Marrakech Salon in Mexico City on Republica de Cuba in Centro Historico is the kitsch-retro queer cantina founded by Juan Carlos Bautista and Victor Jaramillo, the venue that pulled the LGBT scene out of Zona Rosa into the Centro with drag, go-go and cabaret nightly after 22:00.
Address: Calle Republica de Cuba 18, Centro, Cuauhtemoc, 06010 Ciudad de Mexico, Mexico City
La Purisima in Mexico City on Republica de Cuba in Centro Historico is the neon-lit queer cocktail bar and dance floor with a chic Catholic-statue backdrop, anchoring the Cuba street strip that flipped Centro into an alternative to Zona Rosa.
Bosforo in Mexico City on Calle Luis Moya in Centro is the red-curtain mezcaleria with candles for light, where the owner's playlist of acid jazz and Mesoamerican chants soundtracks a deep agave selection sourced from small producers across Oaxaca and Guerrero.
La Purisima in Mexico City on Republica de Cuba in Centro Historico is the neon-lit queer cocktail bar and dance floor with a chic Catholic-statue backdrop, anchoring the Cuba street strip that flipped Centro into an alternative to Zona Rosa.
Kinky Bar in Mexico City on Calle Amberes at the Paseo de la Reforma corner in Zona Rosa is the two-floor gay club in the former Lipstick room, with a cantina-styled main floor, a glass karaoke box and a smoking terrace facing the Angel de la Independencia.
Tom's Leather Bar in Mexico City on Avenida Insurgentes Sur in Hipodromo Condesa is the men-only multi-level cruise bar inspired by the Tom of Finland illustrations, with a dark room, go-go dancers on the tables and adult films on the screens.
Nicho Bears and Bar in Mexico City on Calle Londres at the Florencia corner in Zona Rosa is the BearMex group's flagship bears bar, with photos of burly men down the corridor walls, a small dance floor and Friday bear-karaoke as the long-running fixture.
Tokyo Music Bar in Mexico City on Rio Panuco in Colonia Cuauhtemoc is Edo Kobayashi's Japanese listening bar in the Little Tokyo enclave, with deep emerald walls, bankers lamps, gold stools and a vinyl-and-tube-amp programme of jazz and Japanese pop with whisky-led cocktails.
Bosforo in Mexico City on Calle Luis Moya in Centro is the red-curtain mezcaleria with candles for light, where the owner's playlist of acid jazz and Mesoamerican chants soundtracks a deep agave selection sourced from small producers across Oaxaca and Guerrero.