Dirty Sanchez sits on Joaquin Pinto near Reina Victoria, on the seam between La Mariscal and the bohemian streets of La Floresta. It has run as a cafe, cocktail bar and art gallery since 2010, and Frommer's lists it among the most reliable spots in the district for a late drink with a creative crowd.
Who would love it: people who want a cocktail next to a painting they could buy, with a film screening or a band possible on the same night. Who would hate it: anyone after a polished hotel bar with a dress code.
The room is part gallery, part living room. Walls carry rotating work from local artists, the seating is mismatched and warm, and the programme runs from poker nights and film screenings to small music sets and photography shows. It has backed Quito's independent arts scene for more than a decade, which is the reason the regulars keep coming.
Order from the cocktail list, which leans on classics built well rather than long molecular menus, or a local beer if the night is more about the art than the drink. Drinks land in the moderate band, and the kitchen turns out shareable plates to slow the pace. The bar is as much a place to talk and look as it is to drink, so a single well made cocktail can stretch across a whole exhibition.
Best time to go is a Thursday or Friday from around 8pm, when a screening or a set is most likely and the room fills with a mix of artists, students and travelers. Earlier in the week is quieter and better for a calm drink and a look at the current show. The bar keeps evening hours and closes for the start of the week, so check before a Monday visit.
For more in this lane, see the city's best cocktail bars and the rest of the best bars in Quito. Pair it with Bandidos del Paramo for another arts leaning cocktail room, or carry the night toward Cafe Libro for live music a short ride away.
