Gaga for Dada: Gulou's Newest Nightclub

If Temple Bar’s persona is a nerd, then Dada, the bar that has just opened in the same building, would be a hipster you’d actually want to be friends with. Dada has cultivated the bar and nightclub into a space that looks good without looking like it’s trying. In other words, the hipster’s holy grail.

The room is split in two by the bar, which is painted a splotchy grey reminiscent of artsy water damage. The exposed pipe system in the ceiling and the black, rubber dance floor add to the place’s raw feel. And the stencils of flirty-eyed Taoist gods holding random objects—a wrench, a guitar—that decorate the walls in the barroom are both surreal and tongue-in-cheek about their surrealism. French artist Arthur Gallice is the mastermind behind the art, as well as the bar’s logo itself, which seems related to M.C. Escher’s infinite staircase. The dim lighting throws face-chiseling shadows onto patrons’ faces, leading my drinking partner to comment that Dada, “looks like an opium den.” The hookah pipes (RMB 60 per load-up) might have also added to this feeling.

Though technically only soft-opened—the grand opening is August 18—Dada has already become a draw for the Gulou community. The crowd was more than decent for a Tuesday night, though Dada’s target audience is clear. Almost every guy there had a meticulously groomed full beard; there were at least three ironic hats and one girl with a shaved head. But as performer Disaster Radio whirled around with his electronic keyboard, the dance floor actually served its purpose. These hipsters were laidback enough not only to dance, but to dance with a cigarette in one hand and a full stein of beer in the other. Suddenly the rubber floor makes sense. Dada plans to have live DJs most nights playing anything from reggae to dubstep.

Though the bar serves to divide the lounge from the dance floor, it also serves up some strong drinks. The bartenders look trendy in their black shirts, but have rejected tight skinny jeans for a looser fit, which improves both their efficiency and their mood. They put the “man” in my Manhattan (RMB 40), which was heavy on the whiskey. And my drinking partner's sour shooter (RMB 20) was equally alcoholic, though with a zingy, lemon after-bite. While the drinks menu doesn’t really deviate from the usual selection of beers, cocktails, and shots, there is a must-try Dada original called the “Chinglish,” which somehow manages to make baijiu not only drinkable, but tasty (RMB 35).

While Dada has its puerile moments with the foosball table in the lounge and the Jagerbomb on the menu (RMB 45), it is, despite the grittiness, a mature bar. It’s the hipster who has grown up, gotten over his social anxiety, and mellowed out fashionably. And that’s a bar worth hanging out with.

Sun-Mon 9pm-2am. Fri-Sat 9pm-5am. Rm 101, Bldg B, 206 Gulou Dongdajie, Dongcheng District. 东城区鼓楼东大街206号B座101屋

Photos: Lillian Li