Shanghai Old City
Next to the entrance to the Yuyuan Gardens is the Mid-Lake Pavilion Teahouse, once part of the gardens and now one of the most famous teahouses in China,…
Must-see nightlife in China
Wan Chai & Northeast Hong Kong Island
On the 49th floor of the Upper House, Cafe Grey pulls in a suited after-office crowd for drinks, dinner and corporate back-slapping in an atmosphere of…
Hong Kong
The terrace at Honi Honi is a tropical-island oasis that literally rises above the mayhem of Lan Kwai Fung. It was Hong Kong's first tiki bar and although…
Hong Kong
Take the elevator to the 25th floor and then keep going up until you reach the Skydeck; this glam bar has three floors but there's only one place you want…
Kowloon
In the middle of a Korean neighbourhood, this dark little venue hides an authentically tatty chimeak (chicken and beer) bar. Korean lager starts at a…
Xi'an
Doubling as a good restaurant, enterprising Jamaica Blue gets a daily workout come sundown as a fine and sociable bar, with live crooning at around 9pm…
Fujian
Every midsized Chinese city has a place where expats go to meet up and whinge about living in a midsized Chinese city. Quanzhou has the Brickyard, and it…
Beijing
At this popular rooftop cafe with seating indoors and out, your coffee, cake or sandwich is served with a side order of eye candy: the White Dagoba Temple…
Aberdeen & South Hong Kong Island
The clientele at this far-flung branch of the Irish pub are mostly folks from nearby offices and luxury residences. The terrace with giant parasols and…
Aberdeen & South Hong Kong Island
Hidden on Shek O's quiet back beach, Ben's is the neighbourhood watering hole where everyone knows everyone else. You'll find villagers, resident…
Himalayan Coffee & Trading Co.
Sichuan
The best coffee in town is served at this bright, cool and busy place near the big yak sculpture. Wraps, pizzas, house-baked pastries, waffles and wi-fi…
Xi'an
In the basement bowels of the Shuyuan Youth Hostel, this music bar is a tip-top riot and a fun night out. Staff are excellent and very mindful. It has…
Hong Kong
This welcoming bar with cheap, classic cocktails is decorated with the charming fixtures and fittings of the old Peak Cafe from 1947, which was replaced…
Shanghai
Pudong keeps its edge honed with two of the highest bars in the world at 100 Century Avenue. It's pretty impressive inside, but the restaurant on the 91st…
Temple of Heaven Park & Dongcheng South
Hip counter-top hangout for perfectly patterned coffee and fab cookies. After dark, a magic wand gets waved and the cafe transforms, Cinderella-style,…
Beijing
Handsomely on-theme is this industrial-chic coffee space. It's cool, airy and bathed in natural light, and baristas fuss over single-origin pour-overs and…
French Concession
The French Concession’s go-to sports bar, Camel has pool tables, dartboards, foosball, big screens at all angles and nightly meal and drink offers, plus a…
Shenzhen
Bartenders clamber up stepladders to access their impressive cache of whiskies (some 500 to 600 bottles) in this smart bar sharing the same office-block…
Beijing
The outermost branch of Beijing's original craft brewpub is a stylish affair enclosing a giant oval bar with 30 taps pouring both Great Leap beers and…
Kowloon
Ozone might be the highest bar in Asia, but you're so far up in the stratosphere that the other-worldly views lack oomph. Grab a seat on the windproof…
Henan
Giving Zhengzhou's iffy beer scene a good kick in the pants, this upstairs bar has 20 beers on tap, including some brewed by the Lazy Taps microbrewery in…
Beijing
Ground zero for Gulou's laptop warriors, Zarah is a stylish hutong hangout adored for its charming staff, good coffee and welcomingly bookish ambience. By…
French Concession
Beer enthusiasts should stop by hop house Daga to sample the mostly Chinese craft beer on some 40 rotating taps. The brews are a bit hit and miss, but you…
Hong Kong
Behind started at one of the first gay clubs in Hong Kong, Club 97 in Lan Kwai Fong (now closed), and has gone on to become a roving club night. It's an…
Shanghai
With charmingly eclectic mismatched furniture and musical instruments on the wall, this laid-back cafe serves reasonably priced noodles, drinks and snacks…
Shanghai Old City
This stretch of the Bund is ideal for a rooftop bar and Char ticks all the boxes. The outdoor terrace has some of the finest views over the Huangpu River…
Sichuan
Perched atop the Longfeng mountain park, this teahouse in a historical-style pagoda is a fantastic place to drink tea (from ¥8) and admire the view over…
Shanghai
You'll likely spot this beer brand all over town, and this two-floor warehouse-style space is where it's brewed in enormous vats. Choose from dozens of…
Hong Kong
A swish cocoon away from Central's crowds, MO Bar is attached to the swanky Landmark Mandarin Oriental just inside the entrance to Landmark mall, yet…
Chengdu
Stop in for a decent selection of US, European and Chinese craft brews, including from Chengdu's Wild West Taproom, and a top-floor terrace removed from…
Nanning
There's no dodgy prison hooch going on here; instead, this neighbourhood pub is all about quality craft beers. On tap it has four beers by Trip Smith (a…
Hong Kong
After its success as a pop-up in Hong Kong in 2016, this New York speakeasy finally opened its first-ever permanent fixture outside of the States. Hidden…
Eling Testbed 2 Cultural Creative Park
Chongqing City
Perched near the top of Eling Park, this 1950s currency-printing factory has been revamped as a hip industrial hangout, with bars, stylish restaurants, 20…
French Concession
Next door to the Muji flagship store, Seesaw is the spot to fuel up on great coffee from single-origin beans, mostly from Africa and South America. The …
Hong Kong
This social-enterprise cafe on the top deck of Pier 8 provides employment and training for students of the Nesbitt Centre, a local NGO helping adults with…
Hong Kong
A series of interlinking jail cells in the former Central Police Station, now Tai Kwun heritage complex, have been given a clever makeover to create this…
Kowloon
Drink in harbour views from this mezzanine cocktail bar, although the best window seating is reserved for fine-dining haunt Hutong below. Creative…
Beijing
Like the Alamo for homeless hutong venues, this courtyard contains craft-beer bar El Nido, cocktail den Fang Bar, and Komex taco joint LA Palms – three…
Hong Kong
This playfully named bar is clubby, chic and known for its cocktails, such as rainbow fruit tea. Black walls provide a striking contrast to a backlit row…
Outlying Islands
Valor offers great respite from Cheung Chau's crowded streets. The shop is tastefully understated with a display of ice-drip contraptions near the…
