20 Bars That Should Be on Your Beijing Drinking Itinerary

Beijing’s bar scene has exploded over the past decade, with something to satisfy everything from sophisticated oenophiles to obsessive hopheads. However, with new bars opening every week it can be hard to keep pace with where to go to get a decent drink. To help you out, the Beijinger has put together a list of the bars we consider essential stops on any visitor's Beijing itinerary, whether you are looking for a big night out or a quiet tipple with friends.

Bars are grouped by area and each is marked with the type of drinks they serve, along with a rough indicator on how much a night out there (based on two drinks per person) will set you back. 

Price guide
$ less than RMB 100 per head
$$ RMB 100-200 per head
$$$ RMB 250+ per head

SANLITUN

Infusion Room 
At first glance, Infusion Room looks like any other posh speakeasy, but in fact they serve some of Beijing’s most delicious and inventive cocktails. Priced from RMB 110, the cocktails include inventive flavors such as oolong tea and kombu. They frequently host internationally-renowned bartenders.

$$$ // Cocktails

Daily 8pm-2am. Above D Lounge, Courtyard 4, Gongti Beilu, Chaoyang District (6415 9837)
朝阳区工体北路4号院D Lounge 2层

Janes and Hooch 
Beijing is bursting at the seams with cocktail bars these days, particularly in the Sanlitun area, but there’s a reason why old favorite Janes and Hooch has endured despite the increased competition – it serves consistently well-mixed classic cocktails in a very stylish setting. Be sure to book in advance if you want to snag one of the booths on the second floor. 

$$ // Cocktails

Daily 6pm-2am. Courtyard 4, Gongti Beilu, Chaoyang District (6415 9837) 
朝阳区工体北路4号院

Jing-A Taproom
Another of Beijing’s perennially popular craft breweries, Jing-A serve a strong selection of beers, including frequent and inventive seasonal specials, from their minimalist, brick-and-open-pipe-work space. Soak up all that beer with snacks dishes like sliders and grilled cheese sandwiches from their food menu. 

$ // Craft beer

Mon-Wed 5pm-midnight, Thu 4pm-midnight, Fri 4pm-2am, Sat 11am-2am, Sun 11am-midnight. 1949 The Hidden City, Courtyard 4, Gongti Beilu, Chaoyang District (6501 8883)
朝阳区工体北路4号院

La Social 
Secreted away behind popular restaurant Mosto, La Social is a South American bar serving potent cocktails and hefty arepas (maize sandwiches with tasty fillings such as braised beef and avocado). The vibe here is great any night if the week, with a danceable soundtrack (not that there’s much space for dancing) and a friendly crowd. 

$ // Cocktails

Tue-Thu, Sun 5.30pm-midnight, Fri-Sat 5.30pm-2am. 3/F, Nali Patio, Sanlitun Lu, Chaoyang District (5208 6030)
朝阳区三里屯路那里花园3层

The Local 
The Local serves up cocktails and American pub grub in a casual atmosphere with a good selection of imported draft, local craft brews, and bourbon. A spacious venue, The Local is great for hosting events, watching live sports or playing a game of pool. They also serve a mean burger (try the avocado dry-rub) and some of Beijing’s best buffalo wings.

$ // Cocktails, Craft beer, Wine

Daily 11am-2pm. Courtyard 4, Gongti Beilu, Chaoyang District (6591 9525)
朝阳区工体北路4号院

Migas 
One of the best-known bars in Beijing, and certainly the most beloved rooftop bar, Migas has excellent views over the Sanlitun area. This is where you’ll find Beijing’s most beautiful crowd sipping cocktails and sangria, and dancing along to international DJs. Be sure to book in advance if you want a table. 

$$ // Cocktails, Wine

Daily 6pm-late. 6/F, Nali Patio, Sanlitun Lu, Chaoyang District (5208 6061)
朝阳区三里屯路那里花园6层

Paddy O’Shea’s 
Paddy O’Shea’s caters to all things Irish. With the best poured Guinness in town and an afternoon long happy hour, you can easily get trapped into what may be the first genuine Irish pub to hit Beijing. Paddy’s is also Beijing’s finest sports bar, showing pretty much every sport you can imagine. Free quiz nights every Wednesday from 8pm, with well-sponsored prizes.

$ // Beer, Mixed drinks

Daily 11.30am-late. 28 Dongzhimen Waidajie, Chaoyang District (6415 6389)
朝阳区东直门外大街28号

Red Dog 
Bold and colorful cocktail bar in the basement of the otherwise fairly nondescript Sanlitun Soho complex. The cocktails (around RMB 80) are thoughtfully designed and pack a serious punch. The signature Red Dog cocktail includes ruby port, Armagnac, cherry brandy, Cointreau, lemon, and Tabasco. 

$$ // Cocktails, Wine

Daily 6pm-2am. B1-538, Bldg 5, Sanlitun Soho (go to the basement floor and walk all the way to the southeast corner), Chaoyang District 
朝阳区三里屯Soho 5号楼B1-538

Slow Boat Sanlitun Brewpub 
Following the closure of their original taproom location, Slow Boat's south of Sanlitun Brewpub is now is the bar's remaining location. That's no concern though as this huge three-storey space has ample room to fit the hordes of beer fans who come to sup a pint of one of their frequently-changing beers. There is also an extensive food menu, including burgers that have netted them back-to-back wins of the Beijinger’s Burger Cup competition. 

$ // Craft beer

Mon-Fri 11am-midnight, Sat-Sun 11am-1am. 6 Nan Sanlitun Lu, Chaoyang District (6592 5388)
朝阳区南三里屯路6号

JIANGUOMEN/CBD

Mei 
Set in top hotel Rosewood Beijing, Mei has pretty much everything you want from a hotel bar, with a wide-ranging menu of cocktails, wines, and beers and an excellent house band. That being said, it feels much cooler than your average hotel bar and attracts a sleek crowd, especially on the weekend. There is also a sizable terrace. 

$$$ // Cocktails, Wine

Mon-Wed 6pm-2am, Thu-Sat 6pm-3am, Sun 5pm-midnight. 5/F, Rosewood Beijing, Jingguang Center, Hujialou, Chaoyang District (6536 0083)
朝阳区呼家楼京广中心北京瑰丽酒店5层

Centro 
Centro was the first in Beijing to make the hotel bar “cool” again (it is located in the Kerry hotel) and over a decade later that is very much still true. Centro is perhaps best known for being open 24 hours a day, seven days a week and for their daily happy hour (5-9pm), with buy-one-get-one-free deals on cocktails, beer, and wine by the glass. There is also a decent house band. 

$$ // Cocktails, Wine

Daily 24hrs. 1/F, Kerry Hotel, 1 Guanghua Lu, Chaoyang District (6561 8833)
朝阳区光华路1号北京嘉里大酒店1层

FORBIDDEN CITY/JINGSHAN PARK

C2H60 
With over 700 imported beers being displayed including 300 beers in the fridge, C2H6O has the ambition to make itself as a beer museum. Just check the beer wall, on which the beers are separated into 18 different categories, as well as Chinese, beers for friends and C2H6O collection. Just down the road from TRB Hutong.

$$ / Craft beer

Sun-Thu 6pm-12.30am, Fri-Sat 6pm-2am. 3 Shatan Beijie, Dongcheng District
东城区沙滩北街3号

DONGSI/BEIXINQIAO/LAMA TEMPLE 

Capital Spirits 
This cozy hutong bar is dedicated to China’s most famous alcoholic export: baijiu. You can order tasting flights of this oft-misunderstood spirit, as well as baijiu-based cocktails. The knowledgeable owner and staff will be happy to offer tasting notes. There are also local craft beers and other spirits for the baijiu averse. 

$$ // Baijiu, Cocktails

Tue-Sun 8pm-12.30am. 3 Daju Hutong, Dongcheng District (138 1108 9547)
东城区大菊胡同3号

The Distillery
The Distillery by Capital Spirits is Beijing’s first bar and craft distillery. With its new custom built state of the art 100L copper fitted column still distiller, The Distillery is creating small batches of house distilled spirits such as London Dry style gins, vodkas, fruit based schnapps, and rum. You can try tasters of their efforts or enjoy them in cocktails such as martinis. 

$$ // Gin, Cocktails

Mon-Sat 8pm-12.30am. 23 Xinsi Hutong, Dongcheng District
东城区辛寺胡同23号

GULOU/NANLUOGUXIANG 

4Corners 
We wondered whether to include 4Corners in our “best restaurants” piece instead of this one about bars since chef/owner Jun Trinh serves up some excellent, Southeast Asian influenced food, but in the end, we decided that this venue really comes into its own as a bar. With pretty much daily events, including quiz night, open mic night, and games night, you’ll always find a good crowd sipping on reasonably priced cocktails and beers. 

$ // Cocktails, Wine, Beer

Tue-Thu 4pm-1am, Fri-Sun 12pm-3am. 27 Dashibei Hutong, Xicheng District
西城区大石碑胡同27号

8-Bit 
8-Bit is Beijing’s primo video game bar. The walls of the space on Beiluogu Xiang are lined with Nintendo, Sega, and Playstation consoles, with plenty of games to go along with them. The third floor has a rooftop terrace with views of the surrounding hutongs. Drinks are reasonably priced, including a selection of local craft beers on tap and cocktails at around RMB 50 each.  

$ // Cocktails, Beer

Tue-Sun 6pm-2am. 13 Beiluogu Xiang, Dongcheng District (134 8878 3848)
东城区北锣鼓巷13号

Great Leap Brewing #6 
The original location of local craft brewing titans Great Leap is set in a converted siheyuan, with a large courtyard for alfresco drinking in the summer months. They serve a rotating selection of their own brewed ales, pale ales, stouts, and more. Try the popular Honey Ma Gold. There are two other branches near Sanlitun; check the link above for details.

$ // Craft beer

Sun-Thu 2-11pm, Fri-Sat 2pm-midnight. 6 Doujiao Hutong, Dongcheng District (5717 1399)
东城区豆角胡同6号

Mao Mao Chong 
One of Beijing’s original crop of artisanal cocktail bars, Mao Mao Chong has been serving up great value cocktails from their tiny hutong space for years. The cocktails themselves are inventive, making frequent use of house-infusions and Southeast Asian flavors. They also serve decent pizzas. 

$$ // Cocktails

Daily 6pm-2am. 12 Banchang Hutong, Dongcheng District (6405 5718)
东城区板厂胡同12号

Ron Mexico
This friendly local has a loyal following among Beijing's Gulou crowd and it's easy to see why given the helpful staff, no-frills but cheap cocktail and beer selection, and generous portions of Tex-Mex staples. Be warned though, nights here have a tendency to go well into the early hours.

$ // Mixed drinks, Beer

Daily 11am-2am. 113-02 Jiaodaokou Dongdajie, Dongcheng District 
东城区交道口东大街113-02

LIDO

Xian 
Another of Beijing’s growing crop of excellent hotel bars, Xian manages to be a whiskey bar, a live music venue, and a pizza place, all under one roof. The bar stretches over a series of well-designed lounges, including private spaces, and there is a large terrace outside. 

$$ // Whiskey, Cocktails 

Daily 5pm-2am. 1/F, EAST Beijing, 22 Jiuxianqiao Lu, Chaoyang District (8414 9810)
朝阳区酒仙桥路22号北京东隅酒店1层

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Photos courtesy of the venues, the Beijinger