Macau
Between chic bulbs and a concrete floor, Cafe Dos Amigos serves decent coffee, including thirst-quenching iced coffee laced with Bailey's. The phone…
Must-see nightlife in China
Wan Chai & Northeast Hong Kong Island
Good old Carnegie's, with its rock memorabilia and live jam sessions, attracts an unpretentious crowd in pursuit of beer, a good time, and more beer. Many…
Chengdu
Attracting more bankers than backpackers, this swish bar surrounded by fashion labes, banks and offices has street-side tables and a pretty tree-filled…
Beijing
Beijing's premier coffee nerds speak the international language of too-cool-to-be-polite at this shoebox-sized hangout. If you demand the best coffee in…
Shenzhen
You haven't been to Guangdong unless you've tasted cheese tea. (This is not something we ever expected to print!) There are umpteen branches of HEYTEA…
Wan Chai & Northeast Hong Kong Island
Overlooked by luxe hotels on the plaza above Pacific Place, this smart cafe-bar with outdoor seating serves Admiralty's worker bees remarkably affordable…
Hong Kong
The house jazz band fires up every night at 9pm at Studio, a 1950s-inspired jazz lounge in Lan Kwai Fong. Warm wood walls and dramatic lighting give the…
Wan Chai & Northeast Hong Kong Island
Pair your pint of ale with haggis, lamb stovies (a kind of stew) or 'mince and tatties' at Hong Kong's only Scottish pub, a wood-panelled, sport-watching…
Hong Kong
This little cocktail bar pays homage to pin-up girls of yore, with vintage decor to match: turquoise walls, velvet sofas, leopard-print pillows. Their…
Macau
The massive and flashy Club Cubic at the City of Dreams has themed bars, colour-coded zones and upstairs VIP rooms with balconies overlooking a laser…
Shanghai
With vintage-style tiles, historic photographs, old fireplaces and wooden panels, this cute cafe has been decked out like a European cottage. The parasol…
Shanghai
Modern cafe serving single-origin Ethiopian, Costa Rican, Ugandan and Guatemalan coffee, from beans they roast themselves. There are some curious coffee…
French Concession
Takeaway coffee place themed like a newsstand, with hanging papers and newspaper bundles for makeshift stools (although there's not much room to sit)…
Macau
A location near the Pak Tai Temple makes laid-back OTT a sublime spot for a sundowner or two. You can enjoy the live sports broadcast over beer and pub…
Hong Kong
A staple of the Lan Kwai Fong nightlife scene, this futuristically lit underground (literally) club grinds out the jams until the sun comes up. Expect a…
French Concession
The long wooden bar at Union Trading Company serves as a spot to sit and watch the bartenders do their thing using seasonal ingredients and a menu that…
Sichuan
By far the most popular place in town with travellers is the top-floor patio of the Khampa Cafe. They serve a tasty selection of Tibetan staples as well…
Wan Chai & Northeast Hong Kong Island
It's either your nightlife nightmare or everything you hoped Honkers would be, but true to its name, when the other bars peter out, Dusk Till Dawn is just…
Shanghai
Good beer spot favoured by the after-work expat crowd. Local brews on tap include the Boxing Cat Contender Pale Ale and Goose Island IPA. The hoppy and…
Jiangsu
Besides doing coffee and cake and having a resident cat, this cute cafe has its own shtick. Purchase a postcard and request a date (potentially years in…
Beijing
This hip cafe lost some sparkle when its glass facade was bricked up by the government, but hey, it gained a trendy wall of exposed brick in the process…
Sai Kung Peninsula
Though not exactly poetic, this pub is a down-to-earth spot for a pint of English ale and some typical pub grub, like steak and kidney pie. There are a…
Beijing
Put your hands in the air and touch the lasers at this cavernous club where the 'World's Top 100 DJs' take to the decks on weekends. Like most Gongti…
Macau
What used to be an exclusive members-only club is now open to all. China Rouge flirts with 1920s Shanghai and adds a splash of casino glamour to its…
Forbidden City & Dongcheng Central
Run by a cool Beijing couple, this hutong cocktail den is small but perfectly formed, with a grown-up vibe and a warm welcome. The homely wood-beamed room…
Guizhou
On the 2nd floor above the Hexie Dunpu Hotel, UBC Coffee has a large and varied menu that features Chinese and western dishes, teas and coffees, as well…
French Concession
Vintage tables and chairs are surrounded by antique trinkets and wares in cabinets here. Order a drink, soak up the sun and listen to jazz on the stereo…
Wan Chai & Northeast Hong Kong Island
Hidden down a narrow corridor between buildings, this longstanding cafe with a dozen seats and an outdoor yard offers good-quality pour-over coffee,…
Macau
This tiny haven overlooking pretty St Augustine Sq will make you forget you're only a five-minute walk away from heaving Largo do Senado. Stop here for a…
Yunnan
Chilled-out spot for a decent coffee. It also does OK breakfasts (from ¥30), as well as pasta, pizza and sandwiches (mains from ¥38). The top floor has…
Gansu
Though it also features pricey coffee (from ¥35; instant ¥30) and butter tea (¥35 per pot) plus a mix of western and Sichuanese dishes (¥20 to ¥68), this…
Sanya
You’ve got to dress the part to get into M2, one of the swankier clubs on Sanya’s Times Coast Bar Street – think lots of hair gel, high heels, skinny…
Wan Chai & Northeast Hong Kong Island
Coyote’s, with its hot-pink facade, has some 70 margaritas (from HK$78) – you choose how premium you want to go with the tequila. It also serves decent …
The Bund & People's Square
At the Bund end of Fuzhou Rd, this is a decent place for a sightseeing break. Sit down and relax with beer, wine, or a chrysanthemum plum tea (¥48) on the…
Suzhou
Expensive cafe-bar housed in a beautifully restored building. Its outdoor seating area overlooks the picturesque canal that runs parallel to the quieter…
Kunming
Visit this cavernous beer hall in a converted warehouse for home brews from Purple Cloud and a wide range of other drinks, including inexpensive cocktails…
Inner Mongolia
This very relaxing choice for a coffee on the ground floor of the Xúnlù Qīngnián Lǚshè hostel is full of books, magazines (most in Chinese admittedly) and…
Shanghai
A smarter than usual sports bar, the Shed is set up with a pool table and multiple TVs showing live games across the globe. Drinks are reasonably priced…
Guizhou
Artsy bar on the southern bank of the river, with bottled international beers and so-so cocktails. Also has tea and coffee, and a small selection of bar…
Tianjin
It's super pricey, but if you want to catch the evening breeze whilst drinking German beer on a riverside terrace this is the place to come. Brews wheat…
