktail bar, cozy, stylish, and full of character. The bartenders…read morereally know their craft; they took time to explain each drink and even the garnish pairings, which made the whole experience feel elevated. I made the mistake of showing up on an empty stomach, and that's on me, but that's definitely not the move here. The food is designed as small bites to complement the cocktails, not full meals, but everything I tried paired beautifully. The tuna tostadas were a standout; super flavorful and perfectly balanced with my drink. This is the spot I'd come back to for a nightcap or date, beautiful ambiance, great music, and a refined but welcoming vibe.

Stay away- they don't deserve your money. The owner shushed our friend who was taking a picture of…read moreour group- and the owner snobby WHITE lady said rudely to her- "this is not a public place, Keep it down!" My friend quickly said okay not understanding what had just happened until it hit her that she had shushed her. We had reservations and were ready to drop a lot of money for drinks but we asked a server who that lady was and he explained that it was the owner so we got up and left! Many of us were Mexican, others American but we were not about to be support such a place and be treated like that. Super super rude! The servers were nice and respectful though. So- again- don't come here. We weren't even loud but apparently the owner wants a library type of place- lame.

Very fun place with inexpensive beers (40 pesos). I ordered a michelada and the mix was another 20…read morepesos, it wasn't great honestly so I would probably recommend just sticking with the basic drinks. The music was a good volume and was catchy, lots of people were dancing. It was busy but not overly crowded around 2am last night. They closed up pretty much right at 3am but were a little lenient about letting us finish our drinks. The bartenders were nice enough. No cover when I went although there was security at the door. They do allow smoking inside so if you're sensitive to the smell it's something to be aware of, although it's fairly spacious and they had the outside door open so it didn't get aggressively pungent. Will return!

Great night club for music and dancing. They have 3 different floors to suit anyone's taste! When…read morewe went they had a DJ that played a great mix of music!

I came here for the renowned drinks but also ended up loving their food! It's a super cute spot…read morewith tiles and open balcony doors. We were able to get a seat right away and the servers were super helpful. My friend wanted to try some mezcal and they let us taste a couple before choosing. We sat at the restaurant instead of the bar because it was cuter and I wanted food too. I tried two of their fruity mezcal drinks and loved both. I forget the names but one had watermelon, and the other had coconut and lime. I ordered cheese stuffed plantains with mole and this was soooo good. It was very filling too!

Sabina Sabe is a popular restaurant and bar located in the city center of Oaxaca. It was recently…read moreon the list of North America's 50 Best Bars. I thought it was funny when I got the menu and the food menu was only one page while the drink menu was five pages. The outside of the restaurant is blue-ish and the restaurant has multiple rooms. The ceviche del dia ($190 MXN) was a little sweet and not as tart or sour as others I've had. The tacos de sirloin ($170) were really good and were our group's favorite. The taquitos dorados de mole negro ($140) were okay; there was no meat just in case you were wondering. The aguachile rojo de camaron ($190) were good. The esquite con tuetano ($100) was not like a typical corn in a cup but it was closer to a corn soup. For drinks I had the pequeño gigante ($210) which was good. The paloma madura and paloma margarita were both favorites among our group. We went during the day and it wasn't that busy but supposedly it gets way busier and livelier at night.

Very knowledgeable and patient staff! Speaks fluent English…read more This bar is by appointment only so goto their website and reserve a 1 hr spot. The staff will ask for your desired taste and work with you to try different mezcals they have. You basically pay just for whatever you drink (no fee for the experience). She even let us do half a pour for more tastings.

I feel so bad leaving this review because the guy who led my tasting was SO nice, but I just found…read morethat this was a really expensive experience that I didn't get much out of. The "informative" slash educational piece was maybe 10 minutes of basic knowledge about the production of mezcal. You can then decide between 3, 4, or 5 one-ounce pours of mezcal starting at $550 pesos and increasing from there. I ended up trying four mezcals and honestly didn't love any of them. I think one of my biggest qualms is that they were all warm - not just room temp but like notably warm. I probably would have liked them a lot more had they been a little chilled. Maybe mezcal isn't intended to be cool, so I'm fully acknowledging that this might just be my preference, but I found them nearly unpalatable because of it. They sell the mezcal by the bottle as well but I didn't end up buying anything. Overall I'm glad I tried it, but certainly wouldn't be back, and honestly I think you could easily do a "self led" mezcal tour for cheaper and get just as much out of it.

We had an enjoyable stop here. The cocktails were well mixed although the whole menu wasn't on…read moreoffer the night we visited. The bar was busy and the bar itself is small so I think the limited set made sense. It was fun to join the lively crowd for a bit and watch a parade go by.

It's an amazing and unique place, small. Focused. Mezcal only with a few mixers. Guitar player the…read morenight we were there. Magical! I'd not trade the evening we spent there for 100 other nights in other standard, predictable bars in 100 other places. And that's the twoof!

View is a 10 out of 10…read more We came here specifically for the roof top! There are lots of tables and seating available. There is a stage for live music and there is a breathtaking view of the most beautiful Cathedral in Oaxaca, Santo Domingo Service was super slow as the employees are understaffed, there was only one waitress, she was very overwhelmed, we sympathized with her and remained patient Drinks were good, view is amazing, prices are reasonable

Excellent service. Amazing food. Great ambiance. Perfect views of Templo Santo Domingo. Flawless…read moredrinks. We had an amazing time here.