Like most of Latin America, nightlife starts late in Montevideo, with locals dining around 2200, clubbing at midnight and going home at 0400 or 0500. The city does not have the same breadth or depth of cosmopolitan clubs as Buenos Aires, but it does have a decent local bar and cafe scene; indeed, bars, cafes and restaurants tend to be rolled into one.

Bars: Café Misterio at Costa Rica 1700, which fills up nightly with the local after-work crowd, Irish pub The Shannon at Bartolomé Mitre 1318, and Café Bar Tabare at J Zorrilla de San Martín 152, a charming, century-old watering spot are some of the more popular spots for a drink.

Clubs: La Casa de Becho at Nueva York 1415 is one of the city's best tango clubs, while New York on Calle Mar Artico 1227 has a dance floor and restaurant. W Lounge in Parque Rodó hosts DJs playing mostly techno music.

Live Music: Espacio Guambia on 25 de Mayo 591 (website: www.guambia.com.uy), is a bar-cum-cafe with a full programme of live music. Clave de Fu at 26 de Marzo 1125 specialises in folk bands. Mariachi at Gabriel Pereira 2964 is a disco with live musicians taking to the stage from Wednesday to Sunday.