Shh – we’re uncovering Hong Kong’s hidden away bars

Text Andrew Stone
Photography Gary Mak

Head to lan Kwai Fong or Wan Chai, Hong Kong’s best know nightlife neighbourhoods, on almost any night and you’ll find yourself josting for space amongst throngs of fellow partygoers.

It can all be great fun if you’re in the mood but what to do if you want a cooler, more exclusive experience, away from the pie-eyed, happy-hour drunks? Know where to look or who to ask and you’ll discover a parallel city partying into the wee small hours.

‘Look up’, should be the watchword when seeking out the city’s classier speakeasies. In the old tenement blocks and high rises of Central, Wan Chai, Causeway Bay and Tsim Sha Tsui discreet lounges with terrace views, swank whisky bars and exclusive members only drinking dens beckon.

Known best for its densely packed shopping mall, on street level Causeway Bay (just east of Wan Chai) appears to be a nighlife desert, Twenty or thirty floors up though you’ll find chic, buzzing oases offering karaoke, smart business bars and tiny Japanese snack joints.

Step into the lobbies of the Bartlock Centre on Yiu Wa Street, or Bloom House on Tung Lung Street and you’ll find dozens of little bars and karaoke joints belting out Cantopop classics, frequented by a mainly Cantonese crowd of locals.

The high-rise hotspot of the moment is Continental Diamond Plaza. Explore the options b elevator or simply punch the button for floor 27 for entry to Banker, a chandelier and marble-festooned lounge bar overlooking the Happy Valley district and attracting a cool, affluent crowd. Four floors down you’ll find Home, a chic champagne bar plastered with memorabilia to the famous French fizz.

Want to be sure you’re drinking incognito? Then head to the Executive Bar inside the Bartlock Centre. An exclusive Japanese-run drinking den, it serves an unrivalled selection of whiskies (and bourbons) from around the world served with its trademark ice spheres in huge brandy style ballons.

You must book ahead, which makes it ideal for discrete tête-à-têtes. But be warned; It’s all rather dark, masculine and serious and if you turn up without a reservation you will not be served.

Across the harbour in Kowloon is Where, several floors above hanoi Road, offering some chilled out perspectives from its breezy, bamboo bedecked terrace. White couches, shisha pipes and DJ decks inside complete the pleasingly louche picture.

If you find yourself wanting to escape the heat and hustle of nearby Knutsford Terrace (Kowloon’s mini Lan Kwai Fong) head for Dada Bar + Lounge, THe Dali-inspired bar of the opulently odd Luxe Manor hotel. Not exactly a secret, it is nonetheless a favourite entry in the little black books of a professional crowd of jetsetters and cultured thirtysomething locals who come for its lounge sounds, live jazz and fruity cocktails.

Back across the water in the buzzing streets of Central and Soho, hidden watering holes tend to be few and far between. If you find yourself Soho way, try the stalwart Club 71, a pretension-free zone down a dark alley off Hollywood Road. It’s hard to find and so ideal for those wanting a quiet drink or a bit of friendly banter with its small arty, crowd and laid-back bar staff.

If you fin yourself in the thick of the action in the Fong and need to escape the madness, take a short stroll uphill to Half Past Ten and reward yourself with cocktails on comfy sofas in a classy tucked away spot near the tangle of overpasses and walkways of nearby Caine Road.

If the walk uphill is all a bit too much or seeking out the hidden night spots in Central seems unnecessarily cloak and dagger, you could do worse than head to the Mandarin Oriental’s classic 25th-floor M Bar.

Like Dada, secret it most certainly is not, but while the ground floor Captain’s Bar is almost always packed with cigar chomping grandees, for some reason M has always had a table free when we’ve visited. It goes without saying that the service is exemplary and the cocktails magnificent. Order a cherry Negroni, revel in the elbow room and take in those amazing harbour views. Cheers!

Details

Banker
27/F Continental DIamond Plaza. 523-527 Hennessy Road

Club 71
B/F, 67 Hollywood Rd, Soho +852 2858 7071

Dada
39 Kimberley Rd Kowloon, Hong Kong +852 3763 8778 www.dadaloung.com.hk

Executive Bar
27/F, Bartlock Centre, 3 Yiu Wa St +852 2893 2080

Half Past Ten
Lower Basement 10 Glenealy, Central +852 2869 9089

Home
23/F Continental Diamond Plaza, 523-527 Hennessy Rd +852 2836 6434

M Bar
Mandarin Oriental Hotel, 5 Connaught Road Central +852 2825 4002

Where
4/F Century House, 3-4 Hanoi Rd, Tsim Sha Tsui +852 2135 9999