The best bars and nightlife in Alicante

Telegraph

09-05-2025

As you might expect from this ebullient Spanish city, Alicante likes to go 'out, out'. Two main hotspots concentrate the nightlife action: the port, site of some seriously snazzy open-air clubs, and the so-called Barrio, an old-town zone heaving with drinking dens both rustic and ritzy. The noche might start with a tapas-based supper at a chiringuito on Postiguet beach before cocktails in the Barrio and, eventually, the dance floor at some harbourside club. Night fever kicks in late, with most discotecas opening at 11pm but not packing in the punters until the early hours.
For more inspiration, see our guides to the perfect weekend in Alicante, and the best hotels, restaurants and things to do.
Find nightlife by type:
Best for cocktails
NiC Combinados y Cocteles
Often described as Alicante's best cocktail bar, NiC maintains the level of mixological excellence that made it a winner of the Spanish National Cocktail award in 2010. The locale's bright and cheerful schtick feels a world away from certain low-lit, high-concept coctelerías we could mention. On the cocktail menu timeless classics, impeccably prepared and presented, mix and mingle with original creations – Ginger Gaga, for instance, stimulatingly combines Santa Teresa rum with pineapple, ginger, blood orange, lemon juice and honey – and monthly menu makeovers keep things fresh. The price is nice, too: most drinks hover around the €10 mark.
Contact: nicalicante.com
Getting in: walk-ins fine
Price: ₤
Cuppola Cocktails and Tapas
The latest and hippest of the city's rooftop venues belongs to the new hotel DormirDCine on Calle Gravina. Named for the number of domes visible from the top level location (not to mention the looming form of the Serra Grossa mountains, the harbour and art-deco Casa Carbonell), the bar has an exclusive vibe which on a good night feels like a cool pool party. The cocktail menu has a cinematic theme: El Padrino (The Godfather) pays homage to Fredo Corleone's favourite banana daiquiri.
Best for dancing
Metro Dance Club
Originally founded in an old farmhouse on a roadside in rural Bigastro (province of Alicante) this electronic dance venue has been part of the underground Spanish club scene for more than 30 years. Stellar DJ guests of the magnitude of Richie Hawtin and Sven Vath (not to mention the club's high-tech installations and scary sound system) give Ibiza's Amnesia and Hi a run for their money. For summer 2024 Metro has a residency at Trips (La Manga) – take the free bus from Alicante and back, courtesy of the club.
Canibal Lounge Pub
Friendly, long-standing bar (founded in 1998) that's gay-oriented but not exclusively so, with a sea-breezy terraza spilling onto the palm-lined Explanada. Roland, host of Canibal along with Rubén, makes some of the best caipirinhas and mojitos in town. Weekend afternoons are ideal for a spot of laidback tardeo (day-time drinking por la tarde, Alicante-style) on the shady terrace. As evening turns to night you'll want to nip inside the bar – which is lit up in campy day-glo colours – for a boogie to Canibal's crowd-pleasing selection of 1980s pop and disco favourites.
Contact: 00 34 659 498064; facebook.com/canibalpub
Getting in: walk in
Opening times: Mon-Sun, 5.30pm-3.30am
Price: £
Marmarela
One of several clubs by the water's edge, on a pier jutting out from the harbour with views of the city and Santa Bárbara castle, Marmarela's open-air dance floor is fanned by sea breezes, with an infinity pool for when things get too hot and bothered. The music policy is varied but gets harder and more up-to-date as sunrise approaches. (Certain well-known Ibiza DJs have been seen on the decks here.) With a generous closing time of 7am every night of the week, Marmarela makes a suitable end to your long night's journey into day.
Confetti Classics
After nearly three decades Confetti is still Alicante's leading nightlife brand specialising in indie music (both of the UK/US variety and the enthusiastic Spanish take on the genre). At its old-town HQ on downtown calle Médico Pascual Pérez, the main room hosts live shows and DJ sets while a smaller space, La Selva, goes a bit more hardcore with grungy electro and indie dance. Never less than friendly despite its loud and garrulous Spanish twentysomething crowd, Confetti is a fun night out.
Contact: confetticlassics.es
Getting in: no reservation needed
Price: ₤
Insider tip: there's a sister venue, Confetti Playa, in nearby San Juan.
Pepito Brillo
Cabaret and dinner/dance venues are alive and well in Spain despite the dubious rep of such places elsewhere. Born in the pandemic, Pepito Brillo in Playa de San Juan has earned itself a permanent place in local hearts thanks to its slick and ingenious entertainments – best of which are the high-kicking, sequinned burlesque of 'The Show Must Go On' (Saturdays, twice daily) and the flamenco nights on Sundays, after which a DJ spins golden oldies until the early hours. Forget the French champagne – an excellent Gramona Imperial cava is a steal at €31.50 the bottle.
Best for mingling with locals
Punta Piedra
Here's a beach club with a major plus point: getting there and back involves no more than a pleasant stroll from your lodgings in downtown Alicante. Punta Piedra comprises 3000 square metres of prime seaside space: the terraza with its palms and sail-like awnings is frankly gorgeous. You could almost be in Ibiza, though the crowd is less wealthy bohos and more dressed-up, fun-loving locals. Indoors, things take a smarter turn, with a restaurant helmed by fêted alicantino chef Pablo Montoro.
Contact: puntapiedra.es
Getting in: reservations advised, or get there early
Price: ₤₤
Nalú
Find more fun-loving beachside nightlife at this open-air disco, misleadingly self-described as a beach club despite its location within the light-industrial surroundings of Alicante's commercial port. A well-turned-out 30-something crowd, with visitors rubbing elbows with locals, disports itself among the palm trees, hammocks and hanging lights. A dip in the pool might be just what the doctor ordered on a steamy Mediterranean night. If the techno-house begins to tire, take a jetski (available for hire at the club) for a spin around the harbour.
Contact: clubnalubeach.com
Getting in: dress up, queue on the door
Price: ₤₤
Lamamba
This civilised locale on old-town Calle Castaños, beating heart of central Alicante's party zone, is a textbook example of what Spaniards call a 'pub' – nothing to do with our own dear public house, but a bar where combinados (mixed drinks) are the order of the night. Lamamba's opening hours, 1pm to 1.30am at weekends, make this a prime site for tardeo – the fashion for daytime partying, supposedly born in Alicante and popular with an older Spanish crowd. A table on the streetside terraza, with a goldfish-bowl-sized G&T to work your way through, is a fine plan for a weekend afternoon.
How we choose
Every bar, venue or experience in this curated list has been tried and tested by our destination expert, who has visited to provide you with their insider perspective. We cover a range of budgets and styles, from casual pubs to exquisite cocktail bars – to best suit every type of traveller – and consider the service, drinks, atmosphere and price in our recommendations. We update this list regularly to keep up with the latest openings and provide up to date recommendations.
About our expert
Paul Richardson fled the UK for Spain in 1989, alighting first in Ibiza, then remote Extremadura where he now lives off-grid on an organic farm. Read about it in his latest book Hidden Valley (Abacus).