San Luis Potosí has a lively bar culture that draws on both the old-fashioned Mexican cantina tradition and a younger scene centred on mezcal and craft beer. The pedestrianised streets around Calle Álvaro Obregón and the Zona Universitaria are the densest for bars.
The cantina tradition is worth seeking out: Café Pacífico is one of the city's most atmospheric dark-tiled places, where free botanas (bar snacks) arrive with every round and the beer is cold and cheap. For mezcal and live music, La Virgen Bar keeps a serious list of mezcals and hosts norteño and son bands several nights a week. The Calle San Francisco running through the historic centre has several rooftop bars that fill up on weekend nights.