New Bar ALERT: The Captain Bar Gets a Makeover

In Treasure Island Robert Louis Stevenson wrote, “Dead men don’t bite,” referring to what the pirates will do after they mutiny. We were invited to The Captain bar to see if there has been all out mutiny. Yo-ho-ho, and a bottle of rum!

The original bar was known as somewhat of a hidden gem and the new incarnation is no different; the gem has been cleaned with a delicate cloth and is beautiful and shiny, but still has its hidden quality as it’s transferred to a speakeasy, even if it is bigger and lighter than a traditional speakeasy.

The entrance is still through the Captain Hostel, you take the lift up to the fifth floor and then walk the last flight of stairs to the sixth floor. The bar is on your left as you enter, and is run by Geo Valdivieso, who is also a partner in the new venture. He previously worked at UNICO as bar manager and head mixologist.

The ship theme is still in place with the bow of a ship extending onto the terrace, which has arguably the best view of the modern Pudong skyline anywhere along the Bund. The outdoor terrace has been really well renovated, taking the bar away from the shabby hostel vibe to an upmarket Bund side bar. There’s also a mural by artist Kathryn Robbins, a huge octopus coming out of the sea playing on the whole seafaring theme.

Inside the roof slants from the starboard to the port side giving a sense that you’re in the hull of a ship. The roof has glass windows so even in winter it’ll be light and open. The wall is all glass and wood and there’s even outside space on the port side, giving a sense that you’re actually on a ship.

The old bar always pulled in tourists and the new spot is sure to do the same; even though they've upgraded they retained the same reasonable prices, certainly for a Bund side venue. There’s The Captain’s own lager and Tennent’s lager on draft and rum from RMB60. Appertives are also RMB60 with lots of single malts in the higher price range. They also do kegs of cocktails, which come in a keg that looks like a ship piston, for RMB400.

We tried a couple of the signature cocktails:

8 Cartas (RMB100)

Bacardi 8, red apple syrup, Antica Formula, orange & angostura bitters, smoked in wood.

This drink has a soft bitter flavor, and is beautifully balanced with a lovely aromatic fragrance. It goes well with a Havana cigar.

Abby Abbie (RMB100)

Grey Goose vodka, cream, passion fruit Syrup, fresh orange juice.

Very much a drink for the ladies our photographer finished this in no time! It’s a very balanced mix of the cream and sweet passion fruit. It’s like a delicate milkshake.

They tell us the vibe is after work and preparty. M1NT is around the corner as is the House of Blues & Jazz. By all accounts the musicians often come for a few drinks in between sets.

If you’re visiting Shanghai on a budget the hostel is a great place to stay, as it’s central, and is a reasonable price. All the staff has a good enough level to talk with tourists to tell them about spots around the Bund and explain the food and drinks on the menu. This sounds simple, but is important for The Captain as it will always attract tourists and this is an extra level of service that really tops this place off.

The food is certainly an upgrade from what they had previously. Chef Jair Gudino Chavez, formerly of 1515 WEST Chophouse and currently at LAGO by Bellagio Shanghai by MGM has given the menu a real Bund lift adding some solid mains to the bar snacks on offer. When we went they let us try four dishes from the a la carte menu:

Roasted tomato soup (RMB48)

Made with a balsamic reduction, marinated tomatoes and dill. It comes with a little soft cheese to enrich the flavor.

It was simple, but delicious and perfectly done. We added a little of the homemade Captain’s Tabasco, which has squid ink added to it giving it a dark color.

Vegetarian Pizza (RMB88)

The old place did pizza so we got one here. It’s made with arugula, tomato, mushroom, and sweet pepper.

It was delicious, and again a great price for the Bund. You can’t go wrong.

The Mermaid’s Fish (RMB198)

It’s made with farmed salmon fillet, creamed corn, and fennel slaw. The salmon comes from Australia and is actually a cross breed between salmon and snapper fish farmed in a small village.

This was beautifully cooked, it’s soft in the middle with a nice crusted skin. Served an a bed of sweet corn this was a real treat and a world away from hostel bar snacks. This type of dish will get the upmarket folks down here.

The Captain’s Steak (RMB328)

300g of prime Angus sirloin, chimichurri, and chive mashed potatoes.

A deliciously succulent soft meat, perfectly cooked with flavorsome mashed potato. Again, well in place on the Bund with a price that’s fair all things considered.

This spot is going to do well. They are still in soft opening, so the opening hours are 6pm to 2am (the kitchen is open until 11:30pm), although we’ve heard things are often still rocking until around 230am at least.

It covers lots of bases, but does it really well. It cleverly has lots of small little features that are really cool; the food menu is rolled up in a bottle and could be seen washed up on the beach; the little touch with the homemade Tabasco; the cocktails served in the kegs that look like a ship piston; the nicotine free shisha. All this adds together to make The Captain bar really cool.

It was always a kind of popular spot, but it will now attract a rather more fancy crowd, but still retains its chill vibe; you don’t necessarily feel like you’re on the Bund unless you look out the window. Some spots on the Bund you have a feeling that you should ‘look the part’, but The Captain breaks this mold.

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