Entertainment in Běijīng
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Tiānqiáo Acrobatics Theatre
West of the Temple of Heaven, this is one of Běijīng's most popular venues. The entrance is down the eastern side of the building.
reviewed
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Vics
Vics is not the most sophisticated nightclub. Nevertheless, it has remained a favourite with the young crowd for many years now, which makes it some sort of institution. The tunes are mostly standard R&B and hip-hop, there’s an infamous ladies night on Wednesdays (free drinks for women before midnight), and weekends see it rammed with the footloose and fancy free. If you can’t score here, you should give up trying. Entry is free from Monday to Thursday; located inside the Workers Stadium north gate.
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Lush
Whether they’re quaffing coffee or slamming beers, Chinese and foreign students camp out here around the clock. Lush also hosts events every night, from movies on Monday and live bands on Friday, to a wildly popular open-mic night on Sunday, making it one of the epicentres of Wudaokou life. Happy hour runs from 6pm to 10pm.
reviewed
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Propaganda
Long-serving Wǔdàokǒu nightclub attracting throngs of liúxuéshēng (students), lured by free entry, cheap booze and wildly popular sounds. It's 100m north of Huáqīng Jiāyuán east gate.
reviewed
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Frank’s Place
The oldest bar in Běijīng, Frank’s has shifted locations many times in the course of its life. It’s now firmly ensconced in the Lìdū area in northeast Cháoyáng, a popular place for expats with families and visiting business types staying in the nearby four-star hotels. Frank’s caters to their needs by providing live sport on many TVs, pints of Guinness and Stella (Y50), English-speaking staff and average pub food. The place is chameleon-like; if the NFL is on then it could be an American bar, if the football (soccer) is on you could be in England. There’s a pool and darts, occasional live music and an outside terrace open in summer. It is west of the Rosedale Hotel.…
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Club Football Center
With its wall-to-wall football memorabilia, live English premiership action, big screens and yelping punters at the bar, this is the most genuine British pub in town. A must for anyone obsessed with the beautiful game, beer (around Y10 for a bottle of Tsingdao) or pool and darts. There's a solid menu of pub food favourites. This is the focal point of Běijīng's amateur football scene and the place to come if you're looking for a team to join.
If you sign up for the free membership, you'll get emails of forthcoming matches and events. It's an adjunct of the Red House Hotel and reception will direct you there. Or you can enter directly by going up the alley to the side of…
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Eje Bar
The self-styled (and probably accurate) 'hardest-to-find bar in Běijīng' is well worth the effort, but pack a compass. Tucked away behind the rear wall of the Confucius Temple, this cultured courtyard bar is sedately arranged with sofas and set to the chirruping of grasshoppers. Away from even the remotest action, it's well worth a detour.
Arriving at night is like reaching the light at the end of a tunnel: from Yonghegong Dajie follow Guanshuyuan Hutong round the corner, take the first right and you will see the Confucius Temple ahead on your left. Follow the road round to your right, take the first left and it's opposite the temple's rear wall (check the bar website …
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Gingko
A slightly schizophrenic blend of a bar, cafe, restaurant and live-music venue, this place is clearly anxious to cover all the bases. It works best as a bar and cafe – the coffee is good – but it’s also a nice, intimate location to hear the bands and musicians of all varieties that take to the small stage a couple of times a week. There’s Guinness and a reasonable selection of wine, as well as a far more impressive range of snacks – from croquettes to mussels, paninis and pizzas – than is usual in a Běijīng bar.
reviewed
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East Shore Jazz Café
Cui Jian’s saxophonist, whose quartet play here, opened this chilled venue just off Di’anmenwai Dajie and next to Qianhai Lake. It’s a place to hear the best local jazz bands, with live performances from Thursdays to Sundays, in a less precious atmosphere than the CD Jazz Café. There’s a small roof terrace open in summer with a nice view of the lake and it‘s worth booking a table here on weekends, when it gets busy. There’s no cover charge and the drinks are reasonably priced.
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Alfa
With an outside terrace, complete with cushion-strewn booths to lounge in and a water feature to fall into, as well as an in-house Asian-French restaurant to satisfy late-night hunger pangs, Alfa has survived longer than most Běijīng bars. It’s not the hotspot it was a couple of years ago, but its monthly theme nights – think ’80s, Goth and funk – are still popular. It’s just down from the Xinjiang Red Rose Restaurant, opposite the north gate of the Workers Stadium.
reviewed
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Casa Habana
Cuban rum and cigars are the draw at this small bar run by a Beijinger who’s spent a lot of time in Havana – check out the photos of him with Fidel Castro that line the walls. The leather armchairs and sofas give the place an exclusive club feel and there’s a huge selection of cigars to choose from, as well as humidifiers and cigar cutters for sale. Apart from the rums, there’s a reasonable choice of whiskies. It’s on the far western corner of the Jinglun Hotel.
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Obiwan
Perched in splendid isolation by the side of the little-visited Xihai Lake, this three-storey bar is great in summer when its roof terrace comes into its own. But in winter, the 2nd floor is an equally good location for a drink, or to munch on popcorn at Wednesday night screenings of classic ’80s movies. Most weekends it runs some sort of event, whether it’s Saturday’s trance night or the Sunday afternoon reggae jam. It’s down the alley to the left of the PLA Theatre.
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Ruì Fǔ
In the former home of Qing dynasty royalty, warlords and the occupying Japanese army in the 1930s, this is reputedly one of the most haunted spots in all Běijīng. You'd probably hear the ghosts screaming if it wasn't for the resident DJ (on weekends) and the throng of upmarket locals and expats who come to enjoy properly mixed cocktails around the marble bar or to recline on fancy sofas. VIP cigar lounge, and an outside terrace in the summer.
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Guangfuguan Greenhouse
This laid-back place on the bar-cluttered Yandai Xijie gets top marks for novelty. Formerly the Guangfuguan Taoist Temple (according to the characters carved on the lintel above the arched doorway), the shrine has been requisitioned for the city's exploding bar scene and simply decked out with art posters. The temple's roof guardians are still intact and the presence of religious statues reminds visitors that they drink on sacred turf.
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Chocolate
There are a number of Russian-style bars around the Ritan Park area, but with its over-the-top, gold-themed decor and cheesy floor shows, as well as a Mongolian midget doorman, this is the closest you will come to a genuine Moscow nightlife experience in Běijīng. Beers start at Y30. This is a place to drink in a group, though, so do as the Russians do and order a bottle of vodka (from Y238). It gets going after midnight.
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Universal Theatre (Heaven & Earth Theatre)
Around 100m north of Poly Plaza, young performers from the China National Acrobatic Troupe perform their mind-bending, joint-popping contortions. A favourite with tour groups, you’ll need to book ahead. Tickets are pricier the further from the stage you sit. Keep an eye out for the dismal white tower that looks like it should be in an airport – that’s where you buy your tickets (credit cards not accepted).
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Líyuán Theatre
Tourist-friendly theatre at the rear of the lobby of the Qiánmén Jiànguó Hotel, with regular performances, matinée kung fu shows and expensive tea ceremony options.
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Maggies
A Běijīng legend and (in) famous enough for everyone from visiting politicians to Hollywood types, Maggies can be a bit sleazy for some people’s tastes. A somewhat mixed, mostly male crowd gathers here, as do many Mongolian ladies. But it is open very late and has a small dance floor, while the spacious bar is a fine spot for people- watching. It serves excellent hotdogs outside as well.
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12sqm
Běijīng’s smallest bar – the clue is in the name – this cosy establishment is run by an Aussie-Chinese couple. Despite the lack of space, they have found room for a proper, old-school wooden bar top, a great selection of malt whiskies and exotic brews, such as Coopers. They can whip up mean mixed drinks, too. On special occasions, hot meat pies (Y35) are available.
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MAO Livehouse
This fantastically popular venue for live sounds is one of the busiest in town.
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Mei Lanfang Grand Theatre
Named after China’s most famous practitioner of Peking opera, this theatre opened its doors in 2007 and has since become one of the most popular and versatile venues in town. As well as traditional opera, you can see Shakespeare productions and modern theatre. Contemporary dance companies and international ballet troupes also take to the good-sized stage on a regular basis.
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Blue Frog
A recent Shànghǎi import to the capital, the Frog draws in a mixed, older crowd with drinks promotions, solid burgers and wraps, international sport on the TVs and an outside area in summer. It’s still a bit soulless, but if you can drink all 100 shots on its display board, you’ll get a free one every day from then. Standard drinks are Y25 on Tuesdays.
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Tree
Tucked behind a strip of bars that get mad-busy at weekends, this low-key, long-term favourite attracts a mix of locals, expats and tourists. There’s a fine selection of Belgian beers (from Y40) and the thin-crust pizzas (from Y50), cooked in a wood-fired oven in the bar itself, are some of the best in town. It’s off the courtyard of the You Yi Youth Hostel.
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Salud
The biggest and most happening bar on Nanluogu Xiang, Salud gets very busy on weekends with a young-ish, mixed crowd of locals and expats who party well into the early hours. Its house-special flavoured rums (Y20) come in test-tube-like vessels and are lethal. There’s live music and bar snacks are available, but watch out for the very low ceiling on the 2nd floor.
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Reef Bar
Much more of a bar for locals than many others in the area, the Reef has a friendly vibe that makes it an easy place to hang out. Located in a converted hútòng house, there’s a small bar area, a few sofas and tables, and a wide selection of foreign beers. Run by a cheerful husband-and-wife team, it stays open into the wee hours on busy nights.
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