Terrace Tipples: Drinking in the Great Urban Outdoors
Warm weather is finally swinging around, which means prime time for outdoor drinks. Here are our recommendations on Beijing’s best spots to sip in the breeze.
Bar Blu
The long-time Beijing crowd puller’s biggest draw in summer is its rooftop patio, whose high wooden boundaries create a secluded, back garden atmosphere. Year-round attractions include the downstairs dance floor and drink promotions all through the week.
Daily 6pm-late. 4/F, Tongli Studio, Sanlitun Houjie, Chaoyang District. (6417 4124) 蓝吧, 朝阳区三里屯后街同里4层
Danger Doyle’s
Decorated in the green hues and mahogany of classic sports bars, this China View venue boasts one of the finest roof terraces in the Sanlitun area.
Daily 10.30am-2am. 3/F, Bldg 5, China View, Gongti Donglu, Chaoyang District (6591 3337, VIP Hotline: 136 0139 1308) 朝阳区工体东路中国红楼5号楼三层
Drum and Bell
Lying between the two towers from which it takes its name – this popular Houhai area haunt is a quintessentially Beijing experience. Rooftop terrace affords a leafy view of the neighbouring Bell Tower.
Daily noon-2am. 41 Zhonglouwan Hutong, Dongcheng District. (8403 3600) 鼓钟咖啡馆,东城区钟楼湾胡同41号
Face Bar
Housed in a series of converted 1970s era school buildings, the Beijing branch of this chain of upscale lounges offers an impressive candlelit patio bedecked with the same pan-Asian themed furnishings you’ll find within.
Daily 10am-2am. 26 Dongcaoyuan, Gongti Nanlu, Chaoyang District. (6551 6738) 朝阳区工体南路东草园26号
Kokomo
Kokomo’s rooftop hits peak season in the spring and summer when the revelry goes late into the night. Low walls afford decent views of the surrounding area, but in this Sanlitun hotspot, nobody’s really paying attention to what’s happening elsewhere.
Sun-Thu 5.30pm-2am, Fri-Sat 5.30pm-4am. 4/F Tongli Studios, Sanlitun Houjie, Chaoyang District. (6413 1019) 朝阳区三里屯后街同里4层
Lantung
Aside from serving up spicy Thai tapas and Southeast Asian-style cocktails, Solana’s three-floor bar, lounge and restaurant also boasts a rooftop “moon deck” with a pleasant view of the lake in neighboring Chaoyang Park.
Daily 10.30am-2am. Solana, 6 Chaoyang Gongyuan Lu, Chaoyang District. (5905 6213) 兰棠. 朝阳区朝阳公园路6号蓝色港湾国际商
Luga’s
Though its view of the Sanlitun backstreets is not the most salubrious in town, Luga’s terrace is nevertheless usually full on warm evenings as patrons enjoy fresh tortillas, chips and salsa, burritos, cheap beer and tequila.
Daily 10am-late. Opposite Tongli Studio, Sanlitun Houjie, Chaoyang District. (6416 5154) 朝阳区三里屯后街同里对面
Alba
Wonderfully laid-back rooftop terrace here is the perfect place for a well-made cocktail or a bottle of wine to go with a divine blancmange.
Daily 10am-2am. 70 Gulou Dongdajie, Dongcheng District. (6709 1383) 东城区鼓楼东大街70号
Obiwan
Obiwan's large roof terrace has an unrivalled view of Xihai and its surrounding hutongs. In the afternoon, it serves as a relaxed cafe and bistro, becoming a snazzy, intimate bar by night.
Weekdays 2pm-2am, weekends 1pm-late. 4 Xihai Xiyan (300m from Jishuitan subway station), Xicheng District. (6617 3231) 东城区西海西沿4号
Q Bar
Q Bar is right up there challenging for the title of Beijing’s finest rooftop terrace, with a decent view, large pot plants, great mixed drinks and a new menu of light tapas-style snacks.
Daily 6pm-2am. On the top floor of Eastern Inn Hotel, 100m south of Beer Mania, Sanlitun Nanlu, Chaoyang District. (6595 9239) 朝阳区三里屯南路麦霓啤酒吧南100米
The Saddle Cantina
Along with its Mexican food, pool tables on the patio and fifty-foot glass retractable sunroof, the Saddle Cantina has one of Beijing’s liveliest terraces. Head along for a night of margaritas, tacos and microbrewed beer.
Daily 6pm-late. West Wing, Nali Patio, 81 Sanlitun Beilu (south of 3.3 Shopping Center), Chaoyang District. (5208 6005) 朝阳区三里屯北路81号北京那里花园内西侧二层小楼
The World of Suzie Wong Club
The perennially popular nightclub has a rooftop bar that offers a respite from the hormone-bathed dance floor below. Stretching out on the terrace’s deckchairs on a summer evening with a cocktail and chatting with a close friend or acquaintance – it can be downright civilized.
Daily 8.30pm-late. 1A Nongzhanguan Lu (west gate of Chaoyang Park), Chaoyang District. (6500 3377) 苏西黄, 朝阳区农展馆路甲1号朝阳公园西门
Xiu
Perched on the sixth floor rooftop of an annex of The Park Hyatt, Xiu’s terrace views of the CBD skyline are a dynamic backdrop to an evening of fun. Signature cocktails cost RMB 70 but are of a quality expected at the price. The terrace is the draw, but food and a live band keep the party nourished.
Mon-Fri 11.30am-2.30pm, 6pm-late, Sat-Sun 6pm-late. Park Hyatt (use the entrance across from the hotel lobby), 2 Jianguomenwai Dajie, Chaoyang District. (5867 1108) 秀，朝阳区朝阳区建国门外大街2号
Yin Bar
The Emperor Hotel’s upscale Yin Bar offers a striking view of the rooftops of the Forbidden City. If the view isn’t enough, you can enjoy it while soaking in the jacuzzi.
Daily 11am-midnight. Roof of the Emperor Hotel, 33 Qihelou Lu, Dongcheng District. (6523 8677) 东城区骑河楼33号（皇家驿栈顶层
