Heat
From the brushed metal crossbones above the door, it’s evident that the latest addition to Sanlitun’s Courtyard 4 area (Nanjie, Salsa Caribe) has paid attention to its décor. Inside this two-storey, gangsta’s paradise, Sanlitun booze hunters find black walls, black couches and a black bar, all illuminated by the purple glow of lights embedded in tables and TV projectors’ casting endless montages of hip-hop videos. The ambiance suits the rap that blasts from Heat’s speakers, but the true selling point is Heat’s prices: shooters for ¥10, mixed drinks for ¥20 and cocktails for ¥40. Ladies Night (Thursday) offers half price for “dressing up ladies,” and Saturday is Foreigner’s Night (as in you “tall nosed devils” not the band), at which anyone who doesn’t know a “dudou” from a “doudou” pays half the locals’ price.

–Blake Stone-Banks