Bar

1. Atmosphere

Sky-high cocktail bar$$$$CBD, Chaoyang

A cocktail bar on the 80th floor of the China World Summit Wing in the CBD, billed as Beijing's highest, with city views, live acts and DJs.

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Bar

2. Speak Low

Speakeasy cocktail bar$$$Former French Concession, Huangpu

Shingo Gokan's three-floor speakeasy, opened in 2014 behind a fake bookcase in a bar-equipment shop on Middle Fuxing Road.

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Bar

3. MO Bar (Mandarin Oriental Wangfujing)

Hotel cocktail bar and terrace$$$$Wangfujing, Dongcheng

The cocktail bar and late-night lounge of Mandarin Oriental Wangfujing, with an outdoor terrace looking over the roofs of the Forbidden City.

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Bar

4. Pony Up

Cocktail bar$$$Former French Concession, Huangpu

A neighbourhood cocktail bar on Jinxian Road, ranked No. 19 in Asia's 50 Best Bars 2026, with a daytime front bar and a playful evening menu.

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Bar

5. Blue Note Beijing

Jazz club$$$Qianmen, Dongcheng

The Beijing branch of New York's Blue Note jazz club, opened in 2016 underground at 23 Qianmen East Street, with live jazz most nights and French dining.

View details — Blue Note Beijing

Bar

6. The Jazz Bar at the Fairmont Peace Hotel

Live jazz bar$$$$The Bund

The Peace Hotel's ground-floor bar on the Bund, where the veteran Old Jazz Band plays classic tunes every night in the former Cathay Hotel.

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Bar

7. East Shore Live Jazz Café

Live jazz bar$$Houhai, Xicheng

An intimate live jazz bar by Houhai Lake, opened in 2006 by saxophonist Liu Yuan as a home for Beijing's jazz musicians and jam sessions.

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Bar

8. Sober Company

Cocktail bar and izakaya$$$Fuxing Park, Huangpu

Shingo Gokan's multi-concept bar by Fuxing Park, with low-alcohol drinks and sushi downstairs and the lively Tipsy cocktail bar upstairs.

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Bar

9. Great Leap Brewing (Original, Doujiao Hutong)

Craft beer bar in a courtyard house$$Nanluoguxiang, Dongcheng

The original brewpub of Great Leap Brewing, opened in 2010 in a renovated courtyard house near Nanluoguxiang and known for beers made with Chinese ingredients.

View details — Great Leap Brewing (Original, Doujiao Hutong)

Bar

10. Long Bar at the Waldorf Astoria

Historic hotel bar$$$$The Bund

The bar of the former Shanghai Club at No. 2 on the Bund, named after the club's L-shaped mahogany Long Bar, once said to be the world's longest.

View details — Long Bar at the Waldorf Astoria

Bar

11. Barules

Cocktail bar$$$Jing'an

Sam Kuan's cocktail bar on Tongren Road, reborn after the original 2014 speakeasy closed, known for made-to-order drinks and Dick Bradsell classics.

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Bar

12. Jing-A Taproom Longfusi

Craft beer taproom$$Longfusi, Dongcheng

A large Jing-A Brewing taproom on Qianliang Hutong with 32 taps, draft cocktails and brick-oven sourdough pizzas in a vintage industrial setting.

View details — Jing-A Taproom Longfusi