Chile Info
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 Posted: Tue Nov 28, 2006 11:09 pm Post subject: NIGHTLIFE IN CHILE / CHILE NIGHTLIFE GUIDE (SANTIAGO) |
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NIGHTLIFE IN CHILE (SANTIAGO)
Residents of Santiago adhere to a vampire's schedule, dining as late as 11pm, arriving at a nightclub past 1am, and diving into bed before the sun rises. But there are many early-hour night time attractions if you can't bear late nights. Several newspapers publish daily movie listings and Friday weekend-guide supplements, such as El Mercurio's "Wiken" or, even better, La Tercera's "Guía Fin de Semana." Both contain movie, theatre, and live music listings and special events.
Cinemas
Megaplexes such as CineHoyts and Cinemark, with their multiscreened theatres, feature the widest variety of movies and a popular Monday-to-Wednesday discount price. More avant-garde and independent films can be found in "Cine Arte" theatres, such as Cine Alameda, Alameda 139 (tel. 2/664-8842), and El Biógrafo, Lastarria 181 (tel. 2/633-4435). The entertainment sections of El Mercurio, La Tercera, and La Segunda list titles, times, and locations.
The Performing Arts
Santiago is known for its theatre, from large-scale productions to one-person monologues put on at a local cafe. However, it might be difficult to find a production that interests you because newspaper listings typically advertise the title, address, and telephone number, nothing else. Ask around for recommendations.
The following are some of the more well-established theaters in Santiago. There are two theatres in Bellavista that offer contemporary productions and comedies in an intimate setting: Teatro Bellavista, Dardignac 0110 (tel. 2/735-2395; Metro: Salvador), and Teatro San Ginés, Mallinkrodt 76 (tel. 2/738-2159; Metro: Salvador). As the name implies, the nearby Teatro La Comedia, Merced 349 (tel. 2/639-1523; Metro: Baquedano), hosts comedy, but it is better known for cutting-edge productions. The cultural centre Estación Mapocho, at the Plaza de la Cultura s/n (tel. 2/787-0000; Metro Cal y Canto), hosts a large variety of theatre acts, often concurrently.
But let's be realistic. If you do not speak Spanish, even the city's hit production of the moment is going to be a waste of your time and money. Stick to something more accessible, such as a symphony, ballet, or opera at the city's gorgeous, historic Teatro Municipal, located downtown at Agustinas 749 (tel. 2/639-0282; www.municipal.cl; Metro: Universidad de Chile). The National Chilean Ballet and invited guests hold productions from April to December, with contemporary and classic productions such as The Nutcracker. There are musical events and special productions throughout the year; the best way to find out what's on is to check the theatre's website. You can even reserve and buy tickets by clicking on the event on the corresponding date in the "Calendario Anual" and following the prompts, or by e-mailing the director of sales Luciano Lago at ventas@municipal.cl. The website allows you to select a seat from a diagram and find out which seats have only a partial view. Tickets are also sold over the phone at tel. 2/463-8888 from Monday to Friday 10am to 6pm, or bought in person at the theater itself from Monday to Friday 10am to 7pm and Saturday and Sunday from 10am to 2pm. Tickets are sold beginning 1 month before the starting date.
Visiting orchestras, the Fundación Beethoven, and contemporary acts play at the Teatro Oriente, Av. Pedro de Valdivia 099 (tel. 2/334-2234); buy tickets at the theatre or by Ticketmaster . Teatro Universidad de Chile, Av. Providencia 043 (tel. 2/634-5295; http://teatro.uchile.cl), hosts ballet and symphony productions, both national and international, throughout the year. You may buy tickets at the theatre near Plaza Italia or by phone. Ticketmaster sells tickets for nearly every act in Santiago at CineHoyts cinemas, at Falabella department stores, or by calling tel. 2/690-2000 from 10am to 7pm.
The Club, Music & Dance Scene
Crowd-pulling national and international megabands typically play in the Estado Nacional or the Estación Mapocho. You'll find listings for these shows in the daily newspaper or the El Mercurio's website, www.emol.com. If you're looking for something more mellow, Bellavista is a good bet for jazz, bolero, and folk music that is often performed Thursday through Saturday in several restaurants/cafes. La Tasca Mediterráneo's next-door cafe at Purísima 161 (tel. 2/735-3901) hosts mostly jazz acts from Thursday to Saturday in a cozy atmosphere, but it can get crowded as the night wears on.
Also in Bellavista, there are four small, informal cafe/bars at Antonio López and Mallinkrodt; try La Casa en el Aire, Antonia López de Bello 0125 (tel. 2/735-6680), with a cozy, candlelit ambience and frequent live folk music. Across the street, at López de Bello 0126, is El Perseguidor (tel. 2/777-6763), a jazz club that is highly recommended, with performances Thursday through Sunday evenings. For salsa dancing, try Habana Salsa, Dominica 142 (tel. 2/737-1737). Despite the hokey exterior of faux building facades, it's where many salsa fanatics spend their weekend nights. For a trendier scene, try Heaven, Recoleta 345, with its scaffolding-like stairs and balconies, good sound system, and smallish dance floor.
There are dozens of music venues spread across the city, but the one that attracts the best bands and has the most variety is La Batuta, Jorge Washington 52 (tel. 2/274-7096), located in the Ñuñoa neighbourhood, about a 10- to 15-minute taxi ride from downtown and Providencia. The atmosphere is underground, but the crowd profile depends on who's playing.
The Club de Jazz, José Pedro Alessandri 85 (tel. 2/274-1937), is one of the city's most traditional night spots (Louis Armstrong once played here). Bands jam every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday beginning at 11pm.
Santiago's club scene caters to an 18- to 35-year-old crowd, and it all gets going pretty late, from midnight to 6am, on the average. If you like electronica music, you might check out "fiestas" publicized in the weekend entertainment sections of newspapers that list 1-night-only raves and live music, or, in Bellavista, try La Feria, Constitución 275, a smallish nightclub located in an old theatre. Blondie, Alameda 2879 (tel. 2/681-7793), is like spending a night in 1985, with an '80s revival scene and music to match. Laberinto operates as a club and a music venue; check their website for upcoming events (Vicuña Mackenna 915; tel. 2/635-5368; www.laberinto.cl).
The Bar Scene
For the amount of pisco and wine that Chileans drink, bars have strangely never caught on; most bars are also restaurants or cafes by day. Hotel bars, such as the Hyatt's Duke's Bar or the Ritz's Lobby Bar, offer a more refined cocktail service. Most bars have happy hours from 5 to 7pm.
Downtown
There are several bars near the Plaza Mulato Gil de Castro, such as Bar Berri, Rosal 321, a pub-style watering hole frequented by locals and college students; it's a little on the mellow side, however. The Confitería Torres, Av. Alameda 1570 (tel. 2/698-6220), is a renovated turn-of-the-20th-century restaurant/cafe that has live music on weekends.
Providencia
The Bar Liguria, Luis Thayer Ojeda 019 (tel. 2/231-1393) and Av. Providencia 1373 (tel. 2/235-7914), is highly recommended for any age; in fact, both restaurant/ bars are the most happening spots in Santiago. The Ligurias are open until 2am on weeknights, until 5am on weekends, and are closed Sunday; they serve food practically until closing time. The Phone Box Pub, Av. Providencia 1670 (tel. 2/235-9972), open Monday through Thursday until 1am, weekends until 3am, closed Sunday, is good for a pint of brew and a snack. The pub is inside a small plaza off the main drag, and there's outside seating under a trellised roof. In the same plaza is Café del Patio (tel. 2/236-1251), open Monday to Thursday until midnight, Friday and Saturday until 1:30am, a stylish vegetarian restaurant with a bar, outside seating, and DJ music on weekends. Low-light and live cover bands set the tone at Clandestino, Guarda Vieja 35 (tel. 2/335-5293).
Santo Remedio, Roman Díaz 152, provides one of the funkier atmospheres in Santiago, plus outside seating is available. The Barcelona restaurant/ bar, Santa Beatriz 40 (tel. 2/235-6292), serves drinks and tapas -- and nothing else -- in a warm, low-lit atmosphere. The new hip spot in Providencia is Casino Royale, Manual Montt 1684 (tel. 2/269-5942), which specializes in performances (music, comedy, theatre) on Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday. As the name states, El Sofa, Santa Isabel 0151 (tel. 09/663-0163), takes comfort to a new level with lots of couches to lounge in (in addition to a good wine selection).
Mister Ed, Av. Suecia 152 (tel. 2/231-2624), open Monday through Saturday from 6pm to 5am (open Sun during the summer), is a bar that transforms into a dance hall at 2am with live music and is frequented by many young gringos. Brannigan's is a little more low-key than Mister Ed, and it can be found on the same street at 035 (tel. 2/232-7869). And, also in the same neighbourhood, the popular bar Boomerang, Holley 2285, has loud music, lots of gringos, and expensive drinks, but remains fashionable nevertheless. The Suecia micro-neighbourhood is not recommended for dining, and the atmosphere on weekends often fills with college-age party animals, but there are a few places (like Brannigan's above) that are more on the mellow side. Happy hours are a standby in nearly every bar here.
Las Condes
Several restaurants convert into pubs or cocktail lounges in the evening. One of them is Flannigans's Geo Pub, Encomenderos 83 (tel. 2/233-6675), open until midnight on weeknights, 2am on weekends. It's a cozy, contemporary Irish pub (with the usual pints on draft) that's very popular with an international crowd. PubLicity, El Bosque Norte 0155 (tel. 2/246-6414), open until 1am on weeknights and 3am on weekends, is almost too much of a sensory overload, combining English architecture with urban "publicity," or advertisements. It's very popular with young adults and yuppies, and there is often live music. At Agua (tel. 2/263-0008), the trendy, minimalist-style restaurant, there is a bar called "Fuego" on the second floor with live DJ music, which is open until 2am. If it's a summer evening and you're looking for a relaxing place to have a cocktail with a crowd in their 30s and up, try Zanzíbar, in the multi-restaurant complex BordeRío at Av. Escrivá de Balaguer (about a US$4 taxi ride from Las Condes; tel. 2/218-0120). This Mediterranean/ Moroccan restaurant and bar has an outdoor, candlelit terrace on the second floor furnished with pillows and comfy chairs to kick back in and take a look at the stars. Excellent snacks and food are available, too. The restaurant is open for lunch Monday to Thursday from noon to 5pm, and dinner from 6:30pm to 1am Monday to Thursday and until 2am Friday and Saturday, Sunday open from 10am to 6pm. Their outdoor terrace opens at 6pm. Also at the BordeRío is the Lamu Lounge (#11; tel. 2/218-0116), which has cocktails and tapas served in an African-style atmosphere. Lamu Lounge is open from 7pm to 2am Monday through Saturday. |
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