14 bars in Santa Teresa ranked: Drift for cocktails, Rocamar for sunset swings, Banana Beach for 2 for 1 drinks and Tikiliano for late nights.
The best bar in Santa Teresa is Drift, where cold-pressed cocktails start at $12 and the bar runs Monday to Sunday from 4pm to 10pm. For sunset, Rocamar and its beach swings win. For a late night, Tikiliano on Saturday. Here are all 14, ranked.
The short version
Drift is the cocktail bar: a real mixologist, fresh juice in every glass, $12 to $15 for a specialty drink, and a liter bottle for $50 if you are a group. Rocamar is the sunset bar, the one with swings at the tide line, open until 7pm and closed on Mondays. Banana Beach is the beach bar with music every evening and 2 for 1 cocktails, and it is the right call on a Wednesday. Below those three: wine at Malbec, a dance floor at Tikiliano, or a beer and a game at Kooks. La Lora Amarilla, the old disco, is closed. For dance floors, read best clubs in Santa Teresa; the nightlife guide has the weekly calendar.
1. Drift
Drift is a restaurant, cocktail lounge, market and bakery 50 meters south of Super Muralla on the Playa Carmen side of the main road, and the only bar in town with a serious cocktail list, all of it made with cold-pressed fruit. The margaritas (classic, jalapeño, mango passion, ruby paloma) are $12, the Uchuva with rosemary vodka and goldenberries is $12, a Negroni or Espresso Martini is $15, and an Old Fashioned is $12. Groups can order a liter bottle of any cold-pressed cocktail for $50, or a mezcal liter for $65, which pours five drinks. Prices exclude 13% tax and 10% service. The bar runs 4pm to 10pm Monday to Sunday, later on live music nights or special events, with daily 2 for 1 happy hour specials on the board. It rates 4.7 on 469 reviews and has free parking. The caveat is that it sits on the road with no ocean view, so do sunset elsewhere and come here after.
2. Rocamar
Rocamar is the beach bar with the swings, on the sand at the north end of Santa Teresa down the Rocamar road past Blue Surf. Swings and daybeds face the break. Regulars order the mojito or the caipirinha; expect $10 to $14 a cocktail, $4 to $5 a beer, and a minimum spend of about $15 per person on the daybeds. Hours are 12pm to 7pm Tuesday to Sunday, closed Monday, so this is a sunset bar and then it shuts. The light is gone by 6:15pm in September, so arrive by 4:45pm if you want a swing. On full moon weekends the Rocamar Late Set brings a DJ. It rates 4.6 on 506 reviews and suits couples, photos, and a first night in town. The caveat is the crowd: in high season the swings are taken by 5pm and service slows, and the beach clubs guide has quieter loungers.
3. Banana Beach Bar
Banana Beach is the hotel bar on the sand at the north end, on Villa Bonita drive, and the busiest sunset spot in town for a reason: music every evening and 2 for 1 cocktails that the hotel calls its most popular deal. The 2026 program runs a sunset DJ from 4pm most days, a Wednesday Music Bazar beach party from 4:30pm to 10pm, a live jazz and funk band on Fridays from 6pm, and a Saturday beach party from 4pm to 10pm. The restaurant page lists the bar open until 1am, and the party night changes by week, so check the Instagram for it. Cocktails are $10 to $12 before the 2 for 1. It rates 4.3 on 2,131 reviews, the most of any bar in town, and suits groups and anyone who wants a sunset with a soundtrack. The caveat is that it is a tourist bar, the food is ordinary, and on a quiet weeknight the view does the heavy lifting.
4. Hotel Nantipa Deck
The beachfront deck at Hotel Nantipa is the most polished place to drink in Santa Teresa. The bar sits under the open-air pavilion of Manzú, the hotel restaurant, 150 meters northwest of Super Costa, open to non-guests 7am to 10pm daily. The list is built around Costa Rican fruit and local spirits, and the tamarind margarita is the drink regulars send friends for. Expect $14 to $18 a cocktail plus tax and service. The move is to buy one drink around 5pm, take a chair on the sand, and stay through sunset; nobody hurries you. It suits a date or anyone who wants table service and a proper glass. The caveat is the price and the hotel-quiet mood; for music, Banana Beach is a five minute walk north. The beachfront hotels guide covers staying there.
5. Uma Beach Club
Uma is the beach club on the Casa Zen beach access road in central Santa Teresa, open 12pm to 10pm daily with a happy hour from 3pm to 5pm. Walk in at 3pm, take a lounger, drink through happy hour, watch the sunset, and stay for dinner without moving. The kitchen is better than it needs to be, which is why it rates 4.6 on 301 reviews. Cocktails are $12 to $15 at full price, roughly half during happy hour. It suits an afternoon that turns into an evening, and families early. The caveat is that the loungers carry a minimum spend and the good ones go early in high season, so ask when you sit down. The happy hour guide has every 2 for 1 window in town.
6. Tikiliano
Tikiliano is the open-air tiki lounge inside the Wave Boutique Mall, opposite Hotel Playa Cielo on the main road. Palm fronds, string lights, tiki masks, a long cocktail bar, and a DJ booth that runs the Dopo Cena electronic party every Saturday from 10pm; the September 2026 program also lists Thursday karaoke and Friday salsa. Hours are 6pm to 10pm Sunday to Tuesday and 6pm to 2:30am Wednesday to Saturday, the latest license on the strip. The Google price level is the highest of any bar here, so expect $14 to $18 a cocktail; the rum and fresh pineapple tiki drinks are the reason to come. It suits people whose night starts when Drift closes, and it anchors a Saturday night. The caveat is the 3.9 rating on 32 reviews, with a recurring theme of slow service and a thin weeknight crowd.
7. Kooks Smokehouse and Bar
Kooks is the sports bar, 200 meters south of Super Costa, open 10am to 10pm every day. Texas-smoker barbecue, craft beer on tap, signature cocktails, a pool table, foosball, and screens showing the game. Bands and DJs play on the upper deck overlooking the street, the best people-watching in town. Cocktails are $10 to $13, with daily food promos from 12pm to 4pm. It rates 4.7 on 1,962 reviews and suits a group that wants beer, wings and a match, or anyone hungry after a surf. Ask at the bar about Goma, the small unmarked mezcal room local guides place behind the building. The caveat is value: the review theme is that prices run high for the portions. The craft beer guide covers the taps here and the Wednesday-only Calle Cimarrona brewery on the road to Cabuya.
8. Malbec Wine Bar
Malbec Wine Bar is the quiet option: a small wine bar 200 meters north of the Santa Teresa cruce on the Mal Pais side, next to Taco Corner. Open 6pm to 11pm Tuesday to Sunday, closed Monday. The list leans Argentine, with wine by the glass and by the bottle and a short plate menu. It rates a perfect 5.0, though on only four reviews, all of which mention the owner working the room. Expect $8 to $12 a glass and $35 and up for a bottle; confirm on the night, since the list changes with what the importer has. It suits a date night, a conversation, and anyone tired of tequila. The caveat is that it is tiny and new, so consistency is unproven; message ahead on WhatsApp for a group of more than four.
9. La Lora Amarilla (closed)
La Lora Amarilla, the Yellow Parrot disco on the main road, has been closed for years. Older guides still send people there on Wednesday, Thursday, or Saturday. Do not go. The name still belongs to the surf break in the middle of town, which is a different place. For a cheap beer and a game, use Kooks. For a dance floor, use Tikiliano Wednesday through Saturday. La Pasión, the speakeasy under Koji's, went quiet after April 2026 and Google lists it as permanently closed, so check @clublapasion before planning a night around it.
10. Eat Street
Eat Street is the food market on the main road in central Santa Teresa (the listing still says opposite Selina, which closed in 2024; look for the big open shed north of the center). Four vendors share one roof, and the bar in the middle, Boule Bar, pours signature cocktails, craft beer and the classics from 7am to 10pm daily. Happy hour is 4pm to 6pm with 2 for 1 drinks, which makes a margarita about $6 apiece. It rates 4.7 on 2,997 reviews, the highest count in this guide. It suits a group that cannot agree on dinner and a solo traveler who wants to sit at a bar and talk. The caveat is that it is a food hall with a bar, so it clears out by 9pm and bar service slows when the vendors are slammed.
11. Habanero Mezcal Bar
Habanero is the mezcal bar upstairs from the Habanero Mexican restaurant in central Santa Teresa, and the closest thing this town has to a proper agave bar: a short list of mezcals by the pour, mezcalitas, and a tamarind habanero margarita that regulars describe as sweet first and hot second. The restaurant has run a happy hour from 5pm to 6pm on margaritas and mezcalitas; count on $10 to $13 for a cocktail and $8 to $12 for a mezcal pour. It suits anyone who wants mezcal without the beach club markup, with tacos downstairs. The caveat is that this is the one entry we could not confirm from the business's own channels in September 2026, and a forum post this year claimed it had closed; the Onda directory lists it as open and verified, but walk past or message before you plan a night around it. Drift's mezcal liter is the fallback.
12. Blue Mist Beach Club
Blue Mist is the beach club in front of the adults-only Blue Mist hotel in north Santa Teresa, and when open it is the most polished beach club in town: table service on the sand, cocktails from about $13, and live music timed to golden hour. It rates 4.8 on 232 reviews. It sits at 13 in a guide dated September 2026 because the bar and restaurant are closed for September and October while the staff take a break; the hotel says it reopens in November, which is when the sunsets get clean again. It suits a high-season sunset with table service and no DJ. The caveat beyond the closure is price: this is the beachfront premium in full, and regulars say to come for two drinks and eat elsewhere. The sunset spots guide has the free alternatives.
13. Lost Boyz Hideout
Lost Boyz is a hostel and surf camp 200 meters south of the football field and 50 meters east, and its bar is open to anyone: 12pm to 11pm Monday to Saturday, with the restaurant running to 10pm. There is a pool, a garden and movie nights, and guests get 10% off food and drinks. Beers are $3 to $4 and cocktails $8 to $10, the cheapest cocktail on this list. It rates 4.7 on 233 reviews as a hostel. It suits backpackers and solo travelers who want to meet people before going out. The caveat is that it is a hostel bar, so the crowd is 20 to 30 and the night is a pregame; by 11pm everyone has moved on to Tikiliano. The hostels guide compares the social stays.
14. Chico's Playa Bar (Montezuma)
Chico's is the bar in Montezuma, in the village center next to Super Mamatea, with a deck on the beach and a reggae night the whole town turns up for. Open 11am to 10pm most days, 9pm on weekends. Beers are $3 to $4, cocktails about $8 to $10, and the blended drinks are what people order at sunset. It rates 3.4 on 462 reviews that split hard: the setting and the reggae nights get love, the food and the bill get complaints. It suits a Montezuma day trip that ends with a drink on the sand. If you are eating in Montezuma first, Puggo's on the Delicias road above town has the better cocktail list, with a watermelon jalapeño margarita and a stage for live music, open from 5pm on the nights it runs in green season. The caveat at Chico's is to check your bill line by line, the single most repeated review theme.
Comparison table
| Bar | Type | Cocktail price | Best night | Sunset view |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drift | Craft cocktail bar | $12 to $15 | Friday, live music | No |
| Rocamar | Beach bar with swings | $10 to $14 | Sunday, full moon | Yes |
| Banana Beach Bar | Beach bar, live music | $10 to $12, 2 for 1 | Wednesday | Yes |
| Hotel Nantipa Deck | Hotel beach bar | $14 to $18 | Any, at sunset | Yes |
| Uma Beach Club | Beach club | $12 to $15, happy hour 3 to 5pm | Saturday | Yes |
| Tikiliano | Tiki lounge, DJ | $14 to $18 | Saturday | No |
| Kooks | Sports bar, live music | $10 to $13 | Match nights | No |
| Malbec Wine Bar | Wine bar | $8 to $12 a glass | Thursday | No |
| La Lora Amarilla | Closed disco | None | Closed | No |
| Eat Street | Food hall bar | $10 to $12, 2 for 1 at 4pm | Any, early | No |
| Habanero Mezcal Bar | Mezcal bar | $10 to $13 | Confirm open | No |
| Blue Mist Beach Club | Beach club | $13 and up | High season sunset | Yes |
| Lost Boyz Hideout | Hostel bar | $8 to $10 | Thursday pregame | No |
| Chico's Playa Bar | Montezuma beach bar | $8 to $10 | Reggae night | Yes |
Prices are September 2026 and exclude the 13% tax and 10% service that most bars add to the bill.
How to choose
Pick by what the evening is for. If the drink matters, go to Drift, then Nantipa, then Uma. If the sunset matters, it is Rocamar for the swings, Banana Beach for music, Nantipa for quiet, and Uma for a lounger you can hold all afternoon; the sunset spots guide covers the beaches where you bring your own. If you want to dance, the night decides the bar: Tuesday is Deep Tuesday, the day and sunset beach party at Ranchos Itauna, Wednesday is Banana Beach or Havana Night at Tikiliano, Thursday is Somos (a party more than a bar, covered in Thursday night), and Saturday is Tikiliano. For a cheap beer and a conversation, Kooks and Lost Boyz will not run you $15 a round. La Lora will not, because it is closed. Wine is Malbec; the Tipsy wine shop on the main road (12pm to 7pm, Monday to Saturday) sells bottles to take home but no longer runs as a bar, and Vermu, which people also search for, is a daytime cafe.
A good first night is Rocamar at 4:45pm, dinner at 7:30pm, Drift at 9pm, then Tikiliano on a Saturday.
Practical notes
Cash still matters. Cards work at the bars above, and the beach bars drop signal often enough that you should still carry cash. Carry ₡20,000 in small notes; the ATM and money guide lists where to get it.
Tax and service are added on top. Menu prices usually exclude the 13% IVA and 10% service charge, so a $12 margarita is $14.76 on the bill. The 10% is the tip, and the tipping guide explains when to add more.
Closing times are earlier than you think. Drift, Uma, Eat Street and the Nantipa deck stop at 10pm and Rocamar shuts at 7pm. Only Tikiliano (2:30am Wednesday to Saturday) and Banana Beach (open until 1am) go late. A big DJ booking can carry a $15 to $20 cover; most nights there is none.
Green season changes the map. From May to November some beach bars cut hours, Blue Mist closes its bar for September and October, and a 5pm downpour empties the sand. Drift, Kooks, Malbec and Tikiliano are under a roof; the rainy season guide has the rest.
Get home safely. The bars sit along one unlit dirt road and the police checkpoint outside Kooks is real. A taxi between bars is $10 to $15; do not drive an ATV after drinking. The getting around guide has the taxi numbers.
The music moves weekly; the live music guide and the full moon parties guide cover what is on.
FAQ
What are the best bars in Santa Teresa?
Drift for cocktails, Rocamar for sunset on the swings, Banana Beach for 2 for 1 drinks with live music, and Tikiliano for a late night. Hotel Nantipa's deck is the polished option, Uma has the best daily happy hour, Kooks is the sports bar, and Malbec is the wine bar.
Where is the best sunset bar in Santa Teresa?
Rocamar, at the north end of the beach, for the swings at the tide line; arrive by 4:45pm because it closes at 7pm. Banana Beach next door has music and 2 for 1 cocktails, Hotel Nantipa's deck is the quiet choice, and Uma is the one where you can hold a lounger from 3pm.
How much is a cocktail in Santa Teresa?
$10 to $15 at most bars, $14 to $18 at Nantipa and Tikiliano, plus 13% tax and 10% service on the bill. Drift's margaritas are $12 and its liter bottle is $50 for five drinks. Happy hours at Uma (3pm to 5pm), Eat Street (4pm to 6pm) and Banana Beach cut that roughly in half. A beer is $3 to $5.
What time do bars close in Santa Teresa?
Most close at 10pm: Drift, Uma, Eat Street and the Nantipa deck all stop then, and Rocamar shuts at 7pm. Tikiliano runs until 2:30am Wednesday to Saturday, Banana Beach until 1am, and Kooks closes at 10pm. La Lora Amarilla is closed.
Is there a dress code at bars in Santa Teresa?
No. Flip flops, board shorts and a clean shirt are fine everywhere on this list, including Nantipa and Tikiliano. Sand on your feet is expected at the beach bars. The only practical rule is a shirt indoors, and a light layer helps at the open-air bars once the rain starts.
Which bar has happy hour in Santa Teresa?
Uma Beach Club runs happy hour daily from 3pm to 5pm, Eat Street runs 2 for 1 drinks from 4pm to 6pm, Banana Beach runs 2 for 1 cocktails through the evening, and Drift posts daily 2 for 1 specials on its board. Habanero has run 5pm to 6pm on margaritas and mezcalitas; confirm it is open.
Browse the full drinks directory for hours, WhatsApp numbers and new openings.
