Chinatown & the CBD
This outpost of the famous New York cocktail bar of the same name has brought a slice of big city buzz to Singapore, along with a dazzling array of…
Must-see nightlife in Asia
Little India & Kampong Glam
Straight out of 1920s Manhattan, this cocktail lounge is an art deco–inspired extravaganza, adorned with ornate bronze ceilings and low-lit plush lounge…
Kuala Lumpur
Push aside the heavy curtain at the end of a clubby bar to discover the wild goings-on at this old Hong Kong–style speakeasy cocktail bar. Expect a…
Singapore
Step back in time to the golden age of fine drinking at this handsome Mad Men–esque bar, where long-forgotten cocktails come back to life. Grouped by eras…
Wan Chai & Northeast Hong Kong Island
Tall windows wrap around a magisterial sweep of wooden bar at this Tai Hang neighbourhood gastropub, the sort of civilised joint where everybody knows…
Dongdaemun & Eastern Seoul
Hands down the most stunning converted changgo (warehouse) venue in 'Seoul's Brooklyn', Daelim Changgo is the ultimate synthesis of Seoul's obsessions for…
Hong Kong
Consistently voted one of the world's top 50 bars, Quinary is a sleek, moodily lit cocktail bar that attracts a well-dressed crowd. Its gifted mixologists…
Chinatown & the CBD
From the cloud-like light sculpture to the boundary-pushing cocktails, extraordinary is the keyword here. To encourage experimentation, libations are…
Colonial District, the Quays & Marina Bay
Softly lit 28HKS plays hide-and-seek inside an unmarked 1960s shophouse. Slip inside and into a slinky scene of cosy booths and passionate mixologists…
Gangnam & Southern Seoul
Voted number seven in the world's top clubs by DJ Mag in 2018, Octagon is one of Gangnam's best for serious clubbers. High-profile resident and guest DJs…
New Delhi
The Imperial, built in the 1930s, resonates with bygone splendour. This bar is a more recent addition, but still riffs on the Raj. Here you can sip the…
South Delhi
The real thing, this popular, atmospheric place with proper musos is a dim-lit speakeasy with some excellent live jazz performances.
Hong Kong
If Ernest Hemingway was still alive today, the chances are he’d love this tiny no-sign speakeasy named after his novel The Old Man and the Sea with a neo…
Chinatown & the CBD
This hidden bar in hotspot-heavy Amoy St is the brainchild of bartender extraordinaire Vijay Mudaliar – formerly of Operation Dagger – and his concoctions…
Kuala Lumpur
Top-tier coffee bar and micro-roaster Three Little Birds is manned by the pioneers of third-wave coffee culture in KL: Michael Wilson and wife Amirah…
Chinatown & the CBD
Tippling Club propels mixology to dizzying heights, with a technique and creativity that could turn a teetotaller into a born-again soak. Sample the…
Singapore
You'll find this hidden drinking house, a throwback to a bygone era, behind a secret door in the Singapore Marriott lobby – ring the doorbell for entry…
Beijing
Run by two affable, aproned Chinese bears (who speak excellent English), this gay-friendly hutong hangout pours a host of house creations such as a 24…
Bangkok
An alarmingly short barrier at this rooftop bar is all that separates patrons from the street, 61 floors down. Moon Bar claims to be among the highest…
Bishkek
Bishkek's favourite craft-beer bar, where drinking the best beer in town straight from the taps more than makes up for the higher than average prices. On…
Fukuoka
At this classy upstairs bar, mellow out over coffee cocktails such as mojitos (with homemade coffee rum and coffee ice cubes) and espresso martinis…
Kōrakuen & Akihabara
It's not every day you get to sip your coffee or tea in a cultural property. Imasa is the real deal, an old timber merchant's shophouse dating from 1927…
Vientiane
Sip your piccolo latte to a soundtrack of jazz and the scent of cooking beans; tiny Le Trio roasts its own coffee and is the most atmospheric hang-out for…
Beijing
Move aside, Merlot, it's mǐjiǔ time! Try something new at this rustic tavern specialising in Chinese wine made from glutinous rice (米酒; mǐjiǔ), a…
Beijing
Lost in a maze of alleys east of Houhai, this tumbledown courtyard is where Beijing's craft-beer scene first burped into life back in the heady, pre-Xi…
French Concession
Speak Low is a speakeasy within a speakeasy within a speakeasy. Once you find your way in through the Ocho bar equipment shop, start with a drink on the…
French Concession
Parisian-style cafe, with round wooden tables, a long marble bar and simple art deco images on white walls, Ars & Delecto is, without a doubt, one of the…
Suzhou
Friendly staff speak excellent English and there is an ever-changing selection of 15 well-kept, local brews on tap. There are also tasty burgers, pizza…
Colonial District, the Quays & Marina Bay
This legendary super club has been pumping beats since 1991 and draws in some of the world's biggest DJs and Singapore's seen-to-be-seen crowd. This is…
Hakone
Teahouses like Amazake-chaya were once common sights along the old Edo-era (1603–1868) foot highways that criss-crossed Japan. This one, with a thatched…
French Concession
Enter this Xintiandi speakeasy via a wall of rainbow LED lights and an enormous Pac-Man screen at the top of the stairs. Inside it's an intimate, thin…
Kumamoto
Charlie Nagatani is a living legend, the 'Johnny Cash of Japan', the founding figure behind the nation's entire country-music scene, and an accomplished…
Taichung
The versatile '13' (Shísān) has turned his family's car-repair shop into this wonderfully eccentric cafe that he spent four years building with old school…
Shenzhen
Quite possibly the best underground club in China, Oil is a compact, sweaty chapel to electronic beats, the darker and more esoteric the better. An…
The Terai & Mahabharat Range
Without a doubt the place to be in Narayangarh, this crowded bar and restaurant hums with unleashed activity. Perched on the top floor of a building…
Paro
Beer drinkers should make a beeline for Bhutan's premier microbrewery (beers Nu 120) to try its flagship Red Rice lager and hoppy IPA (our favourite, only…
Beijing
Partway down a gentrifying hutong is this exquisite coffee roaster and cafe, born here as a pop-up during Beijing's annual Design Week, and now a small…
Beijing
Ever since this Shanghai export touched down in 2012, Dada has become Beijing's premier venue for esoteric, bass-heavy beats, while remaining…
The Bund & People's Square
For a taste of colonial-era Shanghai’s elitist trappings, you’ll do no better than the Long Bar. This was once the members-only Shanghai Club, whose most…
Taipei
History, nostalgia and fine tea combine in this charming former wooden dormitory from the Japanese era. Wistaria was built in 1920 for naval personnel and…
