Gay bars tijuana mexico

YADIRAS BAR is your karaoke-and-pool stop with a friendly, neighborhood vibe, but it closes earlier. A firm-favorite seafood spot, Rambay’s terrace is the place to watch the sunset over Playas De Tijuana.

For venues, start with El Ranchero Bar for pop, Latin tracks, and drag shows, then head to YeiYei Danceclub for 80s-to-00s music and solid drag production.

At the bars that line the plaza, under black lights and in the dark, men perform in drag and hold each other tenderly in narrow smoke-filled halls. Once I got there, though, I felt just as safe as I have anywhere else. Matt’s Bar is open Tuesday to Saturday until 2 am.

Ruben’s Hideaway

Hidden away, as the name suggests, with no clear signage at the north end of Avenida Del Pacifico, Tijuana’s main promenade, this unsuspecting bar is technically Tijuana’s closest bar to the U.S.

They have an easy way about them, their shoulders relaxed, their face muscles smooth.

Being so close to the border, Tijuana is a swirling site of transience and transformation. Open until 5 am every morning, El Copeo is a place of paradise for true night owls. At El Ranchero, miniature cow skulls with lethal-looking horns keep watch over the bar as shy queens in pink and purple gowns lip sync to slow, syrupy hits from decades gone by.

I recognize that safety isn’t a feeling, but keeping within the bounds of a few simple rules will get you most of the way to staying safe.

The most important piece of advice to follow is not to stray into bad neighborhoods. This is one of those places that you’ll simply never find if you don’t know it’s there.

Inside could double as a cool teen’s basement in 1988, with retro geometric carpet and cushioned, velour-lined swivel chairs.