For years, people have overlooked the nightlife scene in El Paso, preferring the rowdier and more inclusive style across the border in Juárez. Indeed, many young people used to cross the border just to go drinking or clubbing, although that practice has waned in recent years as the violence in Juárez has gotten worse. What remains true, though, is that El Paso has a vibrant nightlife scene that is now being rediscovered as people opt to stay away from Mexico. There are literally hundreds of bars, clubs, discos and other nightlife options across the Sun City, even despite its reputation as a quiet town.
El Paso’s nightlife options are quite spread out across the city, with options for drinking, dancing, and cinema-going from the Eastside to Downtown. The Cincinnati Avenue Entertainment District is located across from the University of Texas at El Paso and is one of the more concentrated areas of nightlife, with a number of bars and nightclubs packed into a small strip along Cincinnati Avenue. Downtown you’ll find a burgeoning selection of chic cocktail bars and gourmet restaurants where DJs spin the hottest new electronica. You can more or less pick your poison, as well as your favorite ambiance. If you are interested in sampling local beers, El Paso has a number of celebrated microbreweries. Or, if you prefer to dance the night away, take your pick of themed nightclubs and DJ sets. Many bars and clubs also take advantage of El Paso’s amazing weather with huge patios, where you can sit under the vast Texas sky and enjoy a tall cocktail or brimming-over pint.
Overview
This chapter presents a range of nightlife options, from bars and clubs to country and western dance halls and cinemas, listed by geographic area of the city. Of course, there are plenty of cultural outings to be discovered in El Paso, but those can be found listed in the Arts chapter of this book. Here, you’ll find a wide range of bars and pubs, clubs, country and western dance halls, cinemas, casinos, and a selection of El Paso’s finest in alternative, gay and lesbian entertainment.
The legal drinking age in Texas is 21, as in the rest of the United States. However, across the border in Mexico, the drinking age is 18, which has made Juárez a popular nightspot with many underage college students in the past. There are plenty of restaurants in El Paso that also serve alcohol, but for the purposes of this chapter, the listings are focused on any place that does not do food or where food is not the main draw of the venue. In some cases, restaurants have attached bars that I felt were worth mentioning here in the Nightlife chapter, and in that case you will find information about the bar in this chapter, as well as the food and menu in the Restaurants chapter. Be sure to check the Restaurants chapter for more information on where you can go for a great dinner and drinks in El Paso.
While most bars and pubs in El Paso don’t charge a cover for entrance, if a live band is playing, you can expect to pay between $5 and $10. Similarly, nightclubs and dance clubs often charge a similar amount in cover fees, especially on weekend nights or if a famous DJ is playing. Most of the country and western dance clubs will impose a cover fee between $3 and $7 on weekends. It is worth noting that many bars and nightclubs around town offer free entrance or waive their cover charges for anyone with a military ID.
El Paso’s nightlife is extremely spread out and public transport options are limited late at night. If you plan to go out drinking, please be sure to use a designated driver or plan ahead by calling a taxi to get you to and from your bar of choice. If you are visiting El Paso for a short stay and are interested in nightlife, you may want to plan your hotel choice around one of the busier nightlife districts, such as Cincinnati Avenue, which is located in Central El Paso.