El Quijote is a long-running Managua bar in the Bolonia area that has survived through multiple political eras largely by keeping its head down and serving good cold beer. The walls are decorated with paintings and literary memorabilia (the name is a nod to Cervantes), the beer is Victoria and Toña in tall bottles, and the clientele on any given evening is a mix of Managuan journalists, academics, and neighbourhood regulars.
It is a comfortable, unpretentious place with no particular gimmick. The kitchen serves simple food — sandwiches, nachos, and bar snacks — but most people come to drink and talk. Weekend evenings get lively without turning into a nightclub. It is the kind of bar that every city needs and most cities have lost; Managua has managed to hold onto a few of them.