186 Best Bars in China

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.

Formerly owned and operated by two foreign gentlemen, Fubar still retains that real tavern feel complete with imported beer, pool tables and authentic pub grub. The pizza is especially noteworthy, as are the fish-and-chips. This is the best place in Ürümqi to relax and watch some international sports matches after a tiring day exploring the city.

This hideaway lounge inside the Legend Palace evokes the glamour of Monte Carlo. A sleek mahogany bar, checkerboard floors, and vintage photos give the bar an air of timelessness, while light green leather booths add a cozy touch. Most come for the collection of Japanese whiskey and Scotch, including the hotel’s own blend, distilled at Ardmore in the Scottish Highlands and released in limited batches each year, but the cocktail program shakes things up. Using high-tech kitchen gadgetry, the bar team creates unique redistillations, infusions, and clarified drinks that showcase Chinese flavors, from Sichuan pepper to bitter melon and guava.

If you're looking for a quiet spot near the Barkhor to enjoy a drink or a cup of tea after a long day, try Ganglamedo, across from the Yak Hotel. The bar stocks a wide range of liquors.

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.

Refurbished in mid-2014, this bar offers occasional live music, a well-stocked bar, and a friendly owner. Guinness is available in bottles, but not on tap—yet. It's the only bar in Guilin worth visiting.

Crowded at all hours with locals of all ages crooning pop favorites, the popular Haoledi chain has branches virtually everywhere. A few of the outlets in downtown are on the sixth floor of New World Mall at 479 Nanjing Dong Lu, near People's Square, and on the seventh floor of mall Metro City, at 1111 Zhaojiabang Lu in Xujiahui.

If you're looking for a low-key atmosphere and outdoor seating, head to The Happy Monk. On the drinks menu, you'll find a mix of fruity cocktails and a decent wine selection, as well as the likes of Guinness and Stella Artois on tap. The basic pub grub here isn't going to blow your mind, but the friendly ambience, tucked-away location and funky copper-and-wood interiors make it a popular choice among locals and expats.

A brightly lit oasis on Lockhart Road, Hay Hay is best known for its Hong Kong–style noodles and rice plates. The char siu hor fun (barbecue pork noodles in soup) is a popular late-night dish. Pay the cashier on your way out.

Several music sets nightly and loads of ambience—dark-wood paneling, low-lighting, memorabilia from 1930s Shanghai—make the House of Blues and Jazz a must visit.

This tiny bar is the place to go if you're a discerning whiskey drinker—there are hundreds of varieties on offer. The dimly lit interior, minimalist decor, and hushed conversation give it an air of exclusivity—it's worthy of James Bond. Drinks are taken very seriously here, and it shows in both the quality of the alcohol and the professionalism with which it's mixed by the Japanese-led bar staff. The entrance is via stairs at the south wall of the Chaoyang Theatre.

This swanky spot in the newer tower of the Pudong Shangri-La offers decent cocktails, but it's the excellent design and equally excellent views (when Shanghai's fog and pollution levels cooperate) that make it popular with locals. You may still feel like you're in a hotel bar, but you'll have a stiff drink and some amazing city vistas.

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.

At the king of Shanghai's jazz offerings, house bands and stellar guest performers mix it up nightly. Look for plush seating and drink prices to match. JZ Club is also the organizer of JZ Festival, which they claim is Asia's largest jazz fest. It takes place in the fall and outdoors along the Huangpu River.

Tucked away in an alley off busy Renmin Lu, this is a café by day that gets a bit more lively at night, when the bottles come out. There's a standard selection of drinks, completed with the obligatory Belgian ales. This is an excellent place if you are after a quiet spot.

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.

The gentrified ancient alleys of the Qing Dynasty is now a walking street packed with restaurants, bars, shops, and one of the city's many Starbucks outlets—all built in a traditional Chinese style. It is popular among tourists and locals alike. Chengdu has an increasingly chic and sophisticated bar scene, with more Western-style establishments serving high-quality beer, wine, and mixed drinks. Although the priciest drinks in the city, it is all set in a beautiful setting.

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.

This is one of Shanghai's gems, a sweet, simple dance hall where local men can come three nights a week and dance to tender Chinese pop songs from an earlier time. Songs are played by a band, which sometimes dresses in drag, as does one of the owners. There are a number of regulars, and strangers aren't shy about asking for a dance, but it's all quite chaste. Foreigners are most welcome and treated no differently than locals. In general, photos are not allowed.

This enormous brewpub has servers garbed in Bavarian dirndls, a jarringly French name, and a self-described "American style." Occupying the entire fourth floor of a high-rise building, it's the local outpost of a popular Taiwanese chain. Three types of craft beer are brewed on the premises, and the menu includes sticky barbecue pork ribs, fried chicken, and truffle fries in portions meant for sharing. The Munich-inspired bierkeller interior can seat a staggering 900 people at its long tables.

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.

It doesn't get much classier than the low-lit surrounds, rare whiskeys, crystal glassware, cigars and private booths at The Loft in the Mandarin Oriental. The extensive and informative whiskey list is impressive, as is the service staff's encyclopedic knowledge of each pour. The food is a draw too, with talked-about wagyu beef tataki, chocolate wontons, and big, fat burgers.

For one of the private booths, be sure to make a reservation.

The go-to hangout in the university district of Wudaokou, Lush is a home-away-from-home for many a homesick exchange student. With weekly pub quizzes, open-mike nights, and large, strong drinks, Lush is an excellent place to start the night for those in this part of town.

Two-parts club, one part bar, M1NT is one of the few places in Shanghai with a strict door policy. The club is on the 24th floor of an office tower situated on a quiet side street just behind the Bund. There's no set dress code, but men should not wear shorts. Although bottle service is popular, plenty of revelers stick to buying drinks and shots from the bar, whose lines can be three deep. The shark tank is partiers' favorite photo backdrop.

The original and most popular location of the Muse chain offers a Chinese-style megaclub experience, with theme parties and a musical line-up that includes hip-hop, house, and electro. Loud and crowded, M2 is where people end up after hitting a few other drinking establishments. All the branches are popular with young locals who order bottle service and stay until the sun comes up.