Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
BEIJING'S BEST
Best for Forbidden City views
Yin
Best for Drum and Bell tower views
Drum and Bell
Best for imported beer selection
El Nido
Best microbrewery
Great Leap
Best for distance above the ground
Atmosphere
Best whisky selection
Ichikura
Best cocktails
Apothecary
Best gay club
Destination 7
Best for big-screen sports
Paddy O'Shea's
Best meat market
Propaganda
BARS
Opening hours
are flexible - a bar tends to close only when its last barfly has lurched off
- though everywhere will be open until at least midnight (and well into the early hours at
weekends). There's usually a cover charge to get in (around
￥
30) when a band is playing.
Though Chinese
beer
can be cheaper than bottled water if bought in a shop, a 350ml bottle of
Tsingtao or the local Yanjing at a bar will usually cost
￥
20-40. Many bars also sell Western
draught beers such as Guinness and Boddingtons, which cost at least
￥
40; wine and cock-
tails cost this at the cheapest places, but double that price in fancier bars. For the most up-to-
date information on all the comings and goings, check the bar
listings
in Beijing's main expat
magazines:
Time Out
(
timeoutbeijing.com
)
,
The Beijinger
(
issuu.com/thebeijinger
) and
City Weekend
(
cityweekend.com.cn
)
.
