Centro's punk dive bar, where the mezcal is cheap, the live music is loud, the walls are covered in stickers and graffiti, and the crowd is the part of CDMX that the boutique hotels and cocktail bars do not advertise. La Nuclear is the underground — literally and figuratively — a basement space that hosts punk, metal, and experimental acts with the raw energy that only a room with no pretensions and a PA system from 1985 can generate. The mezcal is rough, the beer is cold, and the atmosphere is a correction to the idea that Mexico City nightlife requires a password and a dress code.
Location
Centro Historico, Mexico City
Map
Insider Intel
Mezcal by the shot — cheap, unfiltered, effective. Beer in caguamas (large bottles) shared at the table. Do not expect craft anything. The appeal is the price, the company, and the raw simplicity of spirits served without narrative. If there is live music, the cover charge usually includes a drink.
Friday or Saturday from 10pm onward when live music is scheduled. Check their social media for the lineup — the quality varies from transcendent to unlistenable, which is the nature of punk booking. Weeknights are quieter drinking sessions without the live element.
The Centro location requires awareness — Ayuntamiento is fine during the day but the surrounding blocks can be rough late at night. Uber to the door and from the door. The bar is a basement accessed by stairs, which can be steep after several mezcals. Cash only. The crowd is friendly but this is not a tourist bar and the vibe is authentically counter-cultural. Mezcal shots are 40-60 MXN, beers 30-50 MXN. Expect volume.