In the daylight, Qianmen is an area that keeps the most traditional essence in Beijing; as the night falls, it turns into a place for secret fun. You don’t see people partying in Qianmen’s bars like those in Sanlitun, but more often you’ll see groups of friends enjoying each other’s company.
If you have a high expectations for the perfect drink, No.2 Yanjia won’t let you down. It’s a pub where you can enjoy the tranquil hutong ambience, the top-quality cocktails and thoughtful service at the same time. They don’t have a regular drink list, so you can ask the bartenders to fix you a special cocktail according to your preferences.
The Heping Pub is a combination of tradition and modernity: On the one hand, it is a conventional Beijing pub that features meat and vegetable skewers as snacks; on the other, the beers it provides are all home-brewed, unlike the skewer bars which usually sell ready-made beers from the big Chinese brands like Yanjing and Qingdao. Nice place for a group of friends to shoot the breeze.
The bar is located on Meishi Street, on the fringe of the Bada Hutong area which used to be the famous red light district in Beijing. The small bar has dim lighting and not very loud background music, which makes it a perfect place for a small group of friends to chill out.
The bar on the Dashilar West Street is favored by expats in Beijing. While you might need to go to other bars in the neighborhood with a loaded stomach, you don’t have to eat before going to this one because it is said to have very authentic Italian and American food.
The high-end bar inside the Capital Hotel has a shady atmosphere that can remind you of the declining aristocrats in the 1940s China. It hosts piano concerts from time to time, perfect for those who want to drink some wine while listening to live piano performance.
The bar is not big, but you can tell how intense the owner’s love for the bar is from the roomful of accessories. The bar’s owner is a talkative Beijing local with a strong sense of humor, so you would have a much better experience drinking here if you can understand some Mandarin. If you are lucky, you may even get to try the beer brewed by the owner himself.