Strawberry Fields
Strawberry Fields has anchored La Mariscal's bar scene since the early 2000s, occupying a colorful building on Calama street with psychedelic decor inspired by the Beatles era. The venue seats about 80 people across a main bar area and a smaller back room, with walls covered in murals, posters, album covers, and trippy art. Christmas lights and colored bulbs provide the lighting. A pool table sits near the entrance, and a small stage at the back hosts occasional acoustic acts. The music policy is strictly classic rock, alternative, and 1960s-70s psychedelic, with no reggaeton allowed through the speakers. This alone makes it an outlier in La Mariscal. The beer is cheap, the cocktails are simple, and the atmosphere is deliberately anti-trendy. The crowd is a mix of backpackers who've heard about the place at their hostel, local rock fans who've been coming for years, and expats who prefer guitars to synthesizers. The bar is busy every night of the week, one of the few La Mariscal venues that can say that.
Where to stay near Strawberry Fields
Hotels and rentals within walking distance.
What to Expect
A colorful, slightly chaotic bar that feels like walking into a 1970s rock fan's basement. Music plays at a volume that allows conversation. People sit in clusters around tables, play pool, and drift between indoor seats and the street-facing windows. The vibe is social and relaxed, with none of the performance anxiety of the fancier clubs.
Psychedelic, relaxed, and social. The decor is the personality, and the music sets a tone that encourages staying for hours.
Classic rock, psychedelic rock, alternative, grunge, blues rock. Beatles, Hendrix, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, and similar artists dominate the playlist. No reggaeton, no electronic.
Anything goes. Band t-shirts fit in perfectly. The more casual, the better.
Rock music fans, budget drinkers, backpackers wanting a social scene, and anyone who needs a break from reggaeton.
Cash preferred. Cards sometimes accepted but don't count on it. Bring small bills.
Price Range
Beer $2-3, cocktails $4-6, shots $2-3, no cover charge
All prices in USD (Ecuador uses US dollars)
Hours
Mon-Sat 6 PM to midnight, sometimes later on weekends
Insider Tip
Go early on weekends to grab the couch near the back wall. The pool table is first-come, first-served and gets competitive after 9 PM. Ask the bartender to put on a specific album if the bar isn't too crowded; they're usually happy to oblige. The canelazos (hot cinnamon drinks) are perfect for Quito's cool nights.
Full Review
Strawberry Fields is one of those bars that works because it knows exactly what it is and refuses to be anything else. In a neighborhood where every other venue chases the reggaeton-and-bottle-service formula, this place doubles down on rock music, cheap beer, and psychedelic decor. The result is a bar that feels genuine in a way that the flashier clubs do not.
The physical space is a visual overload in the best sense. Every surface carries some piece of rock and roll history: album covers, concert posters, murals of Hendrix and Morrison, trippy geometric patterns on the ceiling. Christmas lights wrap around everything. It shouldn't work as a cohesive aesthetic, but somehow it does. The space feels warm and lived-in rather than designed.
The bar itself is simple. Beer comes in bottles, cocktails are basic mixed drinks, and the prices are among the lowest in La Mariscal. A night of steady drinking here costs less than two rounds at La Juliana. The bartenders are friendly and unhurried, which is either charming or frustrating depending on how thirsty you are.
The pool table near the entrance creates its own social ecosystem. Games between strangers break the ice faster than any amount of small talk. On busy nights, the winner-stays-on rule creates a rotating cast of challengers, and the table becomes the bar's social center.
Music is the defining element. The playlist runs through rock's greatest hits with genuine knowledge and care. You'll hear deep cuts alongside the obvious classics. The volume stays at a level where you can have a conversation without shouting, which is increasingly rare in La Mariscal.
The crowd varies by night. Weekdays bring a core group of regulars, both local and expat, who use the bar as a living room. Weekends add waves of backpackers directed here by hostel staff. The mix works because Strawberry Fields attracts people who genuinely like the music and the vibe rather than people looking for the biggest party.
The only caveat is the closing time. Strawberry Fields winds down earlier than the clubs, usually by midnight or 1 AM. It's a starting point or a standalone evening, not a late-night destination.
The Neighborhood
Located on Calama street, one of the main bar strips in La Mariscal, about two blocks from Plaza Foch. Surrounded by other bars, hostels, and late-night food options.
Getting There
A 3-minute walk from Plaza Foch along Calama street. Visible from the main nightlife area. Uber from elsewhere in Quito costs $3-8.
Other Venues in La Mariscal
Bungalow 6
The flagship club on Plaza Foch. Reggaeton and electronic music across multiple levels, drawing a young mix of locals and tourists on weekends.
Cafe Libro
Long-running cultural bar with live music, poetry readings, and strong cocktails. Draws an intellectual crowd to its intimate space on Leonidas Plaza.
Diva Nicotina
Popular Quito nightclub with electronic and reggaeton nights. The sound system is solid and the dance floor packs out after midnight on Fridays.
La Juliana
One of Quito's best-known clubs, pulling a well-dressed local crowd with Latin and electronic music across a large dance floor.
Bandido Brewing
Craft brewery near Plaza Foch with on-site brewing, a relaxed atmosphere, and a mix of expats and Quitenos. Good starting point for a night out.