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Alfa
Along with a great outside terrace complete with cushion-strewn booths to lounge in and a water feature to fall into, this club has an in-house Asian-French restaurant to satisfy late-night hunger pangs, decent cocktails and DJs. It's always buzzing, but the Eighties night every other Friday really packs them in. Just down from the Xinjiang Red Rose Restaurant.
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Aperitivo
A popular bar with the Euro-crowd thanks to the continental café-like vibe, lengthy wine list and small terrace shielded from the street by some artfully-placed shrubs. Inside, it's less appealing but they do bar food as well.
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Banana
This club may not look like much on the outside, but inside you'll get an explosion of colour and music that runs from chill-out to techno. There's a massive dance floor downstairs; the upstairs lounge is where guest DJs play.
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Bar Blu
Wednesday Quiz Night is this bar's signature event. Otherwise you can choose from its dance floor, lounge or gorgeous rooftop terrace. Don't miss its Flaming Lamborghini cocktail - five 'secret' liqueurs stacked in three separate glasses and set alight for around Y70 .
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Bed Bar
A wicked layout of interconnected rooms and kang-style floor seating has made this bar the big new favourite. The entrance isn't always marked. To find the right door, walk 40m down the hutong from Jiugulou Dajie and listen for the music.
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Beer Mania
A shrine to Belgian brews, this is a small, simple establishment where the beer comes before everything. It's guaranteed that you won't have heard of some of the 75 different ales on offer. There's a happy hour from to , which is just as well because this place isn't cheap. Belgian-style snacks, waffles and chips are available as well.
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Bookworm
This English-language lending library is a hub of expat life in Beijing. Author talks, current affairs lectures and other China-related events are regularly scheduled. Food, coffee and cocktails are served all day. This is a wi-fi hotspot.
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Browns
The dull name doesn't do this bar justice. It's a remarkable place where business people hang out alongside club kids. DJs play house and rock music most nights while Tuesday is 'Texas American Singer' night.
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Cargo
The best of the cluster of clubs located in the strip just south of the west gate of the Workers Stadium, Cargo consistently flies in some of the biggest names in dance music to play to a more music-savvy crowd than you get in most of Běijīng's clubs.
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Destination
This grey, concrete block is the gay club in Beijing. As any local will tell you, Destination is beloved for the clientele it draws, not the dismal interior design. There's an around Y30 - Y40 cover charge on Friday and Saturday nights.
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Drum & Bell
In the alley between the Drum and Bell Towers, this bar's staff is among the friendliest in town. The comfy rooftop terrace is loaded with couches and armchairs and in summer, regulars camp out here 'til closing.
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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.
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Face Bar
Stylish and expensive, Face is the Běijīng branch of a successful Shànghǎi bar. Spacious, tastefully decorated and comfortable, it attracts moneyed locals and the expat business crew.
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Goose & Duck Pub
Despite the British name, this is a sports bar that gets busy when big games are on. There are also pool tables and darts and a pub food-style menu. Located opposite the west gate of Chaoyang Park, it offers two drinks for the price of one between and .
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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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Houhai Zoo
An offshoot of a growing Běijīng bar empire that specialises in serving up super-cheap drinks in friendly, if rowdy, surroundings, this is the nicest of the chain thanks to its prime location on the east side of Qianhai Lake. It's loud and gets crowded as the night wears on, but you can't beat the prices.
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John Bull Pub
Sinking pints of bitter, noshing steak-and-kidney pie, staggering to the ockie for a round of darts while moaning about the weather or the NHS (National Health Service)- the portly British expat set gravitate here for its snug weeknight atmosphere (often as quiet as a library), comfy furniture and bar staff trotting out excellent English.
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Lush
Whether they're quaffing coffee or slamming down the beers, Chinese and foreign students camp out here around the clock. There's movies on Monday and live bands on Friday. Open-mike night on Sunday is standing room only.
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Maggies
A Běijīng legend and (in)famous enough for the odd, visiting Hollywood type to pop in, Maggies is not the place for everyone. A somewhat older crowd gathers here, as do many Mongolian ladies. But it is open late and has pool tables, while the spacious bar is a fine spot for people-watching. They serve excellent hotdogs as well.
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Mix
Hip-hop and R&B draw the crowd who come here. On into the wee hours, they prove themselves to be some of the most enthusiastic dancers in the city. Opposite Vics.
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No Name Bar
Perched beside Qianhai Lake, this was the first bar to open in the area and was so successful that it spawned countless imitators. Thankfully, the No Name has resisted going down the neon sign route beloved by its competitors. Nor are there any aggressive bar touts standing outside vying for your custom. Instead, it's a laidback joint with pleasant staff where you can sit in a rattan chair and watch the world go by through the large windows.
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Palace View Bar
For liquid refreshment with a top-notch panorama, the Palace View is in a league of its own. Outdoor tables graced by a string of palm trees make this a wonderful place to escape the city and size up the view overlooking Dongchang'an Jie, the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square.
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Passby Bar
This travel-oriented bar with its 'hang-out-in-the-living-room-and-chat-with-your-buddies' vibe attracts locals, expats and those just passing through. Don't confuse this with the new, slightly more upscale Passby Restaurant down the street.
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Poachers Inn
Probably the most popular bar in Beijing, cavernous Poachers literally heaves on weekends with exuberant throngs and thumping bass. If you want a conversation, take turns with a loud-hailer and if you want a beer, grease yourself down to get to the besieged bar. The dancefloor is a writhing knot of liuxuesheng (foreign students) and partygoers.
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Press Club
If Sanlitun is just too sordid for you, seek out the dignified repose of the wood-panelled Press Club in the top-drawer St Regis off Ritan Lu. Its five-star bar has five-star prices, a large-screen sports TV and a lounge with a library-like ambience.
