The Salón México is one of the few surviving traditional cantinas in the border zone with genuine history and character. Located on Avenida 16 de Septiembre, it has operated for decades and maintains the cantina format that defines old Mexico: cheap beer, botanas (free bar food) with every round, and a large dance floor where a band plays norteño and cumbia on weekends.
Sunday afternoons here draw a crowd of regulars who bring food to share at the tables — a practice that gives the place the feel of a community gathering rather than a drinking spot. The 1989 mural in the entrance lobby depicts the owner and the street outside, a period piece in paint. This is not a tourist attraction dressed up as a cantina; it is an actual cantina that tourists occasionally discover.