Antigua Nightlife: Cafe No Se

Through a hole in the wall on Antigua’s East Side lies the shadowy world of Cafe No Se.

It has the feel of a Tarantino film, of a border town dive whose regular crowd consists of ex-pats, wanna-be ex-pats, travelers, locals and enough shady characters to make things interesting. Bizarre art and photographs, images of the Virgin of Guadalupe and other eclectic touches cover the walls.

Recently listed in the Guinness Book of Third World Records as the “Taj Mahal of Tequila, Cafe No Se serves over 30 kinds of tequila and mezcal, plus Gallo and Moza beer on tap, in three bars inside a long, shotgun-style building.

The bar in front features live music every night around 9 PM, spilling into the other bars and attracting as many Antiguans as it does tourists. In the next room, a gnarled wood bar stretches fifteen feet long and is illuminated with candelabras that cast weird shadows on the unfinished wooden walls.

The music is just loud enough that you can hear the lyrics and simultaneously carry on a conversation.

The Mezcal Bar, AKA Tequila Bar

An alcoholic Hobbit would feel at home walking through the small refrigerator door into the world famous Mezcal Bar. It reminds me of a scene from a Clive Barker novel: coarse red walls, a Maximon on a shelf, desperadoes knocking back shots of the Ilegal Mezcal that Cafe No Se produces in Oaxaca, Mexico.

In addition to being a bar, restaurant and Mecca of mezcal, Cafe No Se is also the home of La Cuadra, Central America’s leading literary magazine.

Mexican Food from the Yucatan

Bar food, they call it. But with a twist. No Se’s tacos and quesadillas are based on cochinita pibil, a smokey pork dish from Yucatan. Other tasty selections include tortilla soup, chili, salads and sandwiches. For a quiet meal, you can dine in the back room, where a small garden is illuminated by a skylight.

Whether you’re in town to party, study, see the sights or just make trouble, Cafe No Se is the place to kick off a fun night on the town in Antigua.

Location: On 1st Avenue near 6th Street, Cafe No Se is across the street from Tu Pina Tambien and El Hostal. Open daily from Noon-1 AM.