Best Party of the Year

The Friday Party, The Collection

BUZZ Factor: With 27 percent of the vote--one of the tightest contests this year--Sugar at The Collection pulls ahead of the pack with its Friday Night Party series. With enticing titles like "Puxi Galore," "Sugar Addicts" and more recently "I Love The Eighties," this dessert bar continually renews its image, keeping things fresh and fun for all those on a Sugar high. The Friday Night Parties give a new meaning to a sweet night and a new home to Shanghai's glitterati.
Runner-Up: Riviera Pool Parties, Riveria Events

Editor's Pick: Get in the Van
We have to give credit to Dan Shapiro, our favorite mustached hipster. This party was packed and innovative to boot, something often missing in Shanghai.

Best Dive Bar

I Love Shanghai

BUZZ Factor: The poor man's Bund stop, this beloved budget bar repeats its 2007 performance. Winning the category by 10 percentage points, there's no question that ILS has found its niche with rock bottom drink prices and frequent open bar nights, developing a loyal following despite all the Bund construction.
Runner-Up: C's Bar

Editor’s Pick: Time Passage
The weekend live music performances, cheap drinks and welcoming atmosphere keep us, and our friends, coming back for more.

Best Hip-Hop

Bling

BUZZ Factor: This relative newbie (whose owner, Wilber Pan, has his own hip-hop pedigree), has made a name for itself in the tightly knit hip-hop club scene, garnering 21 percent of the vote. Bling brings talented DJs with up-to-date record collections to keep the masses grinding into the night.
Runner-Up: Attica

Editor’s Pick: Muse
With a dedicated hip-hop room that gets people bouncing like Beyoncé almost every night of the week, we've happily lost nights there and recommend that everyone do the same.

Best LGBT Bar

PinkHome

BUZZ Factor: Even with its legal troubles earlier this year, PinkHome led the LGBT pack with 23 percent of the vote. On the weekends, the masses descend to appreciate the solid sound system, psychedelic décor and open atmosphere that have become the club's calling card.
Runner-Up: Shanghai Studio

Editor's Pick: Frangipani
Open to breeders and non-breeders alike, we love this two-floor cozy space because it's comfortable in its own skin, giving its patrons license to feel the same.

Shanghai-Based DJ of the Year

Kamikaze

BUZZ Factor: Although this was a tight race, 23 percent of the vote went to Kamikaze (aka Stafan), founder of the notorious Banana Soundsystem parties. Now forgoing local residencies, Kami's brand of mash-up, ghetto-tech, hip-hop and electro is hitting the road and unless you're in Macau in June, you won't catch him for a bit--but we're sure he can't stay away for too long.
Runner-Up: Siesta

Editor's Pick: V-Nutz, aka Gary Wang
As the man behind The Lab and The Shelter, Wang is often referred to as the father of Shanghai's DJ scene. It takes a DJ to build a DJ scene, and as a great performance DJ, we love watching Wang spin while dancing to his brand of hip-hop, funk, soul and more.

Best Locally-Based Band

Banana Monkey

BUZZ Factor: Over a third of voters agree that Banana Monkey has a unique brand of danceable punk that's hard to resist. Imagine a young garage band in suburban London in the 70s and you'll know the emotion, sweat and energy that Banana Monkey is loved for.
Runner-Up: Boys Climbing Ropes

Editor's Pick: Cold Fairyland
Here it's usually more about the party than the band but when Cold Fairyland takes the stage, they pack the house with people who are actually there to hear their progressive indie sound.

Best Bar of the Year

The Glamour Bar

BUZZ Factor: It comes as no surprise that this perennial pink-clad Bund staple tops this year's list. With 18 percent of the total vote, The Glamour Bar is popular not only for its chic décor but also the well-quaffed bar and patrons. As the winner of the CW Readers' Choice Awards Best New Bar of the Year in 2007 and the sixth most Guanxi-ed venue in the city-averaging six requests per night, every night-it seems only fitting that this top bar reappear for a second round performance.
Runner-Up: Bar Rouge

Editor's Pick: Lounge 18
It takes chutzpah to open below one of the most well-established names on the Bund, but we think Lounge 18 has the right mix of up-scale bar, art gallery and lounge to show that it belongs there.

Best Happy Hour

Blue Frog

BUZZ Factor: With "drink like a frog" the new Shanghai motto, this city-wide chain trounced the competition with 42 percent of the online vote and 36 percent of the total vote. At almost any of their seven locations, you'll find people taking advantage of Blue Frog's now famous two-for-one happy hour deals. Runner-Up: Cotton's

Editor’s Pick: RedBeat
Although we love their Filipino band, it's the daily ￥15 deal on rail drinks, Tsingtao drafts and more that everyone's buzzing about.

Best Jazz Club

JZ Club

BUZZ Factor: With 43 percent of the online vote and 41 percent of the overall vote, there was no stopping this jazz institution from being named number one. Runner-up last year, JZ Club is now the undisputed stage for local and international jazz names every night of the week.
Runner-Up: Cotton Club

Editor’s Pick: CJW
This hotel jazz bar is all about the music and atmosphere. We enjoy the nightly jazz acts that go down as smooth as the cocktails.

Best Live Music Venue

LOgO

BUZZ Factor: LOgO blew the competition away with more than a ten percentage point lead over the runner-up. Originally intended as a bar, not a live music venue, LOgO's set-up creates intimate shows that let audiences get personal with the international and local groups that stop by.
Runner-Up: Yuyintang

Editor's Pick: Windows Underground
We can't thank Brad Ferguson enough for turning this Windows stepchild into the venue for live music and cheap drinks.

Splurge Worthy Bar

Lounge 18

BUZZ Factor: Although this was a tight race, 24 percent of CW readers said that they'd throw down some hard-earned cash at this Bund 18 newbie. With a well-stocked bar and clientele to match the stiff drinks and prices, this bar's menu sticks to the classics and basics, letting patrons focus more on the company, view and adjacent gallery than what trendy drink to order.
Runner-Up: The Glamour Bar

Editor's Pick: Volar
We're tired of hearing that this venue is known only for its Philippe Strarck design--the real gem here is the drink menu. These delicious mixtures often made with fresh ingredients come at a price but after one sip we're happy to crack our wallets open--and we're sure you will be too.

Best Outdoor Bar

Sasha's

BUZZ Factor: "Go for the garden" is what 22 percent of voters said. Sharing a connected garden area with sister institution Zapata's, Sasha's has one of the larger (beer) gardens in town, the perfect place to enjoy everything from happy hour specials to Sunday brunches and barbecues.
Runner-Up: Barbarossa

Editor's Pick: Cotton's
The 2007 CW Readers' Choice Runner-Up for Best Chill-Out Bar is where you'll find us--chilling out on Miss Cotton's fabulous garden patio, drink in hand, all summer.

Best Date Bar

Barbarossa

BUZZ Factor: Located in the serenity of People's Park, this three-storey Moroccan-themed bar and restaurant is where 31 percent of our readers would take a date. Although not the most private of places, look out for couples snuggling up and appreciating the cityscape around them.
Runner-Up: Cotton Club

Editor’s Pick: VUE Bar
If you want to get your date out of his / her clothes, the Jacuzzi is always an option. But on a first date, you'd better stick to the great views and cozy nooks this bar offers.

Best Place to Find a Date

Velvet Lounge

BUZZ Factor: With 27 percent of the vote, Velvet is the place to exchange numbers. When this lounge's well-dressed, late-night crowd stumbles in for stiff drinks and delicious pizza, the great music, tiny dance floor and cozy corners make for great opening lines and places to retire to.
Runner-Up: Zapata's

Editor’s Pick: The Glamour Bar
It must be the pink-hued décor and the well-crafted drinks, as we rarely see people leave this glam spot without at least one new phone number scribbled on the back of their hand.

Best Club of the Year

The Shelter

BUZZ Factor: This former bomb shelter blew through the competition with 32 percent of the online votes and 28 percent of the total vote. Open for less than a year, The Shelter has changed the face of the Shanghai DJ scene, giving Shanghai an alternative to the mainstream clubs. Run by Gary Wang and Gaz Williams, this venue was created by DJs for DJs. The Shelter is clearly on every partier's radar as it's racked up 1,587 Guanxi searches since its opening in December--that's 30 times per night since it opened.
Runner-Up: Attica

Editor's Pick: Volar
Volar is the scene that's not a scene--this is why it was 2007's runner-up for Best Club of the Year and is our pick. This club has great parties and a deliciously well-executed drink list with a loyal following among Shanghai's elite-and CW editors.

Best Newcomer

The Shelter

BUZZ Factor: Opening in late 2007, people haven't stopped talking about The Shelter. Giving Shanghai's burgeoning local DJ scene a new home, this subterranean space now boasts an uncharacteristically-loyal Shanghai crowd and hosts local as well as international DJ talent.
Runner-Up: Lounge 18

Editor’s Pick: Sugar
We had to make sure that this dessert bar-cum-party spot got credit for sweetening up our nights with lip-smackingly good drinks, and its Wednesday and Friday night parties.

Best Beer Selection

Paulaner Brauhaus

BUZZ Factor: Winning by a close four votes, Paulaner Brauhaus advances from its runner-up position in the 2007 CW Readers' Choice Awards. Sticking close to its Bavarian brew house roots, Paulaner offers patrons lager, dark, wheat and dry beer, hearty food and live music that keeps the "Prost!" coming all night.
Runner-Up: O'Malley's Irish Pub

Editor’s Pick: Southern Barbarian
We can't get enough of their spicy fare which we can wash down with hard-to-find bottles from their beer list.

Best Cocktails

Sugar

BUZZ Factor: In a city that loves to drink, cocktails make for stiff competition, but Sugar pulled ahead with 22 percent of the overall vote in an eight-way race. Known for its bartender Theo Watt, drinks here are always a creative surprise with the Burnt Orange Old Fashioned being the drink on everyone's lips.
Runner-Up: Bar Rouge

Editor's Pick: J-G Bar
We go to Jean-Georges' bar to put our drink in Markus' skilled hands or select from what's we know is always a top-notch drink list.