Welcome to my rundown of the best bars in Tarapoto, a highly subjective and largely biased article about bars I like. To be honest, the title could be “Bars I Sometimes Get Drunk In.” Anyway, if you want to go out for a beer or three, you could do worse than go to some of these bars. And if you’re really lucky, you might even come across me and my friends. Also, because I’m lazy and can’t normally be bothered to do a massive bar crawl all around town, I normally stick around the street known as “calle de las piedras,” otherwise known as Jr. Lamas. This is where a lot of the city’s main bars are located (a couple of blocks from Tarapoto’s main square), making it a great spot for bar hopping.

Black Dog

Black Dog is the best bar in Tarapoto. Well, that might be a lie, but it’s my favourite bar in Tarapoto. It’s where I can be found most Saturday nights (and occasionally on Friday, too). It’s probably the closest thing Tarapoto has to an expat bar, partly because its where men and my friends hang out — a group that can at any time consist of various nationalities including Peruvians, Brits, Americans and, unfortunately, French. It’s kind of a dive bar, with darts and a foosball table, and some of the best live music nights you’ll find in the city (though not as frequently as I’d like), including punk and heavy metal bands. There are electronic nights, too, which attract a crowd of kids who wear sunglasses and try to look cool. If you go to Black Dog, introduce yourself to the staff and say you read about the bar on Tony’s website. You never know, they might even be nice to you. Jr. Lamas 226. facebook.com/BlackDogTarapoto

Stonewasi

Stonewasi is next door to Black Dog, so there’s really no reason to go there. But if for some reason you want to drink in a more civilized establishment, then Stonewasi is great. Stonewasi is a Tarapoto institution. When I arrived here in 2009, it was pretty much the only really good bar in the city. Back then it was run by the legendary Chino Armando, who can still be found wandering, glass in hand, around calle de las piedras to this day. Since Chino handed control of Stonewasi to his daughter, it has become a more sophisticated (and less chaotic, and therefore less awesome) establishment. Still, it’s certainly one of the best bars in Tarapoto, and the most famous. Jr. Lamas 218. facebook.com/stonewasi.tarapotoperu

El Artesano

El Artesano was cool as hell when it first opened, with a lively vibe and great views over La Banda de Shilcayo below. It’s still really popular, although it’s lost a bit of the energy it used to have. It’s a good bar for a date. It still has live music at the weekends and various promos and cocktail events. It’s only a few blocks from Black Dog and Stonewasi, so makes for an easy stop on a bar crawl. Jr Manco Capac 530. facebook.com/ElArtesano.Restobar

​La Tangana

This one is totally biased because it’s owned by a friend of mine. Still, it’s a cool bar just up the road from calle de las piedras, a short walk from Black Dog and Stonewasi. If calle de las piedras is getting too loud, a stroll up to La Tangana could be just what you need. Jr. Francisco Bolognesi 274. facebook.com/profile.php?id=100054203363494

Cava

Just round the corner from calle de las piedras you’ll find Cava, a popular bar/restobar/club/discoteca that attracts a trendy crowd most of the time (although sometimes it seems to be full of drunk tossers and prostitutes). It’s where I sometimes end up at the end of the night, mainly when my friends (the girls) say they want to dance but no one can be bothered (the men) to go all the way down to the big clubs in Morales (or to Pink, a club in calle de las piedras that’s massively popular with underage drinkers). So yeah, pop into Cava. If it’s busy, it can be a laugh. Juan Pablo de la Cruz 252. facebook.com/cavatarapoto

What’s Your Favourite Bar in Tarapoto?

There are loads of bars in Tarapoto these days, some good, some bad, some somewhere in-between. So, feel free to recommend your favorite bar(s) in the comments section. And if anyone ever wants to do a pub crawl, let me know…