Backroom Bar sits on Perez Valenzuela in Providencia, a short walk from the Manuel Montt metro, a jazz club that arrived in Santiago from Buenos Aires. La Tercera describes it as a room that pairs live music with more than 150 whiskies and house cocktails.
Who would love it: drinkers who want a sit down jazz set with a serious whisky list rather than a dance floor. Who would hate it: anyone after a quick casual pint, since Backroom is built around shows, table service and a deeper spirits menu.
The room comes from a known name. La Tercera notes the original Backroom opened in Buenos Aires on Luis Borges street, combining a jazz club, a bookstore and a craft cocktail bar before the Santiago outpost followed.
The design carries the mood. The space was shaped by the studio Grisanti and Cussen, with warm tones and careful lighting that aim for a timeless club feel rather than a loud party room, per the same coverage.
The whisky list is the headline. Backroom keeps more than 150 labels from several countries, which makes it a clear stop for anyone working through Scotch, Japanese and American bottles in one sitting.
The cocktails sit alongside the spirits. The bar pours house preparations next to the whisky pours, so a table can move from a classic build to a neat dram across the night.
The music runs on a schedule. Friday and Saturday bring double shows at 7:30pm and 10:30pm, which means an early seat for the first set or a later one for the second, and the room is built for listening.
The kitchen keeps late hours. On weekends the food service runs until 3am and the bar until 3:30am, so Backroom works as a late anchor after dinner elsewhere in Providencia.
Timing matters more here than at most bars. Booking around a show time gives the full experience, since the jazz sets are the reason the room fills rather than walk in foot traffic.
The crowd leans toward listeners. Regulars arrive for the music and the whisky list, which keeps the mood attentive during sets and sociable between them.
The format is the editorial draw. A jazz club with a 150 bottle whisky list and late weekend hours is a specific night out, and Backroom delivers it more completely than the city's general cocktail rooms.
Backroom Bar suits jazz fans, whisky drinkers, and late night planners. Compare the basement jazz at Forá in Santiago and the pisco led cocktails at La Providencia in Santiago, then read the guide to the best whiskey bars in Santiago and browse more across Santiago.
Sources: La Tercera Finde features on Backroom (2024); ED.cl report on the Providencia opening; mindtrip listing; Google Maps reviews.
