Bar Jorongo
Bar Jorongo is the legacy bar inside the Sheraton Maria Isabel on Paseo de la Reforma, running since the hotel opened in 1962. The space holds roughly 120 across a main room with a central wooden stage, upholstered banquettes, dark-wood paneling, and a painted mural depicting scenes from Mexican rural life. The draw is live bolero, trova, and ranchera performers nightly from around 21:30, played at dinner-conversation volume rather than concert-hall loudness. The drink menu runs standard hotel-bar fare at hotel-bar prices, with a reasonable tequila and mezcal selection and a short Mexican-Mediterranean small-plates menu. The clientele is older (45+), split between hotel guests, Mexican business diners, and long-time regulars who have been coming weekly for years.
Where to stay near Bar Jorongo
Hotels and rentals within walking distance.
What to Expect
You enter through the Sheraton's main lobby and a short corridor to the bar. The room is immediately warmer and darker than the lobby. A host greets you and leads you to a table. The first performer is usually onstage by 21:30, often a singer with a trio (guitar, bass, sometimes piano). The songs are bolero and trova standards plus occasional contemporary Mexican ballads.
Warm-formal, conversation-friendly, attentive to the music without the modern habit of filming every song.
Bolero, trova, ranchera, occasional mariachi on special nights. Acoustic-trio format is standard.
Smart business casual to formal. Men in collared shirts or jackets; some regulars in suits. No shorts, sandals, or athletic wear.
Older travelers, special-occasion dinners, anniversary bookings, or Mexico City culture visits that want a classic hotel-bar room with real bolero
All major cards including Amex. Cash in MXN or USD accepted, with MXN preferred.
Price Range
Beer 110 MXN, tequila shot 160-380 MXN, mezcal 180-450 MXN, cocktails 180-240 MXN, wine by glass 180-250 MXN, small plates 180-420 MXN
Beer ~$5.90, tequila ~$8.60-20, mezcal ~$9.70-24, cocktail ~$9.70-13, wine ~$9.70-13, small plate ~$9.70-23
Hours
Mon-Sat 17:00-01:30, closed Sun (occasional private events)
Insider Tip
Reserve for Friday or Saturday especially if you want a banquette near the stage (hotel concierge can book, or call the bar directly). The between-set breaks are longer than in traditional bolero bars, plan accordingly. Tipping for the musicians is separate from the standard 15% service charge, 50-100 MXN per table is common.
Full Review
Bar Jorongo is one of the last Mexico City venues where live bolero is still performed by working professionals in a room designed for it, instead of as a retro theme. The Sheraton Maria Isabel has kept the bar in continuous operation through ownership changes and renovations, and the result is a space that feels preserved rather than staged. The mural behind the stage, a work by Raúl Anguiano from the 1960s, still dominates the room. The banquettes have been reupholstered but the wood frames are original. The bar itself is the same long wooden counter it has been since opening.
The programming takes the music seriously. The house musicians and rotating guest performers come from the wider Mexican bolero and trova world, including veterans who played with Armando Manzanero and newer artists keeping the repertoire current. Sets run 40-50 minutes with 20-minute breaks. Between sets the room returns to conversation volume and the bar gets more orders. The songbook is deep: standards like Piensa en Mí, Contigo en la Distancia, Somos, Sabor a Mí, plus trova pieces from Silvio Rodríguez and Pablo Milanés adapted for the trio format.
The menu is hotel-Mexican in the polite sense, meaning small plates of chapulines, queso fundido, tostadas de atún, and jamón serrano carved to order. The tequila list runs reposado and añejo from mid-tier to premium producers (Clase Azul, Don Julio 1942, Casa Dragones). The mezcal list is shorter but includes a few small-producer espadines and one or two ensambles. Cocktails are classical with a Mexican slant: margaritas with proper lime (not mix), a decent Paloma with Squirt, and one or two house creations that change seasonally.
Compared to Salón Tenampa in Plaza Garibaldi (mariachi tourist mecca) or Zinco Jazz in Centro (serious jazz), Bar Jorongo occupies a different space: hotel bar with a legacy program, not a mariachi tourist stop and not a jazz room. For bolero specifically, it is the default Mexico City choice. For a first-time visitor who wants to experience live romantic Mexican music in a room that feels like a serious venue rather than a tourist set, this is the right answer.
The Neighborhood
The Sheraton Maria Isabel sits on Paseo de la Reforma across from the US Embassy and a few blocks from Zona Rosa and the Ángel de la Independencia monument. Other nearby high-end bars include the rooftop at Hotel Camino Real (Polanco, 15-minute taxi) and the lobby bar at the Four Seasons Reforma (10-minute walk). The area is safe and well-trafficked into the early hours.
Getting There
Metro Insurgentes Line 1 (pink), then walk five minutes northwest along Paseo de la Reforma. Metrobús Reforma Line 7 to Hamburgo stop is closer. Uber from Roma Norte is 40-80 MXN and 6-12 minutes; from Polanco 80-140 MXN and 10-20 minutes.
Address
Paseo de la Reforma 325, Col. Cuauhtemoc
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