5 Underrated Places to Grab a Drink
Once you’ve lived in Shanghai for a bit, it can be pretty easy to fall in to a drinking rut, where you visit the same places over and over and rarely venture away from the trappings of Donghu Lu etc. We rounded up a few great spots that deserve a little more appreciation than they get for being truly excellent places to grab a drink.
Funky Monkey
Source: Dianping user 吃嘛嘛香的白煮蛋
Address: 588 Hefei Lu
Opening hours: 6pm-2am, Tuesday-Sunday
Funky Money is a seriously underrated bar. Tucked away on Hefei Lu, you would probably stroll right past it if you weren’t looking for it. This is the perfect bar for a G&T as they stock over 90 different types of gin. They bartenders are super knowledgeable and will even stroll hand in hand with you on your journey through gin town.
Captain Hostel
Address: 6F, 37 Fuzhou Lu
Opening hours: 5pm-1am, Daily
If you want the ‘Bund view’ without the Bund prices then Captain Hostel is the spot for you. Whilst the cleanliness of the bunk beds may be questionable, the bar on the roof is excellent. They make an array of cocktails and serve basic beers, spirits and wines. It a bund adjacent hidden gem.
Mokkos
Address: 348 Yanping Lu, 1245 West Wuding Lu
Opening hours: 7pm-2am, Monday, Wednesday-Monday
Mokkos has to be one of the coolest bars in Shanghai and frequented by the most hipster of all Shanghai hipsters. It’s a Japanese Shochu bar that has no menu, plays reggae and is open to the wee hours. This is one of my top picks for Shanghai’s coolest bars.
Meng Café
Source: Dianping user 原味夏天
Address: 115 Wuyuan Lu
Opening hours: 2pm-10pm, Daily
Meng Café is a great little gem on Wuyuan Lu. Café by day and boozey café by night. They throw weekly movie nights and it's generally a comfy and quiet place to hang out. They serve a small collection of wines and beers but it’s pretty low key and chilled. A great spot for a casual hang out mid week.
Jackie’s
Address: 76 Zhaozhou Lu
Opening hours: 5pm-10pm, Daily
Good old Jackie’s Beer Nest. This spot sometimes gets a badrap for a few reasons: it’s small, it doesn’t stay open that late, and it’s abit off the beaten path when it comes to nightlife hot spots. BUT, Jackie’sneighborhood vibe and high quality selection of draft beers make this place agem in every sense of the word, and a perfect place to go get a few drinks withfriends.
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