Best Budget Bar

Nan Jie

Buzzfactor: Nan Jie edged out Rickshaw by a handful of ballots. When it comes to drink prices, however, there’s no disputing Nan Jie’s title. Mixed drinks start at ￥10 and a tray of 12 shooters goes for ￥100. When Sara C spins, Nan Jie is the ultimate budget hang.
Runner Up: Rickshaw

Editor’s Pick: The Boat
Not just a place for great drink deals (3-for-2 Stellas, anyone?), The Boat hosts some of the best rock shows and dance parties in Beijing.

Best Jazz

i-Ultra Lounge

Buzzfactor: On weekdays, i-Ultra takes you back as the Red Hand Jazz Band plays old school jazz, transforming the club that thumps on weekends into a smoky, sultry lounge. The recent buzz is singer Katie Kaspin, who adds sizzle to the mellow after-dinner atmosphere.
Runner Up: CD Jazz Café

Editor’s Pick: East Shore
Beijing’s jazz masters play the city's most authentic jazz Thursday through Monday nights. Be sure to stay late for the open jam.

Club of the Year

Block 8

Buzzfactor: The bling-bling will never be out of style at Block 8. "We're proud to be the best for the best of Beijing," says Director of Communications Kristen Lum. Block 8 is the de facto destination for those seeking to impress and be impressed. Whether you're after the breezy, Ibiza-style elegance the rooftop terrace of The Beach, or the extravagance of i-Ultra Lounge's pitch-perfect bottle service, Block 8 brings the expertise of restaurant mogul Alan Wong to cater to the highest order of Beijing clientele with class and sophistication.
Runner Up: China Doll

Editor’s Pick: GT-Banana
Bathed in lasers, atop floors that bounce, this flying saucer of dance is bringing the world's top DJs (think Tiesto) to Beijing.

Best to Find a Date

Suzie Wong's

Buzzfactor: Whether you’re looking to fall in love for life or just looking for a temporary friend, Suzie Wong's is an unparalleled matchmaker. Maybe that's why they more than doubled the vote count of the second place contender.
Runner Up: White Rabbit

Editor’s Pick: Bookworm
Far from the Sanlitun meat market, the relaxed atmosphere at The Bookworm means everyone, including us, has their guard down.

Bar of the Year

Song

Buzzfactor: "Stylish as hell, but never stupid," is the mantra of Neebing, Song musical director. And that mantra is working for this venue, which blew away the competition after only five short months on the nightlife scene. Song is the type of bar that caters to the widest spectrum of Beijing's creative class. From the most underground hipster to the CBD business warrior, Song offers an avant-garde setting with cocktails to die for, solid service, great music and a glimpse at all the beautiful people of the city.
Runner Up: Wain Wain

Editor’s Pick: Yugong Yishan
Yugong is the sort of watering hole where you can listen to the best in live music downstairs, then sip a a quiet cocktail upstairs. Our sort of place.

Best Bartenders

Block 8

Buzzfactor: Manager Sebastien Noat drills his mixologists every week, throwing out drink names and testing for consistency. It's paid off: The barkeeps are artists of the perfect pour. Don’t miss the house special Black Mojito.
Runner Up: Q Bar

Editor’s Pick: Richy
Some just want a good pour, but for those of us who prefer Tom Cruise's juggling act in Cocktail, Richy is the place.

Best Beijing Band

Woodie Alan

Buzzfactor: A mix of expat and Chinese members, blues-rock heroes Woodie Alan set the standard for the local scene. Guitarist Alan says they'd have chosen a more serious name if they'd known they'd make it so big, but our voters seem happy with the moniker.
Runner Up: Carsick Cars

Editor’s Pick: HedgeHog
The fox knows many things, but HedgeHog knows one big one: how to rock the stage with noise pop.

Best Sports Bar

Frank’s Place

Buzzfactor: Going strong since 1989, Frank's and its five massive screens reclaim the title from Goose & Duck. Word has it Frank's was offered big bucks to close its doors during August for exclusive events, but declined. One more reason they’re the local favorite.
Runner Up: Pavillion

Editor’s Pick: Goose & Duck
Our longstanding favorite--why just watch the sports when you can drink and play together?

Most Guanxi'ed

Suzie Wong's

Buzzfactor: Since launching CW's Guanxi service, 389 cell phones have rung up our database to get the address of Beijing's most notorious club. If a night of drinking clouds your memory, text Guanxi, and we'll set you back on the path.
Runner Up: Hatsune

What's Guanxi?
Guanxi is a messaging system hooked into the CW database. Text a venue name to 1066-9588-2929 and we text back the address and number.

Best Live Music

Yugong Yishan

Buzzfactor: Last year, Beijing's original music-driven venue jumped from the mega-club environs of Gongti to its current locale just east of artistic ground zero, Nanluoguxiang. Since then, it’s remained true to the tried and tested formula of the best on the musical platter. "We just want to thank our old crowd and all of the musicians," insists Yugong Yishan's Dorothea Adam, "because you were the ones who rocked our house." Dedicated to the best of live music since its inception, Yugong hosts both the best of Beijing and the world's most cutting-edge bands on its stage.
Runner Up: D-22

Editor’s Pick: MAO Live
MAO Live has all the ingredients of a great rock club: dilapidated furniture, graffiti on the walls, cheap drinks the crispest sound system in Beijing.

Most Extravagant

Lan

Buzzfactor: Lan Club isn't reasonably-priced, but then again, the drop-dead gorgeous generally aren't. From the sexy, exotic decor to the high-class drink list, Lan Club makes you think twice about heading back to the old dive bar across the road.
Runner Up: The Beach

Editor’s Pick: Loong Bar
Exquisite dragons on the walls, cool marble and seductive beats are enough to keep us happy, but Loong Bar also makes a world-class martini.

DJ of the Year

Mickey Zhang

Buzzfactor: Mickey Zhang's flawless mixing and ear for the highest quality techno anthems have made him not only the best of a Yen party line-up, but the hero of the underground. He gives clubbers an echo of sounds reverberating from Detroit to Berlin and back.
Runner Up: Blackie

Editor’s Pick: Attacks Unicorns and The Other One
Indie Night stars, Attacks Unicorns and The Other One, prove beer and rock are still worth the hangover.

Nightlife Newcomer

Song

Buzzfactor: "We're proud to be the sort of place people call home," says Song manager Sunny Feridun. Song has matched stunning visuals with killer music since its December opening, creating the rare taste of Shanghai class missing in the Beijing nightlife equation.
Runner Up: ReMix

Editor’s Pick: White Rabbit
White Rabbit is our de facto last stop of any evening out. Its subterranean sound system and pumping DJ sets are unbeatable.

Best Dancing

White Rabbit

Buzzfactor: Nightlife newcomer, White Rabbit, defeated China Doll, by a solid 51 votes. How’d they do it? The brainchild of legendary Beijing DJ Yang Bing, BaiCai founding member Thomas Gaestadius, veteran promoter Fu Yan and former China DMC Champ Shorty S, White Rabbit blends stark, minimalist decor and a stellar line-up of both local residents and the brightest names on the global electronica circuit. "We set out to be a very dance-oriented club with music first," Gaestadius admits, "so it's fun and rewarding that people appreciate that."
Runner Up: China Doll

Editor’s Pick: ReMix
Armed with a high-end Funktion One sound system and padded walls, ReMix has us dreaming that one day we will hear our favorite DJs here.

Best Beer Selection

The Tree

Buzzfactor: The Tree, with a beer menu longer than Belgium’s census, easily won twice as many votes as its nearest competitor. The Duvel and Delirium are especially popular, but the wide selection of fruit beers is unparalleled.
Runner Up: Beer Mania

Editor’s Pick: The Saddle Cantina
On a sweltering summer’s day, we turn to Saddle Cantina’s ice taps, which pour sub-zero Stellas.

Best Promoters

BaiCai

Buzzfactor: Beijing’s electronica lovers know it's been the Year of the Cabbage. BaiCai has set the bar by featuring the likes of dance titans Loco Dice, Kiki and Namito. BaiCai parties are de rigeur for Beijing's serious clubbers.
Runner Up: Acupuncture Records

Editor’s Pick: Syndicate
Syndicate has kept the energy of drum 'n' bass pounding Beijing dance floors for four long years. 2007-8 year was its best year yet.

Best Cocktails

Q Bar

Buzzfactor: Nothing in the world compares to a Grand Marnier Manhattan on Q Bar's rooftop terrace. This cocktail powerhouse is still going strong, winning both CW's AND That’s Beijing's 2007 awards for best cocktails.
Runner Up: Block 8

Editor’s Pick: Song
Space-age design and great sound system, sure, but it’s Song's divine mojitos, martinis and shooters that keep us coming back for more.