La 33: A Nightlife District West of the River

If you fancy a change from Parque Lleras, get yourself down to La 33 (Calle 33).

Not only does it have endless blocks of nightlife, but not being as known as Poblado means that you won’t find as many tourists here either.

Situated near Laureles and La 70 west of the river, walking along La 33 offer that “being on holiday” vibe. There are so many bars here, attempting to do a bar crawl here would take you weeks to get through them all.

So, with so many places crying out for your pesos, it’s a tough choice to choose the right ones. You can either start at one end of the street and work your way through the bars or research the best ones before you go.

Here are my picks for the interesting bars on La 33. They’re all walking distance, just start from Le Café and work your way down.

Le Café

Starting at the top end of Calle 33 is Le Café, with fairy lights sprinkled throughout and bird cages hanging from the ceiling.

Venture inside to a cosy atmosphere with a red bar interior or stay sitting outside on the low seating by candlelight listening to Bruno Mars.

Cocktails are the speciality here and with the one that I ordered, I even got a free shot of a mix of pineapple, orange and blue curaçao.

Cocktails cost 14,900 ($7.50) and I recommend the Frutos Rojos with cachaza, cerezas y fresas can azucar. If you’re not interested in drinking, the fancy lemonade is amazing and tastes just like cream soda.

What’s it Good For?

Starting the evening.

Café del Mar

Drawn to the name Café del Mar because of the similarity with the Ibiza brand, I ventured into this bar expecting electronic house beats and plenty of vodka.

They do have vodka cocktails on the menu as well as margaritas and long islands from 14,900 ($7.50) but this venue is less about the music, and more about the love.

Specifically designed for couples, this converted-looking house is a love nest with couples sitting upstairs among dim lighting – the perfect setting for bringing your loved one.

Even if you’re single, this bar is an eye-opener. Just don’t expect it to be anything like you’ll find in Ibiza.

What’s it Good For?

Taking your partner for a romantic evening.

Public House

Being from the UK and missing a traditional pub, the Public House gave me everything I was longing for from home.

Not just offering national beers, they have a huge range of imported ones from all over Europe with flags hanging from the bar to match.

Plus you can get snacks like chips and cheese (or fries as known in the United States). With dark wood furniture and wallpapered walls, I was totally at home.

Expect to pay 7,000 pesos ($3.50) to sip a domestic microbrew like 3 Cordilleras (with a fruity taste) to the sounds of Jamiroquai playing in the background.

What’s it Good For?

A taste of British and European beers.

The Rouse

When you’re ready to dance, The Rouse fits the bill. With red cushioned cubes to sit on and a cool, white interior, expect a good vibe with people ready to party.

There are no menus here, so opt for the usual bottle of aguardiente accompanied by water or choose a traditional cocktail.

There’s a floor for those who want to dance surrounded by veils of fog from the in-house fog machine.

For those without dancing feet, you can just sit on the outside terrace and people watch others doing their own bar crawl along La 33.

What’s it Good For?

Partying and dancing the night away.

Additional Bars

This is a just a sample of the bars and there are many others to choose from.

Other recommended venues are:

• Fine Shots for shots
• Vértigo Wings with an unusual feature hanging outside of the wall (a car)
• Bar Sin Nombre
• Nuvo

For dancing try Palmaco, a disco bar, or California Club, another crossover bar where you can find a variety of music to dance along to.

Restaurants

There’s not just places to drink here, you can grab food in-between your bar crawl in the various fast-food joints such as Mao Food for cheap eats and numerous restaurants.

Choose from Hercos Bar Restaurant where you can eat accompanied with good music, or stop by Cafe Guardas for more live music whilst you dine.

For a more funky vibe, Citrus Cafe Lounge offers traditional American food with burgers and brunch and has a happy hour with two for one cocktails until 8 p.m. and you can even go here for breakfast as it opens in the morning.

To get to La 33 there’s no close metro station, so take a taxi to the area. It’s safe walking around and although I visited with two friends, I would feel completely safe coming here alone.

During the day, the area is much quieter with some of the restaurants and bars open in the afternoon, but the evenings are definitely where it’s at.

Not just exclusive to Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights, most of the bars are open during the week, so if you like your evenings slightly quieter than visit between Sunday to Wednesday instead.

Do you have a favorite place to drink or eat on La 33? We’d like to hear about it in the Comments below.

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