When an old friend visits my beloved city of Santiago, Chile, I feel obligated to be a good host. And in this lively city, it’s all too easy to have a night of fun and experience some of the bar and nightlife culture. We start at a casual local bar chain in Providencia and enjoy our first sip of the night, not fully knowing what’s in store.
Santiago is a huge metropolitan area, full of different sections that each have their own unique restaurants, bars, shops, and clubs. Some areas are more upscale; some are in older parts of town. We opted for somewhere in between—a bustling, colorful area near the Pedro de Valdivia metro station in Providencia, one comuna of Santiago. As the heat from a summer day gives way to cooler night air, our glasses clink and we settle in for a long night out.
Micheladas: The Classic Chilean Drink
Our night begins in El Rey de Las Micheladas, and as the name suggests, their specialty is micheladas of all kinds. The original michelada is a Chilean favorite: a mix of about a generous serving of lime juice, the beer of your choice, and a salted, spiced rim. The Chilean spice merkén on the salted rim adds that signature smoky kick that ties the michelada together and takes it to the next level.
In this michelada bar, we try a few custom varieties. One michelada has additional flavors of tomato juice; another has added maracuya (passionfruit) juice. Yet another is topped with a garnish of a gummy candy that reminds me of Fruit-by-the-Foot from my home in the States. And along with our refreshing micheladas, we snack on completos—Chile’s signature hot dog.
Luna Bar: Rooftop Drinks with a City Skyline View
Just a fifteen-minute walk away from that michelada bar is the Costanera Center, famously known as the tallest building in South America. Within this gigantic building is a massive mall, floors of restaurants, and a hotel with a 17th-floor rooftop bar. The slight buzz from the micheladas gives us the confidence to stroll in Luna Bar with no reservation to speak of. Fortunately, a table is waiting there, just for us, under the starry night sky and twinkling terrace lights.
I’ve been to Luna Bar a few times before. Still, my friend points out some details with a fresh set of eyes: the colorful floral art lining the wall on one side of the terrace, the strikingly friendly service of our server, who we later find out used to work as a trapeze artist in a national circus. The drinks are astrology-themed, and we place our drink orders according to our star signs: mine is Cancer (a rum-based drink topped with banana foam) and his is Pisces (a creamy gin drink).
And to snack on, we can’t resist a couple of tacos. They come out fairly quickly, looking freshly made and delicately placed on a heavy serving platter. The meat in these tacos is mechada, a slow-cooked, shredded beef that I usually love in sandwiches here in Chile. With the warm, flavorful tacos in hand, washed down by our cocktails, we are thoroughly enjoying this night under the clear, star-studded sky.
Admiring the Santiago skyline, we name a city in the United States (where we are both originally from) that best matches Santiago’s vibe. New York City is too concentrated, Los Angeles is too varied, so we settle on Dallas, Texas: another city with an impressive skyline and with a wide, seemingly endless sprawl in every direction. The main difference? Santiago’s incredible mountain backdrop—we won’t find that in Texas. Speaking of mountains, I point out Cerro San Cristobal, which is lit up to the north. It’s a hill within the city that I recommend my friend visit sometime during the day.
Exiting Luna Bar, we admire the inside lobby and a couple of other shiny, modern hotel bars. During the daytime, the floor-to-ceiling windows offer views of the city and the Andean foothills, but at night, all we see outside are glimmering city lights. We pass by rows and rows of wine bottles encased in glass, waiting to be drunk by future visitors to this elegant bar. As the elevator drops us back down to the first floor, our ears pop, reminding us of just how high up we really were.
Dancing Underground in Club Subterraneo
An idea comes to mind as we walk out onto the surprisingly quiet street outside the Costanera Center—an underground club. The name is Club Subterraneo, and I’ve been a couple of times before with a language exchange group (Santiago Speaks), but I’ve never been independently. So, I share the idea with my friend, and we enthusiastically make our way back down Avenida Providencia, passing by some rambunctious friend groups laughing loudly along the way. The walk down this avenue feels short and breezy, and before long, we’re approaching the club entrance, which is tucked away behind a large patio that’s packed with crowded tables of people eating and drinking.
As we learn at the door, Club Subterraneo is open until a generous 4:00 am, so we pay our cover charge and head inside. The name of this club is completely accurate: it’s literally underground, and we carefully step down a couple of staircases to get to the bar and the open dancefloor down below. It’s dimly yet tastefully lit, and we hear reggaeton bumping and notice that the dancefloor hasn’t filled up yet.
My friend immediately notices the dress code, something I’ve grown accustomed to. In Santiago, people generally love to wear all black, especially on nights out, but even for general streetwear. And in Club Subterraneo, we notice that out of dozens and dozens of club-goers, almost all of them are in black from head to toe. My friend and I, suddenly feeling very much like foreigners, are the exceptions. Even so, we put that out of mind and move into the dancefloor toward the DJ booth, falling into the rhythm of the music, getting lost into the late hours of the night.
Never a Dull Moment in Santiago, Chile
Even having lived in Santiago for a year, I never quite know what to expect on a night out in any given comuna of this city. Going to the same club on a different night of the week can offer a completely unique experience; the crowd or the vibe could be totally unexpected. The variety of places to go for a good time in Santiago is nearly endless. There’s always a new panorama to be found, and that’s exactly what our night out rewarded us with. And who knows what the next night will bring!
