Bangalo Salon de Te
The lively Bangalo Salon de Te features a blazing fireplace and nonstop Brazilian music.
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The air is thin and the nights get cold, but Quito pulses after the sun goes down with plenty of discotecas and salsatecas. At the peñas (clubs where Andean musicians perform), you can listen to traditional Ecuadoran music. Bars usually open in the late afternoon, while dance clubs don't get going until 10 pm. By law, everything shuts down by 2 am. Cover charges can be as much as $10.
Quito's arts scene has grown significantly in the last few years, too. The free monthly English-language magazine This Is Ecuador, the free monthly English-language newspaper Ecuador Reporter, and the free Spanish-language monthly magazine Quito Cultura, each available in many hotels and restaurants, are good for a look at what's going on around town (and around the country).
Evening crowds throng the streets of La Mariscal, where you'll find the greatest selection of nightlife, but the high tourist quotient attracts a number of thieves, too. Watch your things, your drinks, and yourself, and take a taxi, even if you're only going a few blocks. Bars and restaurants are happy to call one to take you back to your hotel.
The lively Bangalo Salon de Te features a blazing fireplace and nonstop Brazilian music.
El Pobre Diablo is a gathering place for artists and intellectuals.
At Finn McCool's, approximates an Irish pub, Quito style, with Guinness available in cans.
At Ghoz, you can munch on Swiss food, play a game of pool, and listen to high-decibel rock and salsa.
If you're looking for a peña in the Old City, one of the best is La Taberna Quito Colonial.
One of the New City's most established peñas is the Nuncanchi Peña.
Papillón blasts pop and techno, which draws a young crowd.
This small place in the Mariscal neighborhood presents its Noches de Quito ("Quito Nights") folk spectacle wWednesday through Saturday evenings.
Locals head to Salsateca Seseribó to dance to cumbia, salsa, and merengue, weekends only; stop by for the free salsa lesson each Saturday at 8:30 pm.
You'll find a very young crowd enjoying a beer at Tijuana.
Varadero has live music on Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday. It fills up with locals early on weekends.