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All Dolled Up

Though many of Beijing's clubs are designed to look like the set of a sci-fi film, few pull off the aesthetic with as much artistry and amusement as ChinaDoll. Every inch of the sprawling Sanlitun space—from the sculptural cherub light fixtures to the wall-size photo ... Read more »

Havana Heaven

In its transformation from Caribbean metropolis into 5-star hotel bar, the city of Havana has maintained a few key features, namely a wide range of rums and a love for cigars. The rest of Havana is alluded to with a mosaic of black-and-white-photographs behind the bar. The Grand ... Read more »

Roll Out the Red Carpet

Beijing's newest club strives for cocktail perfection and comes as close to it as any other venue in Beijing. The invigorating taste of the Ginger Melon Martini (￥80) and the sweet raspberry flavor of the Klubb Rouge (￥80) are all mixed to perfection by ... Read more »

Close to Home

When former actress Pu Shasha started this bar as a hobby, she admittedly didn’t know the first thing about running it. But this one-room tucked away in a hutong hits the mark as an eccentric spot for hipster locals. The bar is crammed with tables, couches ... Read more »

A Real Tun On

Tun Bar is difficult to describe both in terms of its location and composition. Tucked away in Cross Club's rear parking lot, Tun has the feel of a mafia hideout, complete with a heavily padded front door and dimly-lit antechamber. Created by the nightlife moguls ... Read more »

All Night Long

Night Club is, well, a night club. More specifically, it's a Chinese-style night club, where waitresses shuttle whiskey, green tea and fruit plates. If you don't walk in prepared to order a bottle of Chivas and a table, you won't be in your comfort ... Read more »

Karaoke al Dominicano

The Ritz Carlton's Davidoff Lounge, possibly the only premium cigar lounge in the world equipped with microphones and touch-screens, seeks to prove that karaoke is entertainment suitable for any venue. To be sure, the clientele of the Davidoff are of an exclusive type. Just to rent ... Read more »

Mare’s Milk A-Go-Go

Like their ancestors before them, Mongolian entrepreneurs have been invading Beijing, sprouting up new bars and restaurants across the capital. But rest assured:These 21st-century Huns come in peace, bearing gifts no less. The latest addition is GiYan, a cosy one-room bar located on the eighth ... Read more »

Cocktail Party Colonial Chic

It’s no secret that Beijing has Bund envy. No venue in the capital could really compare with the stunning, iconic views from places like Three on the Bund. Until now, that is. The opening of the Yin Bar on top of The Emperor Hotel delivers ... Read more »

Jazzology

Gong He Bar is red: red couches, red gauze curtains. If Robert Palmer's "Addicted to Love" transmogrified into a bar, Red House is what that lipstick and swaying would become. Though the owners do not know Lord Palmer, they do know how to coalesce dozens of red sofas ... Read more »

Red House Over There

Walking into Red House, one thinks he has found the perfect spot for an intimate, late night drink on the capital’s trendiest hutong. With its dark wood and polished glass, the décor is minimal yet sophisticated. Eight elevated units with comfortable white couches and hard ... Read more »

Drink Me, I'm Irish

The little sister of Beijing’s original Irish pub, Durty Nellie's at Moma faces stiff competition from Paddy O’ Shea’s in winning the hearts of Dongzhimen boozehounds. It doesn’t help that the new Durty Nellie’s also lacks the crowd, band, foosball ... Read more »

Let the Fiesta Begin

Poised to become one of the summer’s hottest venues, the newest project by Rickshaw owners Chad, Kris and Nick, follows in the footsteps of its older, uglier brother with punch packing cocktails (￥50-55), big booths and a fun atmosphere for a night out with friends ... Read more »

Tango for Two

Find a quiet, secluded area in this urban madness, toss in a couple Argentines, a Turkish tango dancer and a handful of bohemian Chinese, and the result is Hidden Dreams. Tucked into the Social Science Institute compound just east of Yugong Yishan, the bar is a comfortable ... Read more »

Don't Miss the Boat

The Boat floated in the Liangma River, serving up cheap whiskeys for a small hip-hop crowd for years before DJs @llen and BB realized its potential. These new owners have worked religiously the past few months to transform the dilapidated cabin of The Boat into ... Read more »

Invisible Senses

Finding Lugar is a bit like finding Platform 9 3/4 in the world of Harry Potter. Hidden in a dark alley between numbers 70 and 82, behind a closed door, this non-descript storefront has a sense of magic to it. Taiwanese owner William shows his love for ... Read more »

Puttin' on the Glitz

With decor reminiscent of the Roaring Twenties, the new Ritz-Carlton hotel in the Shin Kong Place greets its guests with expert service by its concierge and staff. The bar is on the second floor and offers a cozier update on the hotel bar with sofas, low ... Read more »

Kipling and Kamikazes

Walking into the newest addition to the Tango-Starlive nightlife fortress feels like walking into the Jungle Book or Angkor Wat. The front hallway is patrolled by a twelve-foot stone panther, as well as a number of bodhisattvas and arhats, carved elegantly into the walls. Despite its lustful ... Read more »

Chaoyang Park | O’le Football

O’le Football looks to fill the boots of the much missed Redball bar for the football fraternity with the winning combination of football and beer. Housed in a former factory, the two mesh-encaged, five-a-side surfaces are lent an inner-city edge in their sparse industrial ... Read more »

Gulou | If Bar

It was only a matter of time before the bar-and-lounge explosion on Nanluoguxiang poured across the street and started invading Beiluoguxiang. For now, If stands as a solitary bar and lounge on the still placid northern alleyway, awaiting the throngs of Beijing restaurants, boutiques and hipsters, who ... Read more »

The In Crowd

In Bar & Café is a part of the Chinese drinking experience that draws more from the tea house tradition than from that of neon-drenched megaclubs. By day, Beijing’s gray sun seeps in through skylights while the Carpenters and Lionel Richie croon soft rock lullabies. At night ... Read more »

Beam Me Up

With an entrance flanked by plastic, life-sized palm trees, and quite suitably, a Bentley dealership, Banana GT has the air of a Malibu mansion dropped in the middle of Beijing's sprawl. In his latest re-tooling of the Banana franchise, Jeffrey Hu has blended a Hollywood theme ... Read more »