I had a friend in town last week, and naturally it was my duty to show him around town. He was in the mood for Latin music and dancing, and suggested we go to Tijuana. It was a Monday night, and I just wasn’t feeling the whole crossing-the-border thing. I told my friend that we have some great Latin nights here in San Diego, and thus began our Latin nights adventure right here in town.

Certainly, one can take the short trip across the U.S./Mexico border and visit some of the fabulous gay clubs and bars in Tijuana. The most popular is Club Extasis, and this high-energy dance club certainly offers a good time. The hot stripper shows, good mix of Latin and American music, and the “anything goes” atmosphere certainly will offer you a time not to be forgotten. If you haven’t checked out Extasis yet, it’s a must! But we focused on San Diego’s own Latin nights and had an amazing time.

A Latin night can now be found almost every night of the week at some bar somewhere in town. For those Latin lovers, this is good news! Right away, we headed to Hamburger Mary’s/Kickers for the Monday night Noche Calientes. DJ Geovanni kept us dancing to the latest Latin hits, and the Kick Ass Margaritas were flowing. On opposite Mondays, they even have an awesome Vegas-style drag show (this wasn’t one of those opposite Mondays, so no show this night). There was a fair-sized crowd for a Monday night, and within the first 20 minutes of entering, my out-of-town friend had scoped out every guy in the place and snagged a sidekick for the evening. Him and his new boy enjoyed their evening, as did I, and we had Latin night numero uno under our belts!

Tuesday night rolled around, and, to the best of my knowledge, there is no official Latin night at any club. But we had decided to make it “Latin week,” so Baja Betty’s seemed like the perfect choice! Of course, my friend invited his new buddy from Monday night, and we headed over. We stumbled upon $1 Tostada Tuesdays at Betty’s, and the three of us together had a great meal for under $10. This deal is available every Tuesday from 6:00 to 11:00 p.m.

Before we knew it, it was Wednesday, and it was time to check out Bacchus House. Every Wednesday, this North Park club hosts one of San Diego’s largest Latin nights. “Musica Pasion y Latina” is the theme of the evening, and not only do some of San Diego’s hottest boys pack the club but you get to see some of our hottest “girls” too. From 9:30 to 11:00 p.m., the fabulous Franceska hosts one of San Diego’s longest running drag revues. My friend and I got there for the drag show and stuck around to dance. There is also a nacho bar provided by Baja Betty’s, and I spent way too much time next to it. The place was packed, and my friend picked up three phone numbers. What happened to Monday-night boy, you ask? My friend realized during Tuesday night’s dinner that good looks aren’t always accompanied by intelligence.

By Thursday night, my friend and I were a bit tired. We wanted to rest up for a busy weekend, so we sent a BarSpy over to The Flame. We got a MySpace invitation to one of San Diego’s newest Latin nights, Sabroso! Sabroso means delicious, and he said that’s what he found. A great atmosphere, great music and yummy new friends were all reported to be a part of his evening. Unfortunately, Sabroso! is no more, but check out The Flame Thursday, Aug. 17, for San Diego’s official album release party for Christina Aguilera’s new CD, Back to Basics. I’ll see you there!

Friday was finally here, and it was time to start the weekend off. With my friend and one of his Wednesday-night boys in the car, we headed over to Shooterz in North Park. We heard Shooterz had a Latin night called Fuego and figured that this week would be the perfect time to check it out. We got there around 11:00 p.m. and didn’t see much fire in the place. The front bar was quiet, and only a few people were on the dance floor. I didn’t hear too many Latin songs being played, and wondered if we had come on the right night. I looked around and saw fliers advertising “San Diego’s hot new Latin night: Fuego, Fridays at Shooterz, 9:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m.” Maybe it was just an off night. We had a great time anyway, as Shooterz is always a fun, comfortable place to hang out.

After a Saturday of showing my friend the daytime sights of San Diego (we realized we hadn’t done that yet), The Brass Rail was the place to be. One of San Diego’s most established Latin nights is the popular Noche Latino Americano.The crowds pack into San Diego’s oldest gay bar, The Brass Rail, each and every Saturday night for the great music and atmosphere. DJ Klaus spins everything from merengue to Madonna, and the dance floor is always packed. We got there around 10:30 p.m. (just missed the two-for-one cover before 10:00 p.m.), and danced until closing. Besides getting a great workout, we had a good time. And after watching my out-of-town friend collect phone numbers all week, I met someone this time around (my friend didn’t have such luck).

Sunday was my friend’s last day of vacation here in San Diego, and we closed it out with “Fiesta Domingo” at Bacchus House. Yes, Bacchus House offers two Latin nights each week, and they are both fabulous. Again, we got there early for the drag show and stuck around to dance. It wasn’t as crowded as Wednesday night, but certainly not empty. I think my friend lost his “fresh meat” status by mid-week, so he wasn’t getting the phone numbers as easily anymore (I guess after three days in San Diego you’re considered a local). It was a fun night, but we went home early so he could rest up for his early flight… and so I could get this column written.

My friend was definitely impressed with San Diego’s Latin night circuit. It was his impression that he would have to travel to Tijuana for the music and type of evening he desired. As we discovered, just pick a night and you’ll find musica, pasion, maybe some fuego, y mas – all without having to leave town.

Send information about your event or venue to editor@uptownpub.com. See you out there!