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…
Must-see nightlife in China
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
French Concession
This popular oasis of Francophilia is decked out in hip 'olde worlde' charm with a bar made from stacked suitcases and bistro-like decor, plus windows…
French Concession
This excellent bar is one of the most pleasant spots in the concession to raise a glass. Ensconced in a converted 1930s villa, the bar's interior has cosy…
Beijing
First-rate cocktails come with a first-class price tag at this exquisite cocktail bar hidden inside the Duan Qirui Former Government Building compound…
French Concession
Big Brother might be watching, but he'd be hard-pressed to find you in this hidden nook of a bookshop-cafe off Hunan Rd. There's no sign, just a metal…
Harbin
Look for the neon-lit guitar at the entrance, leave your itinerary on Zhongyang Dajie and enter the world of Carl Damo, Harbin's hippest conceptual artist…
Kunming
The new second branch of a long-standing Kunming favourite is far more accessible, and the long wooden bar is fairly inviting as well. You'd have to try…
Wan Chai & Northeast Hong Kong Island
On the 1st floor of gorgeous heritage pile the Pawn, Botanicals draws after-work imbibers to its stylish twin bars and colonial-chic veranda for wines by…
Yangshuo
With a prime riverfront location overlooking karst peaks, Demo's outdoor terrace is the perfect spot to come for a sundowner of quality craft beers. Its…
The Bund & People's Square
Set back in People’s Park alongside a pond, Barbarossa is all about escapism. Forget Shanghai: this is Morocco channelled by Hollywood set designers. The…
French Concession
Tiny Café del Volcán offers a refuge from the bustle of Yongkang Rd. The minimalist cafe has just a few wooden box tables sharing the space with the…
Nanjing
Hermit offers two playfully sophisticated bars in one. Start downstairs at the science-themed beer bar, before heading up the candlelit stairway to an…
Kowloon
What's that sound? No, it's not the chink of cup and saucer, it's your jaw hitting the marble floor as you gaze, enraptured, at Hong Kong's most fabulous…
Shanghai
Originally a modest convenience store opened by a local woman (Mrs Zhang), this 24-hour drinking hole stocks around 200 varieties of craft beer. The…
French Concession
From the team behind Sichuan Citizen comes this classy 1920s Prohibition-style cocktail bar in a quiet spot on Wuyuan Rd. Slink into a dark-wood booth…
Wan Chai & Northeast Hong Kong Island
There are just 20 seats at this discrete gem of a bar overlooking the racecourse, which means Japanese owner and bartender Ichiro (it's a one-man…
Lhasa
With authentic espresso coffee and smoothies, free wi-fi and melt-in-your-mouth cheesecakes, plus salads, paninis, pizza and American-style breakfast…
Hangzhou
The craft-beer craze has certainly hit Hangzhou and the standout place to sample some top-notch craft beers is Midtown Brewery. Housed in the Shangri-la…
Hong Kong
Australian Ashley Sutton is a master of theatre and his bar is unlike anything else in Hong Kong. Ten thousand butterflies flutter from copper threads…
Wan Chai & Northeast Hong Kong Island
Enviable East Island views are the drawcard at this stylish terrace bar atop designer business hotel East. With signature peach mojito in hand, take in…
Guangdong
A lovely place for a tea experience with an English speaker in a minimalist, modern-meets-ancient Chinese teahouse. You pay for a taste test of bottomless…
Hong Kong
There's something indescribably comfortable about the Pontiac, which rocks to a different tune from most of the cheesy bars in LKF. It's a skinny, open…
Guangzhou
The booze boffins at this speakeasy have an on-site lab with bubbling stills for bespoke spirit infusions, resulting in some of the most creative top…
Chengdu
For 200 years, one of the city's most venerable teahouses has been tucked away in a peaceful courtyard behind a stone archway off frenetic Kuan Alley, the…
Shanghai
Run by a bright and sunny bunch, good-looking Sumerian packs a lot into a small space. The real drawcard here is the coffee – the cafe roasts its own…
Shanghai
Part of the trendy Zhang Garden eating and drinking complex, this brewhouse has a nice outdoor area, rooftop terrace and 20 craft imports on tap. Food is…
Tianjin
Leading the way in the Tianjin craft-beer scene, this hidden gem of a bar is tucked away down an alley off Xi'an Dao. Its English-speaking owner knows his…
