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Babyface
The Babyface brand has spread all across China; you can even find one in far-off Urumqi. Slightly soulless and with an irritating system for getting drinks, this is very much a locals place and foreigners are not always welcome. But they do fly in a steady stream of top-name house DJs, and it's always busy.
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Bar Rouge
Hip but slightly tiresome, Bar Rouge attracts Americans, Eurotrash and cashed-up locals. The swish, red-curtained booths are reserved for big spenders and ordinary mortals sometimes struggle to be served on busy nights. But the terrace does offer fantastic views and big-name European DJ's are frequently flown in to provide the soundtrack. If one is on the decks, expect to pay around Y300 to get in. Otherwise, it's around Y100 Fridays and Saturdays.
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Barbarossa
Set in Renmin Park beside a minilake, Barbarossa is about escapism. Forget Shanghai, this brash and flash concept bar is like Morocco as imagined by Hollywood set designers. Ascend to the roof terrace via the ground floor dining area and the cushion-strewn second floor, where the hordes puff on fruit-flavoured hookahs. Happy hour is from to , when all drinks are half price. There's a strong music policy and tasty, if expensive, food.
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Blue Frog
There are six Frogs scattered around Shanghai and their comforting mix of western bar food, English-speaking waitresses and sports TV means they're perennially popular. On Tuesday nights all drinks are around Y25 , but if you can down all 100 of the shots they list, you'll get a free one every day for life and your name on their wall of fame. The branch at 86 Tongren Lu (6247 0320) is busier.
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California Club
Located on the ground floor of the Upstairs at Park 97 complex, this place is rather more sophisticated than most of Shanghai's clubs. The dance floor is tiny, but the surrounding area is stylish. The 2nd floor hosts a different live band each night and is very popular with Hong Kong Chinese, well-heeled Shanghainese and expats, who pack it out on weekends. Get here before midnight, or be prepared to queue. Admission prices vary.
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Captain's Bar
Don't let the crummy lift up to this bar on the top floor of the Captain Hostel put you off. This is the only bar in the area offering both a decent, if slightly restricted, view of Pǔdōng's lights from the outside terrace and drinks that don't cost a bomb. It's also less crowded and far more laidback than the other Bund bars. They serve American-style food too.
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Cloud 9
Officially the highest bar in the world, you have to take three separate lifts to get to Cloud 9. But as long as it's a clear day or night, it's worth the trip because the views are spectacular. The Bund looks very small from this high up and, at night, the lights of East Nanjing Rd curve away into the distance towards Renmin Park. The cocktails are decent, which they should be for the price, and there's a non-smoking section.
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Cotton's
Perhaps the most pleasant spot in the Concession for a libation or three, this converted 1930s villa has cosy sofas, fireplaces to snuggle around in winter and a tiny outdoor terrace on the second floor. The real draw though is the garden - intimate yet big enough not to feel cramped. The drinks and bar snacks, pizzas, burgers, salads and sandwiches are reasonably priced and the crowd is a good mix of locals and expats.
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DKD
This basement club is the only place in Shanghai playing progressive house on a regular basis. As such, it's a mostly teenybopper-free zone. It's not as popular as it once was but it gets busy if a big-name DJ is playing. It's free to get in most nights.
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Dragon Club
More of an after-hours place than a genuine club, this is a good spot to head to when you really don't want the night to end. It's free to get in most of the time and drinks start at around Y50 .
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Dublin Exchange
Those still in Pǔdōng when the sun sets will be relieved to know they can always take solace in a pint of Guinness at this Irish pub. It's closed on weekends.
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Eddy's Bar
Shanghai's longest-running gay bar is a friendly place with a flash, square bar to sit around, as well as a few corners to hide away in. It attracts both locals and expats, but it's mostly for the boys rather than the girls.
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Face
A contender for most beautiful bar in Shanghai and certainly one of the most popular, Face is located on the ground floor of a 1936 mansion and has Southeast Asian antiques and a Chinese opium-bed set against persimmon-coloured walls. Outside is a glorious manicured lawn, around which it's easy to idle away a summer afternoon or evening. Just don't try walking on the grass. There's a happy hour between to when drinks are half price.
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Goodfellas
A good old-fashioned dive bar with no pretensions to be anything else, Goodfellas' grungy vibe makes it a refreshing change from most of Shanghai's bars and it's virtually open 24 hours. Happy hour is between and .
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Judy's Too Tongren
All sorts end up here, especially after midnight when it really gets going. It's a great place for people-watching, as well as for getting utterly hammered and dancing like a fool. Guys, bear in mind it's not your undoubted charisma and good looks that are attracting the attention of the many ladies who gather here. Until , there's a two-for-one drink deal.
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Manifesto
Upstairs from Mesa restaurant is this swish, sophisticated bar. The cocktails are strong, if pricy, but it's the large outside terrace, one of Shanghai's best, that make this place. Happy hour is from to .
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Mural
If those crazy Buddhist monks ever had a raging 8th-century party out in Dūnhuáng's Thousand Buddha Caves, this is probably what it would have looked like, minus the funky beats and DJ of course. Mural's big claim is not really the Silk Road décor, but the all-you-can-drink around Y100 bar every Friday night ( to ). There's a fun reggae night on Thursday. It's more popular with locals than expats, which is another reason to check it out.
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New Heights
The most amenable of the big three Bund bars, the splendid roof terrace offers the best views of the Huangpu and Pǔdōng. It's easy to be mesmerised by the seductive lights across the way and time tends to lose its meaning here, especially after a few of their properly mixed cocktails. Inside, it's less appealing but the DJ and fine nibbles are some consolation.
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Old Shanghai Teahouse
A wonderfully decrepit 2nd-floor teahouse, overlooking Old St. It's a sort of shrine to the 1930s, with period typewriters, sewing machines, electric fans and even an ancient fridge. It's a great place to put your feet up after a day spent wandering the Old Town.
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Paramount
For something a little different, this newly renovated old Art Deco theatre (the Paramount was the biggest nightclub in the 1930s) offers sedate afternoon-tea dances to the sounds of old-school jazz, or ballroom dancing in the evening. Dance partners are around Y25 for ten minutes. It makes for a nice nostalgia trip for those with a sense of humour.
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Partyworld
Partyworld is the nation's leading karaoke chain and this monster branch gets going early in the morning for those who just can't wait to belt out a tune or two. There are plenty of English-language songs to choose from. Prices go from around Y19 to around Y270 , depending on the number of people, size of the room you want and the time of day.
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People 7
Getting into this super-stylish bar/restaurant is an achievement in itself - not because there's a door policy but rather because the shiny steel doors will only open if you insert your hand (twice) into one of the nine holes set into the wall (we're not saying which one). Once inside, there's a backlit, long steel bar on which to rest the oddly shaped glass your cocktail will arrive in. They do surprisingly affordable minimalist fusion food.
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Pink Home
Walk down the psychedelic, neon-lit corridor to enter the most popular and upfront gay club in Shanghai. With a decent sound system and reasonably priced drinks, it pumps out hi-energy house for a friendly crowd intent on having fun. Nextdoor is Hotel 101, China's first and only gay hotel.
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Pirates
This out of the way bar is one of the best in town and attracts dressed-down hipsters, who could be called the anti-Bar Rouge crowd. The front room is a cool white space to drink in, while on weekends the back room hosts DJs who play the sort of cutting-edge sounds you won't hear anywhere else in Shanghai. It gets busy on Fridays and Saturdays, when it's around Y40 to get in.
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Sasha's
Housed in a fine old villa that once belonged to the Soong family, Sasha's large garden is one of Shanghai's most splendid summer spots. Inside, there's a vague French colonial feel with wicker furniture, wood floors and a cosy bar to perch at. Upstairs there's an expensive restaurant offering western food. Given the prices here, it's worth checking out their happy hour, from to , when all drinks are half-price.
