Beijing’s Top 10 : Bars and Pubs – Top 10 Music Bars

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  1. Bed Tapas & Bar

    The perfect Beijing bar – an old courtyard house kitted out with antique furniture, including kang-style beds. Excellent food, plus weekend DJs .




    Bed Tapas & Bar

  2. Centro

    Beijing’s
    classiest bar is off the lobby of one of the city’s swankiest hotels.
    Louche and loungey, it boasts live jazz, sexy waitresses, and the last
    word in cocktails.

    • Kerry Center Hotel, 1 Guanghua Lu

    • 6561 8833 ext. 629

    • Subway: Guomao

  3. Drum & Bell

    A
    terrific location between the Drum and Bell Towers, and an appealing
    mix of aged furniture, Cultural Revolution memorabilia, cheap Tsingtao
    beer, and friendly staff .




    Drum & Bell

  4. No Name Bar

    The
    oldest Hou Hai bar is also the best, with a ramshackle charm that
    defeats the copyists. Heated by wood-burning stoves, or cooled by lake
    breezes, it’s perfect year-round .

  5. Pass By Bar

    Located
    on trendy Nan Luogu Xiang, the Pass By Bar is a well-established
    travelers’ haunt. Two attractive rooms wrap around a pretty courtyard;
    food is a cut above, and there’s a lending library and guidebooks for
    sale.

  6. Red Moon

    Where
    Beijing’s smart set mingles with Executive Class visitors. This is the
    sleek house bar of one of the city’s most high-powered hotels. Dress to
    impress for cocktails, sushi bar, and cigar lounge. Quality, of course,
    comes at a price.

    • Grand Hyatt, 1 Dong Chang’an Jie

    • 8518 1234

    • Subway: Wangfujing

  7. Souk

    Tucked
    behind Annie’s restaurant near the west gate of Chaoyang Park, Souk is
    where the Middle East (in the form of hookahs and Lebanese cuisine)
    meets the Far East. There are the obligatory kang-style beds for lounging and a courtyard for al fresco drinking, as well as weekend DJs.

    • West gate of Chaoyang Park

    • 6506 7309




    Souk

  8. Stone Boat

    While
    it may not be as historically significant as its namesake up at the
    Summer Palace, this Stone Boat does a good latte, it’s a WiFi hotspot
    and, come evening, it serves as a unique, candlelit venue for a quiet
    drink.

    • Ri Tan Park

    • 6501 9986

    • Subway: Yongan Li

  9. The Tree

    A
    huge favorite among the city’s expats, this is a convivial,
    stone-floored pub that marries a fantastic array of beers (40 Belgian
    brews alone) with excellent wood-fired pizzas.

    • 43 Sanlitun Bei Jie

    • 6415 1954

    • Subway: Dong Si Shi Tiao

  10. World of Suzie Wong

    The
    name is from a novel about a prostitute, but this Suzie Wong is wholly
    respectable. It set the mark for the “opium den-style” popular in
    Beijing bar-land and it’s stayed ahead of the pack. The best place to
    meet Beijing’s most beautiful people




    World of Suzie Wong

    • West gate of Chaoyang Park

    • 6500 3877


Top 10 Music Bars

  1. 2 Kolegas Bar

    Live music bar at a drive-in movie theater. Two miles east of the Lufthansa Center.

    • 21 Liang Ma Qiao Lu

    • 8196 4820

  2. 13 Club

    Hardcore venue in the university district of Haidian.

    • 161 Lanqiying

    • 8262 8077

  3. Club Obiwan

    Laid-back clubbing with a great view of Xihai Lake.

    • 328 yards (300 m) south of Jishuitan subway

    • 6617 3231

  4. CD Jazz Café

    Beijing’s only dedicated jazz venue.

    • 16 Dongsanhuan Bei Lu

    • 6506 8288

  5. D22

    Eclectic mix of live music and a dedicated crowd.

    • 242 Chengfu Lu (Haidian)

    • 6265 3177

  6. Mao Live House

    This vast, warehouse-like space with a great stage is backed by a Japanese record label.

    • 111 Gulou Dong Dajie

    • 6402 5080

  7. New Get Lucky

    Nuren Jie bar majoring in Chinese rock, roots, and folk.

    • Xingba Lu

    • 8448 333

  8. The Tree

    The music is incidental to the business of drinking, but the occasional act impresses (see The Tree).

  9. What? Bar

    Terrific little, indie-oriented music bar close by the west gate of the Forbidden City.

    • 72 Bei Chang Jie

    • 139 1020 9249

  10. Yugong Yishan

    The city’s most satisfying music venue, with an eclectic but always laudable booking policy.

    • 1 Gongren Tiyuchang Bei Lu

    • 6415 0687