Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
early hours. Its house-special flavoured rums (¥20) come in test-tube-like vessels and are
lethal.
PASSBY BAR
|BAR
( Guòkè; 108 Nanluogu Xiang, beers from ¥20; 9.30am-4am; Nanluoguxiang)
The first bar to open on
Nanluogu Xiang, Passby is more of a restaurant these days (Western food; the pizzas are
good), but the rooftop seating, the long opening hours and the row of fridges stocking
more than 100 types of bottled beer, are pretty tempting for late-night drinkers too. Passby
is also run by travel-loving staff; friendly owner Xiao Bianr has made multiple cycling
trips to Tibet over the years.
BED BAR
|BAR
( Chuángbā; 8400 1554; 17 Zhangwang Hutong, off Jiugulou Dajie, beers from ¥25, cocktails from ¥40;
11am-2am; Guloudajie)
One
hútòng
north of Café Sambal is this hard-to-find bar, situated in
a converted courtyard. The bar area leads on to a succession of inner rooms, some with
beds, and the overall effect is of a place that's both intimate and spacious. It can get
crowded at weekends (although it's nowhere near as popular as it once was), but there's
always a spot where you can hide away. There's a DJ and small dance floor, and it does
tapas-style finger food as well.
BĚIJĪNG'S TOP DRINKING SPOTS
Sānlǐtún
Loud, brash and relatively expensive, this is where expats and Chinese partygoers come when they
want to drink all night long. Here you'll find the city's best cocktail bars, biggest nightclubs, seediest dives and
highest concentration of places open long into the early hours. Head to Sanlitun Lu or the Workers Stadium.
Nanluogu Xiang
(
CLICK HERE
)
Far more laid back than Sānlǐtún, this historic
hútòng,
and the network of
lanes branching off it, houses smaller bars - some in converted courtyards - that are better for a drink and a
chat, rather than a dance. The city's coolest live-music venues are in this area too. Head to Nanluogu Xiang,
Beiluogu Xiang or the square between the Drum and Bell Towers.
Hòuhǎi Lakes
(
CLICK HERE
)
Neon-lit guitar bars with karaoke on tap are the speciality at this noisy but un-
doubtedly fun strip of bars, located attractively on the banks of Hòuhǎi and Qiánhǎi Lakes. More popular with
