The best bars and cafés Bolivia

Timetable

Cafés are open during the day and close in the late afternoon, or early evening in the larger cities. Bars usually open only in the late afternoon until late at night.

Budget & Tips

Prices for espresso or cappuccino in the big cities are slightly cheaper than in France. Prices are much lower in street stalls or some small shops.

Age restrictions

In Bolivia, the legal drinking age is 18.

What's very local

Coca mate. Infusion of coca leaves. You will find this typical Andean drink, consumed to alleviate altitude sickness, in all hotels and restaurants, often self-service. Drinking coca mate or chewing the coca leaf helps the absorption of oxygen in the blood and facilitates digestion. The cocaine content of the leaf is very low, so there is no risk of toxicity or dependence.

Chicha. Alcoholic drink obtained by the fermentation of corn, consumed mainly in the South of the country (Cochabamba, Tupiza, Tarija, Chuquisaca...). It is the Inca drink par excellence. It was used for religious ceremonies and the cult of the Pachamama long before the arrival of the conquistadors. In the Oriente, there is also the chicha de maní, a refreshing non-alcoholic drink made of peanuts.

Api morado. This is the typical drink of the Altiplano. Try this hot drink made with purple corn, sugar and cinnamon. Serve with a buñuelo (doughnut) or a salteña

Bolivian coffee. The coffee from the Yungas (Arabica produced in an artisanal way by the Afro-Bolivian communities of the Yungas) is really delicious, probably the best coffee in the world, as the advertising for the "gringo" exaggerates. The department of La Paz produces 95% of the coffee in Bolivia.

Fresh fruit juices. You will find them in every market in Bolivia. Try the juice of carambola (a delicacy),achachairú (fruit of the wood-ointment or apricot tree, as it is called in the Antilles) or mango, apple... Full of vitamins guaranteed!

The cerveza (beer). Imported by German immigrants in the 20th century. Each city produces its own beer: Paceña in La Paz, Ducal in Santa Cruz, Taquiña in Cocha, Potosína in Potosí, Astra in Tarija, Sureña in Sucre and Huari in Oruro. The top three: Huari, Potosína and Paceña

Smokers

It's worth pointing out that smoking is forbidden in enclosed public places (although it is tolerated on terraces in some establishments).