The winners of Time Out Beijing's Bar and Club Awards 2017

The best of Beijing's nightlife as picked by Time Out editors and you

Drinking in Beijing is a serious business, and here at Time Out Beijing we care about getting it right. Over the past couple of months, the Time Out team have had the arduous task of sniffing down the best drinking and dancing establishments in Beijing, with the help of you, the readers.

This year was the first time we collaborated with our friends at the Chinese-language edition of Time Out, bringing you even more choices of unmissable places to satisfy your nocturnal desires.

Each category has a winner, a merit award and a coveted Readers' Choice award. Read on to discover the best bars and clubs of 2017.

Live Music Venue

Winner: School Live Bar

School Live Bar has a jam-packed roster of rock, punk and indie outfits pretty much all year round, and is a showcase for innumerable talented local artists. For that, we salute it.

Merit: Temple

Readers' Choice: Dusk Dawn Club

Jazz Venue

Winner: Blue Note

Since opening last year, Blue Note has hosted world-class musicians, including Grammy-winning Chick Corea and Kamasi Washington, a Kendrick Lamar collaborator.

Merit: Good Bait

Readers' Choice: Blue Note

Sports Bar

Winner: Paddy O'Shea's

Paddy's is a reliably raucous and raucously reliable spot to watch the game on numerous screens around the bar, or just enjoy a reasonably-priced pint with friends.

Merit: V Sports

Readers' Choice: V Sports

Hutong Bar

Winner: The Tiki Bungalow

Our favourite tiki bar fought back against the bricks this year, but that's not why we awarded them the title of Beijing's best hutong bar. Rather, the crackin' drinks, theme and atmosphere made it a slam dunk for our Polynesian pals.

Merit: 4Corners

Readers' Choice: Ron Mexico

Microbrewery

Winner: Great Leap Brewing #45

Great Leap is an OG of the Beijing brewing scene, and is still the one to beat. This year, no one did as the Liangmaqiao location still reigns supreme on craft beer offerings, food and community-focused atmosphere.

Merit: Jing A Brewing Taproom

Readers' Choice: Slow Boat Sanlitun Brewpub

Watering Hole

Winner: Buona Bocca

Decent wine bars are thin on the ground in Beijing, so we're blessed to have establishments like Buona Bocca that offer brilliant vinos at brilliant prices.

Merit: Bistro 3

Readers' Choice: Buona Bocca

Japanese Bar

Winner: Old Fashioned

Merit: 燕家二号

Readers' Choice: Mokihi

Specialist Spirit

Winner: Bubble

There's not a milk tea in sight at Bubble, just shelves upon shelves of a formidable whiskey collection.

Merit: Tao House

Readers' Choice: 赋格-木

Hotel Bar

Winner: Atmosphere

Atmosphere isn't just any swish hotel bar, it's one that's 80 floors above ground level, and has sky high vibes to boot.

Merit: O'Bar

Readers' Choice: Centro

Hotel Lounge

Winner: Jing (Peninsula Hotel)

Few hotels in Beijing can match the style and elegance of Jing at The Peninsula.

Merit: Yin on 12 (New World Hotel)

Readers' Choice: China Bar (Park Hyatt)

Cocktail Bar

Winner: Botany

Botany's cocktails are unparalleled in Beijing – creative, innovative, stylish and delicious. The cosy apartment block setting only adds to the quirky cool of this trailblazer.

Merit: Infusion Room

Readers' Choice: Red Dog

LGBT Night

Winner: Fridays/Saturdays at Destination

This stalwart of the LGBT community in Beijing continues to be one of the best nights out in town.

Merit: GLAM

Readers' Choice: Fridays/Saturdays at Destination

Newcomer of the Year

Winner: The Black Moth

The Black Moth is a sultry cocktail bar that's worth diverting plans for, and a very welcome addition to the Sanlitun scene.

Merit: Press Release

Readers' Choice: Red Dog

Mainstream Club

Winner: Sir Teen

Sir Teen is the Gongti megaclub to rule them all, attracting revellers and DJs from around the world.

Merit: Elements

Readers' Choice: Sir Teen

Alternative Club

Winner: Dada

Electronic, techno, house and other alternative genres all find their homes at Dada, the coolest nightclub in Beijing.

Merit: Lantern

Readers' Choice: Lantern

Bartender

Winner: Frankie (Botany)

Frankie's inventions are inspiring and irreverent; with one of the friendliest manners in town to boot, don't leave Beijing without meeting this man at Botany.

Merit: Paul Hsu (Infusion Room)

Readers' Choice: Vivian Bie (Long Bar)

Bar of the Year

Winner: Botany

With the best cocktail bar and best bartender awards in the bag, it's no surprise that Botany is our bar of the year in Beijing. The cocktails are as stimulating as they are delicious, and we can't resist the not-so-secret residential location.

Merit: Mei Bar

Readers' Choice: Botany

For full details on all the winners, hit '阅读原文'.

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