GENERAL DESCRIPTION

At the time of this writing (March 2010), El Deposito, World Beer Store has been open only 2 weeks. It is a beer store with 90 brands of beer in 120 different varieties. You can buy the beers cold to drink at the tables set up inside and outside the small space or you can take them home. On draft is Minerva pale ale and stout from a microbrewery in Guadalajara. Draft is 30 pesos a pint. Take out bottles of the same are 23 pesos each. Most imported beers are between 40 and 75 pesos, the same prices that local bars charge for them. Some specialty beers run up to 140 pesos a bottle. This store is Vallarta’s version of beer lovers’ heaven.

GENERAL INFORMATION

• ADDRESS: Pulpito 116 (at Amapas), Colonia Emiliano Zapata, Old Town
• WEBSITE: www.cerveceriaminerva.com
• EMAIL: eldepositovta @ hotmail.com
• PHONE: (322)222-64-00
• HOURS/DAYS: 11 am to 2 am, Closed Mondays
• HAPPY HOUR: None
• FOOD: botanas from Coco´s Kitchen
• Beer only

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GOOGLE STREET VIEW & MAP

(This Google Street View was created before El Deposito was)

Updated March 27, 2010

GENERAL DESCRIPTION

La Gloria y El Infierno may not be the real name of this cantina but it’s the only possibility since no name is to be found anywhere and the bartender just shrugs and smiles when you ask him (the name is on a beer poster inside).

Outside, it looks a tad seedy with boarded up windows and swinging black, makeshift doors that still show remnants of clausurado stickers. I’d like to say that inside you will find a hidden gem but, well, this is a true working class cantina and, in spite of it being in the middle of expat Vallarta, all you will find is a small 6 stool bar, about a dozen wooden tables and a large, active jukebox and a small dancing area. This place is designed for serious drinking with drink prices very low and the selection minimal. The beer is cold and cheap and the mixed drinks cheap and strong. The baños are very basic.

This cantina is a bit of an anomaly and probably an endangered species here in Vallarta. It’s a friendly bar and the resident working girl, the last time I was there, suggested to a friend of mine (with quite large, attractive breasts) that she had “million dollar boobs” and could make a fortune with them. My friend was flattered but kindly declined.

GENERAL INFORMATION

• ADDRESS: Constitucion 98, at the corner of Madero, Colonia Emiliano Zapata, Old town
• WEBSITE: None
• EMAIL: None
• PHONE: ?
• HOURS/DAYS: Daily, early until late
• HAPPY HOUR: Prices are always low
• FOOD:
• None (botanas sometimes)
• EXTRAS:
• Jukebox
• Working Girls (sometimes)

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GOOGLE STREET VIEW & MAP

Updated March 26, 2010

GENERAL DESCRIPTION

Ridiculo Cantina lives up to its name. It is hidden on a street that no one walks on and, even if you find it, you don’t believe that it’s there because the doorway opens only into a long, dark hallway like thousands of others here in Vallarta that normally head back to small apartments or compounds. The door is marked by a small carved wooden that just says “Ridiculo” and is blurred at night by a bright light bulb hanging immediately in front of it.

Inside, Ridiculo is big enough for about 10 tables and a long bar. Everything is basic and utilitarian: Beer, mixed drinks. The people are the atmosphere, not the view, the lighting or the pictures hanging on the wall. The waitresses/bartenders/working women are friendly, as you would expect.

We visited this bar on a Tuesday night at around 11 pm and the place was jumping. Loud dance music on the juke and laughing, singing groups of men at most of the tables. The owner’s name is Chiche and the manager’s name is Oscar, but he calls himself Locho because he likes the number 8.

GENERAL INFORMATION

• ADDRESS: 442 Basilio Badillo (?), Colonia Emiliano Zapapa, Not really in Old Town
• WEBSITE: None
• EMAIL: None
• PHONE: None
• HOURS/DAYS: 2 pm to 2 am
• HAPPY HOUR: Same prices all of the time: 17 pesos Corona and Pacifico, cheap well drinks (prices written on the bottles on the shelves…)
• FOOD: Pretty good basic Mexican food available delivered from a small restaurant next door.
• EXTRAS:
• Nice Jukebox with Ranchero and Contemporary Mexican dance and drinking music

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GOOGLE STREET VIEW & MAP

Updated August 22, 2010

GENERAL DESCRIPTION

La Escondida Sports Bar is a very popular gringo neighborhood sports bar on the eastern side of town. The drinks are inexpensive and good and the the energy level is high. It is under new ownership at the time of this review (March 2010) and the new owner is a Canadian woman, Lori Loree, who has the attitude and drive to continue the tradition of this bar.

GENERAL INFORMATION

• ADDRESS: Jacarandas 210 (between Mardero and Cardenas), Colonia Emiliano Zapata, East Old Town
• WEBSITE: http://www.vallartasource.com/puerto_vallarta_mexico/Escondida.php
• EMAIL: laescondidapv @ hotmail.com
• PHONE: 322 222 1590
• HOURS/DAYS: 10 am to 2 pm Daily
• HAPPY HOUR: 2 to 3 and 6 to 7
• FOOD:
• None, but botanas served
• EXTRAS:
• Many TVs on Satellite
• Good baños

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COMMENTS (from the owners )

THIS IS THE PLACE for NFL Football all weekend long! Fans come to watch their favorite teams, and friendly rivalries between opposing fans usually results in somebody buying a round for the house. Up to 5 different games can be displayed at any one time, so it’s not difficult to get to see YOUR game! And with satellite, dish, and cable feeds, nearly ANY sporting event you don’t want to miss, college or pro, can be shown for you in this friendly hide-away! –from the website

GOOGLE STREET VIEW & MAP

Updated March 27, 2010

GENERAL DESCRIPTION

Ballena Azul Cantina is one of those little bars in Mexico that most gringos will never venture inside even tho it’s right in the middle of expat residential Vallarta. On the street-side there are swinging bar doors and a short hallway into a large room with pool table, jukebox, lots of plastic tables and chairs and a Sol/Tecate bar. The cerveza and mixed drinks are very reasonable and the patrons and staff are friendly. If you hit this cantina at the right time you will find working girls,tho all of the ones I’ve seen here are rather on the aged and lumpy side. One plus is that there are real urinals in the baño instead of the traditional trough.

GENERAL INFORMATION

• ADDRESS: 332 Madero between Constitution and Insurgentes
• WEBSITE: None
• EMAIL: None
• PHONE: None
• HOURS/DAYS: evening to 2 am
• HAPPY HOUR: None (all drinks are cheap all of the time)
• FOOD:
• None, but you sometimes get peanuts
• EXTRAS:
• Pool Table
• Juke Box

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GOOGLE STREET VIEW & MAP

Updated March 24, 2010