60 Best Bars in Hong Kong, China

This speakeasy tucked behind an umbrella shopfront holds one of the best jazz nights in town. The upscale, maritime-inspired decor is a pleasant backdrop to cocktails inspired by ingredients from around the globe, as well as a list of dependable classics.

An amazing rooftop terrace has turned this bar and restaurant in a nondescript commercial building on Hollywood Road into one of the hippest spots in town. The boldly colored mural urging patrons to "Eat, Drink, and Be Prosperous" and the bar covered with mah-jongg tiles add just the right amount of retro cool. The menu boasts cocktails based on traditional local flavors, but the bartenders are also adept at turning out the classics. If the front door is locked, just call and ask for the code.

This British-style SoHo pub is known for having one of Hong Kong's best selections of local and international craft brews. It's a fun and convivial spot, with a mix of ages and a pretty even split between expats and locals. Other draws include televised sport and hearty, gastropub-style grub: fish and chips, sausage and mash, and homemade pies.

Considered a Hong Kong landmark—at least, on the nightlife circuit—Joe Bananas is known for its live bands and handsome interiors. It tends to draw an after-hours crowd, since the doors stay open until 5 am almost every day of the week. During the day, this is also a popular spot to watch sports games and enjoy comfort foods with a cold beer.

This moody bar behind a nondescript door is infused with stylish old Hong Kong decor. The drinks are equally inspiring, with a focus on Chinese and Cantonese spirits. Try the Kowloon Dairy, a smooth mix of amaro and monkfruit spirit.

A cozy, intimate refuge for Hong Kong oenophiles, La Cabane specializes in natural, organic, and low-intervention wines. French and New World wines are on offer, and can be paired with French-influenced fare like steak frites, beef tartare, and cheese selections.

The leafy setting belies the down-and-dirty vibe at this casual bar with a terrace overlooking the colorful dining strip known locally as "Rat Alley." This refreshingly low-key bar is a little tricky to find: walk through the dining area and up a flight of steps. The place is packed on weekends.

You'll feel like you've stepped into a Parisian wine bar. Le Tambour offers great vintages and excellent casual French fare—all of it at reasonable prices. The atmosphere is laid-back, and French is the language of choice. This place is a guaranteed good time, especially when there's live music.

A lively spot in Kennedy Town, Missy Ho's has made a name for itself as much for the swing hanging from the ceiling and dress-up closet as for its Asian-inspired cocktails. Dark but inviting, it's the kind of place where the bartender will urge you to enjoy tequila shots on a Tuesday night. The crowd tends to be mostly young people looking to party, but all will feel welcome. A sign that Hong Kong's nightlife epicenter is moving ever westward, the bar comes into its own on weekends when it is often full to the brim with revelers.

This sophisticated speakeasy is tucked away on the fourth floor of a commercial building. It specializes in whisky, with a collection that spans 700 bottles from Japan to Scotland, though cocktails meticulously made with hand-cut ice are available, too. A Zen garden that shades the bar from the surrounding buildings makes the place feel like an oasis amid the urban chaos.

A destination for the corporate lunch crowd and stylish tipplers, this plush bar and restaurant in the Landmark Mandarin Oriental appeals to a civilized crowd. You'll pay top dollar for the signature drinks (up to HK$200), but the super-modern interior and live DJ beats make it worthwhile. The ground floor location means the best views will be of the other well-heeled patrons, but that's OK: this is a place to be seen as much as to see. Upstairs, at the back of the room, make a reservation at PDT (Please Don’t Tell)—a speakeasy by way of New York City that's accessed through a faux phone booth. Just dial 1 and emerge into a wood-paneled world of craft cocktails and premium hot dogs.

Come to this boisterous Australian watering hole, named for the continent's notorious bushranger, for an exuberant Dixieland jazz outfit that often leads the crowd in a rowdy sing-along. The band plays from 9:30 pm to 1 am nightly.

This Hemingway-theme cocktail speakeasy takes its name from one of the author’s stories, The Old Man and the Sea. There’s nothing fishy about the superb drinks on offer, which are best savored while sitting along the central bar-table, cleverly inset with a slab of ice to keep them at optimum temperature as you imbibe.

This dark and dingy techno bunker boasts a top-of-the-line sound system and strong drinks. Expect great tech house music and parties that go all night.

As its name suggests, this Wan Chai mainstay occupies a 19th-century heritage building that was once the famous Woo Cheong Pawn Shop. The stylish interior features light woods and an uplifting color palette, while a long balcony overlooks the iconic Hong Kong tramway. Upstairs is the Kitchen restaurant, serving light and refined British cuisine.

Lit up by mood lighting and decorated with plush sofas, Regent Hotel's Qura Bar oozes glam and mystery. It also offers a wide selection of wines and interesting cocktails infused with flavors like wasabi, tomato, feta cheese, and leather. For bar bites, they do more than just fries—try their beef tartare, stuffed chicken wings with chorizo rice, or tuna tacos.

This grungy pool hall turned late-night boozer is good for a game of pool, darts, or beer pong, played to a hip hop soundtrack. 

A nice alternative to the dives of Wan Chai, sophisticated Rio has a plush bar with low-key live music and a dance club complete with a light-up floor. On weekends the party runs until very late.

This contemporary gastropub is run by Young Master, Hong Kong's top craft beer group. What's nice is that you don't just get beers from the brand here—nearly every local brewer is represented in this comfortable space, which has 23 taps kept at specific temperatures. Flavors are fresh and Asian-inspired, from pineapple-infused ales to beers brewed with yuzu peel and sansho peppers. There's a menu of local light bites too, so you don't have to drink on an empty stomach. 

In the heritage building where dinner-and-drinks institution The Pawn used to be, and under the umbrella of the new multiconcept space Sophia Loren Hong Kong, is this opulent 1970s-style cocktail bar. From Wednesday to Sunday, live entertainment performances ranging from jazz acts to drag shows take center stage. The outdoor terrace that faces busy Luard Road is a lovely place to take in the buzz of the streets.

Adjacent to Hong Kong's famous outdoor escalator, this SoHo stalwart relaunched postpandemic as an all-day gastropub, pairing wines, beers, and cocktails with British classics like all-day breakfast and shepherd's pie. As the weekend approaches the place gets crowded, but the upstairs balcony is still the perfect perch from which to people-watch.

Stepping into this unpretentious retro bar feels like you're entering an old Wong Kar-wai movie, with its neon-lit signs, vintage cinema seats for chairs, and dingy-chic, graffiti'd walls. The drinks are just as rich in local character—order the homemade plum wine or the lemongrass martini for something unique. 

Run by a rising bar star who has piloted several other bars to award-winning success, this intimate bar specializes in bespoke Japanese-style cocktails. As you might expect, prices are on the high side, but the tailored tipples—like sakura liqueur paired with fresh Japanese fruit and roasted tea—are just as elevated.

Oenophiles will discover like minds at this vanguard of the city's burgeoning (and very serious) wine scene. Tucked in an alley off Wellington Street, the bar stocks more than 160 wines. About 40 are always available for sampling through an Enomatic wine dispenser, which the sommeliers use to draw from rare wines without uncorking the entire bottle. Head toward the door's blue glow to find the place. Enjoy the spread of fine cheeses and Italian antipasti before the tasting begins.

Also known as Talk of the Town, this restaurant and bar takes up the 34th floor of one of Hong Kong's legendary hotels. Today, it's best known for its Sunday brunch buffet, where live jazz and free-flowing champagne complement daytime views of Victoria harbor. At night, a classic cocktail on the outdoor terrace is one of the area's classier offerings.

Named after the Peruvian painter of pinup girls, this is a colorful, eclectic little spot for a cocktail with its bright walls and 1950s-inspired art. The downstairs bar opens onto the street, while large groups can take over the upstairs lounge.

By midnight the line outside this club is more like a scrimmage. The maze of low-ceilinged basement rooms hosts a young, hip crowd and a genuinely eclectic mix of music ranging from electro-house to hip-hop to rock-and-roll mash-ups. Volar boasts one of Hong Kong's best sound systems and the clout to draw some of the best DJs from overseas.

The Wanch is a pillar of Hong Kong's live-music scene—from up-and-coming local acts to cover bands across music genres from folk to rock, it's supported them all over the years. The vibe is dive bar, but the operation is slick: the drinks and bar snacks are great, service is friendly and efficient, and prices are reasonable. Performances run all week, but the best time to go is on Friday and Saturday, when the place really begins buzzing.

This fashionable space is in keeping with the W Hong Kong's chic and fun aesthetic. Wednesday night you can opt for free-flowing wine and a selection of tasty cheeses. The lychee martinis are excellent.

This sleek rooftop bar, named after the Australian aboriginal word for "young male kangaroo," provides a respite from the Wan Chai crowds. There's a downstairs steak house, but the real draw is the alfresco bar. The breezy terrace and a panoramic view over Happy Valley have made it a favorite.