Venezuela - The Rough Guide to South America on a Budget

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hand. A quintessential Mérida experience, only around 60

flavours are available daily. BsF10 for 2 scoops. Tues-Sun

2.15-9pm.

Mercado Principal Av Las Américas, at Viaducto

Miranda. If shopping for blackberry wine and magic herbs

works up your appetite, the fun food court on the second

floor has competitive outlets serving up good set menus

for around BsF35. The area becomes rammed at lunchtime.

Mon-Sat 7am-5pm, Sun until 1.30pm.

La Nota Av 8 by Parque las Heroínas, beside the bus

terminal and several other locations about town. Popular

local chain which Mérideños promote as “how McDonald's

should be” (although the excellent street-level burger

stands do just as good a job). Does meal combos for BsF55

alongside subs, teriyaki and steaks. Daily until 11pm.

Ì Restaurant La Montaña In Posada La Montaña

(see p.890). Roses on the tables, an open-fronted kitchen

and an excellent menú del día for BsF45 at lunch make

this modest trattoria-style place a fine-dining choice for

relative peanuts. The menu changes daily, scrawled on

the blackboard out front. Daily 8am-9.30pm.

Taperio Café Av 3, at C 29. An atmospheric street-corner

joint with iron grille walls and a café-culture crowd. A very

chilled spot for a beer in the evening; there's live music on

the weekends and tasty food, while the merengadas are

big and bad in a good way. Mon-Sat 11am-10pm.

El Vegetariano Av 4, at C 18. This small, split-level place

features a far more interesting menu than usual for an all-

veggie venue. You can also buy artisan honey and other

high-quality consumables from behind the counter. Menu

options include aubergine carpaccio with pumpkin and

pesto (BsF55) and an appealing list of salads. Mon-Sat

7.30am-8.45pm.

which they keep producing even when it's rammed.

A good bar to spend the evening at if you can secure one

of the few tables. Tues-Sun 6.30pm-12.30am.

La Cucaracha In Centro Comercial Las Tapias on Av

Urdaneta. One of Mérida's oldest nightspots, this large

but always crowded disco has two floors, one with techno

and the other with salsa and merengue . The chain caters

to various budgets and clienteles around town. Daily

until late.

Ì El Hoyo de Queque Av 4, at C 19. You can't miss

Mérida's most popular student bar a few blocks up from

the Plaza Bolívar; for starters it's painted bright purple.

DJs pack the place from 8pm, while the draught beer and

a menú ejecutivo for BsF35 make it a good spot for an easy

afternoon. If you're peckish after hours, numerous burger

stands accumulate outside. Mon-Sat noon-1am.

Poco Loco Av 3 between calles 18 & 19. Although it's

a little odd for a bar in Andean Venezuela to be staunchly

FC Barcelona, this is Mérida's best alternative venue,

with cheap draught beer and a friendly crowd. Dare you

to show up in a Real Madrid shirt. Mon-Sat 1pm-1am,

DJs from 8pm.

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SHOPPING

Mérida is a decent place to buy souvenirs or stock up on

travel essentials.

Antiques You can find a number of antique shops along the

road to Apartaderos (see opposite), which specialize parti-

cularly in wooden furniture, preserves and fruit liquers.

Food and drink For food to cook at your posada, there's

a nameless frutería on the corner of Av 7 and C 24, while

Panadería Roma (Mon-Sat 7am-8pm, Sun until noon) next

to Posada Yagrumo is a useful spot for supplies as well as

breakfast, especially since they do Western-sized coffees.

Markets The most renowned destination among

bargain-hunters is the green-and-yellow-striped Mercado

Principal. This three-storey, tourist-oriented market

(Mon-Sat 7am-6pm, Sun until 1.30pm) on the other side

of the river sells quality Andean produce and there's a

good food court (see above) on the second floor for lunch.

More artesanía can be found at the much smaller Mercado

Artesanal in front of Parque Las Heroínas, where a perma-

nent installation of stalls sells ceramics, jewellery, black-

berry wine, leather goods and woodcarvings.

DRINKING AND NIGHTLIFE

In large part because of the immense student population,

Mérida enjoys an active nightlife, particularly between

Wednesday and Saturday. Expect to pay a cover charge

of around BsF20 in the evenings, although this often

includes a drink.

El Atico del Cine C 25 next to La Nota . Beer comes in

coffee mugs and the cocktails are named after classic

movies (see if you can translate them all) in this trendy

little café-bar. Plays a wide range of music and is a popular

kickstarter for students on a night out. Does a good late-

lunch menu for BsF35. Mon-Sat 4-11pm.

Birosca Carioca Av 2 at C 24. Pounding samba and

students define this friendly, ever-popular club, as do the

red buckets of “La Bomba”, a rum and beer concoction for

sharing. Open until the crowd goes home - it's situated

on a shady street so be careful outside when leaving.

Daily from 5pm.

La Botana Parque las Heroínas, beside the Mercado

Artesanal . A Bob Marley-themed bar popular for its pizza,