Monterrey

Mcmullens Irish Pub

This is a very popular spot and features a totally European design and a bar serving 50 brands of national and imported beers. Located in the chic and colonial Barrio Antiguo, McMullens offers an excellent option for listening to live local, national and international rock and punk bands from Wednesday to Saturday. Between 19:00 and 22:00 beers are offered at two for the price of one and it closes at 3am.

Diego de Montemayor # 843 sur, Col. Centro. 81 1166 7848. www.mcmullens.com.mx

Nirvana

From midday onwards you can order drinks from the extensive but selective drinks list and the decoration and soft lighting provide the perfect setting. For those of you with a wild spirit in search of a major contemplative experience, you can always revive your favorite rock songs. If not, then like the majority you can enjoy some alternative music. All you need to do is ask for a table near the wall of TV screens and maybe a martini for starters.

Av. Batallón de San Patricio 1000, Plaza Fiesta San Agustín, local 2409, San Pedro Garza García 66220. Tel: 528 368 4630.

Kyo Grill

This restaurant’s architecture and design featuring oriental motifs will captivate you. It is enough to just enter and see at the back the immense 6 meter high Buddha to give you an idea of the dimensions of this restaurant, its height and the size of its main door, which make it seem like a kind of Buddhist temple. A sushi bar awaits you with exclusive Oriental fusion recipes that should be accompanied with sake. Other specialties include the edamame with rock salt, fried dumplings stuffed with goat’s cheese, sesame seeds and oyster sauce and the chicken satay. The restaurant is open until 2:00am.

Av. Diego Rivera 2492, Col. Valle Oriente, San Pedro Garza García. Interior Camino Real.

Bice Bistro Monterrey

This is one of the best Italia restaurants in the country and a member of the Bice Group, which is a restaurant chain with branches in Madrid, New York, Tokyo, Dubai, Montreal and many other cities. While it’s true that the pizzas cooked over a wood fire have no equal, neither can you pass up the opportunity to try the specialties recommended by Gabriela Gutiérrez, such as Carpaccio Bice, the asparagus salad with Portobello mushrooms and fried goats cheese, the charcoal grilled rib eye steak with asparagus and onion rings and the pappardelle “al teléfono”. These meals can be accompanied by one of the 1500 wines stocked here from all over the world such as: Brunello Di Montalcino D´Aquino , Tignanello Antinori, Amarone Della Valpolicera Doc Tomasi, Vega Sicilia, Pesquera Reserva or Chateau Lafitte Carcasset Saint Estepite. And if you are looking to spend an exclusive evening then you can reserve the cozy wine cellar for you and your guests. It is recommended you finish off the meal with a mascarpone tiramisu or a crepe with red fruits and cheese.

Bice Bistro Monterrey. Av. Diego Rivera 2492, Col. Valle Oriente, San Pedro Garza García. Interior Hotel Camino Real. Tel: +52/ 81 8133 5400 and 8133 5408. http://www.caminoreal.com/monterrey/r_bistro.php y www.bice.ws

El Gran San Carlos

In order to eat like a local then this is the place you should visit to try grilled steak, roast kid (the most characteristic specialty of the region), beans “a la charra”, cheese fondue and wheat tortillas, among other dishes. These people are the experts and you can ask them which parts of the roasted kid they recommend based on your meat preferences, for example the breast is drier than the leg and so on. What’s more, they’re very friendly.

Av. Morones Prieto 2803. Col. Loma Larga, Monterrey. Tel: 8344-4114

La Catarina

La Catarina offers gourmet Mexican food, both contemporary and pre-Hispanic, and its specialty is the handmade mole. For the more intrepid diner there are gusanos de maguey (cactus worms) and chapulines (crickets). The restaurant also offers a wide variety of drinks from throughout Mexico including tequila, mezcal and wine and you will love the crockery with its ladybug (or catarina, hence the name) design. The atmosphere is mostly adult and La Catarina offers a good option for a business lunch or a romantic date.

Av. Morones Prieto 2525, Col. Loma Larga, Monterrey. Tel: 8345 3340 and 8345-3357

Habita

The most luxurious municipality in the state deserves a hotel designed in the style of Habita, which to date is also the only one of its class in the area. You will discover this cosmopolitan construction, designed by Monterrey architect Agustín Landín, in the exclusive O Dos Vasconcelos shopping mall on Vasconcelos Avenue. The steel finishes are the first thing that catch your eye and you will be captivated by the forms and minimalist decoration of the hotel, combined with elements suggesting hunting, that are in perfect harmony with the dominant black and white tones. You will never tire of the panoramic view from the roof garden and can expect much more than gourmet food and the conventional amenities like wireless Internet and a business center as you will also have access to X Box Elite, an Ipod Dock Station and Nokia Internet Tablet; what’s more you also have the option of renting the penthouse with its private gymnasium.

Vasconcelos 150 Ote, San Pedro Garza García. Tel. +52/81 8335 5900 y 8335 0999 www.hotelhabitamty.com

Camino Real Monterrey

Classified as a Gran Turismo hotel, the Camino Real Monterrey forms part of one of the largest and most prestigious hotel chains in Mexico. It was designed by the Legorreta+Legorreta firm which was founded by one of the most highly recognized architects in Mexico. In addition to being conceived as harmonic and unique the hotel was designed to suit the conditions of the exclusive neighborhood where it is located (probably the most exclusive neighborhood in Mexico), and this is confirmed by the inclusion of a pedestrian tunnel that connects the hotel to the Fiesta San Agustín shopping mall. All the rooms offer excellent views, whether of the Huasteca which includes the Sierra Madre Oriental mountain range or the Cerro de la Silla.

Av. Diego Rivera 2492, Col. Valle Oriente, San Pedro Garza García. www.caminoreal.com/monterrey

SAFI Royal

The finishes of this grand 5 star complex are reolent of the New York hotels located on Lexington. It offers a pool, Jacuzzi, gymnasium, international restaurant and executive center and is the ideal hotel for those who want to explore Monterrey on foot. However, if you prefer to keep yourself to yourself then there is also the SAFI Royal de Valle Oriente in the municipality of San Pedro Garza García.

Pino Suárez No. 444 Sur, Col. Centro. Tel: 8399 7000. www.safihotel.com

Grutas de García

These caverns are located 40 minutes from Monterrey and the tour begins with an 80 meter cable car ride through the mountain which will take you past innumerable chambers until you finally reach the caverns. It goes without saying that you should go wearing sneakers and be prepared for adventure as the tour includes a difficult walk through the caverns that allows visitors to enjoy the sight of the playful forms of stalactites and stalagmites. The tour takes roughly 40 minutes to complete.

O Dos Vasconcelos Shopping Mall

This is the newest and most impressive shopping mall in Monterrey and was conceived as the first integrated contemporary urban life concept in the city. It is comprised of a hotel, a gastronomic plaza, boutique, SPA, cafeteria, bookstore and 40 loft style apartments. The shopping area has three floors of exclusive stores and offers the chance for a circular walk in the open air.

MARCO

Created by internationally renowned architect Ricardo Legorreta, The Monterrey Museum of Contemporary Art is located on the far southeastern corner of the Macroplaza and adorns this part of the Barrio Antiguo with the sculpture La Paloma (The Dove) by Juan Soriano which is located at the entrance. It has staged the most important exhibitions of contemporary art in the city including those of Koudelka, Botero and Loretta Lux. The museum also offers courses and workshops and is open Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00 to 18:00, remaining open until 20:00 on Wednesdays.

Zuazua y Jardón s/n, Monterrey. Tel: 8262 4500. www.marco.org.mx

Parque Fundidora

There are many parks and gardens in Monterrey and they extend an open invitation to locals to visit them, but only the Parque Fundidora serves as the center for open air entertainment and recreation. It is located on land belonging to the former Monterrey Iron and Steel Forging Company and the Santa Lucía canal serves to beautify the areas where young children play on the swings and the not so young ride their bikes and roller skate. There are also a number of facilities adjoining the park including the ice rink, the Monterrey Arena, an auditorium, an art gallery, a film archive and a gallery for temporary exhibitions.

Avenida Fundidora y Adolfo Prieto s/n, Col. Obrera, Monterrey. Tel. 8126 8500. www.parquefundidora.org

Palacio del Obispado

The Bishop’s Palace, built in the 18th century, should enjoy certain privileges and in this case it is the best view in Monterrey from the observation point on the Cerro del Obispado. This palace, which once served as a fort during battles with the United States, now houses the regional Museum of the State of Nuevo León. Due to its majestic construction and exhibitions of local history, not to mention the observation point, the Palacio del Obispado is an icon of the city. During the hottest months of the year it is recommended you visit in the morning or after 6pm to admire the view without feeling oppressed by the heat.

Rafael José Verger s/n, Col. Obispado, Monterrey. Tel: 333 9588

Chipinque

Just a few kilometers to the south of Monterrey it is possible to spend a day in the country and enjoy the Sierra Madre Oriental. Chipinque is part of the Cumbres de Monterrey National Park and visitors can enter by car and make for one of the picnic tables located near the top of the mountains. The park also offers a restaurant, hotel and tracks for cycling and jogging. Chipinque is a genuine natural spectacle at any time of year.