Frida's Bar, Puerto Vallarta

About Frida's Bar

Bar Frida is among Puerto Vallarta's oldest gay cantinas, opened in 2001 by Tom Finley — a Vancouver transplant who took over the space from a lesbian-owned bar and kept the name as a nod to Frida Kahlo. It helped pioneer the Zona Romántica's gay scene back when the neighborhood wasn't yet known for it, and was one of the first PV gay bars to court Mexican patrons bilingually, joining Guadalajara Pride as early as 2002. Finley ran it for years alongside his partner and later husband Luis Mendez, who joined in 2002 and worked beside him until his death in 2022. This is a local's cantina, not a tourist-circuit stop — the crowd skews Mexican, the drinks are cheap, and the jukebox runs English and Spanish in equal measure. The house rule, posted and enforced, is simple: "Be Nice or Leave." Frida has changed addresses several times over the years, most recently relocating within the Zona Romántica in 2025, so check the current location before you head over.