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Red Rooster’s Bar-B-Que House

Tucked away in a leafy area of quiet streets near Shekou Port, the Red Rooster is a fine bar with ample seating space, a pool table, sports channels and a secluded beer garden. They have a special on Tsingtao draught with the first large (frozen) mug costing RMB20 and each mug thereafter decrea...
Tucked away in a leafy area of quiet streets near Shekou Port, the Red Rooster is a fine bar with ample seating space, a pool table, sports channels and a secluded beer garden. They have a special on Tsingtao draught with the first large (frozen) mug costing RMB20 and each mug thereafter decreasing in price until the fifth will only set you back RMB5. From there on every mug costs RMB5 so, in one way, the more you drink the more money you are saving. They also serve decent bar food. The burger is a proper filler by anyone’s standards. They could invest in a few more CD’s but Red Rooster, whether it’s your starting point for a night on the town or a base for a lazy Sunday afternoon, still comes in as a charmer.
Red Rooster is in between Shekou Port and Seaworld. From the port head along the alley going northeast. When you pass the entrance of the Nanhai Hotel you will see the sign for the Red Rooster.

The Snake Pit

The Shekou Sports and Social Club, the Snake Pit, is a comfortable retreat for Shenzhen's work-weary expats. It has all the flavour of an English local with an Asian twist. The service is easy-going but on the ball. It's the type of place where the staff get to know customer's names without mak...
The Shekou Sports and Social Club, the Snake Pit, is a comfortable retreat for Shenzhen's work-weary expats. It has all the flavour of an English local with an Asian twist. The service is easy-going but on the ball. It's the type of place where the staff get to know customer's names without making a fuss. The Snake Pit has a membership scheme involving registration. Members have a book of chits  (drink credits) kept for them. If you want to try it out you can buy a book of five chits for RMB100. There are also some quirky rules such as no ties, and no making or receiving phone calls (punishable by standing your fellow punters a round). The Snakepit is a great place to relax in the evening and get to know other expats in Shenzhen.
Taizi Square is opposite Seaworld and on Taizi Road near the Taizi Hotel. The Snake Pit is next to Pizza Hut. Bus nos. 105, 204 and 220 pass here. A taxi from Luohu will cost about RMB80.

Beer Paradise

Beer Paradise is a simple bar with an open-plan layout and a pool table. The range of beers on offer however is anything but simple. They stock over fifty types of international bottled beer and it is surprising what you would find. Needless to mention, imported beer costs more than the local s...
Beer Paradise is a simple bar with an open-plan layout and a pool table. The range of beers on offer however is anything but simple. They stock over fifty types of international bottled beer and it is surprising what you would find. Needless to mention, imported beer costs more than the local stuff. The staff are anything but shy and if you are on your own, make agreeable, if a little boisterous, conversation companions.
How to get there
Seaworld is off Taizi Road near the Taizi Hotel. When facing the ship, Beer Paradise is on the strip of bars to the left. Bus nos. 105, 204 and 220 pass here. A taxi from Luohu will cost about RMB80.

3D

 
3D is one of the busiest bars on the Citic City Plaza bar strip and has an impressive array of foreign br...
 
3D is one of the busiest bars on the Citic City Plaza bar strip and has an impressive array of foreign brews to please the more discerning beer drinker. Tsingtao costs RMB15 per bottle with buckets of eight going for RMB100. For groups, or heavy boozers, a large bong-like contraption full of beer is available. You might also want to check out Demon, 3D's next door neighbour.
 
  
 
How to get there
Buses 14, 101, 204 and 215 stop at Citic City Plaza. The Ke Xue Guan (科学馆) metro stop, exit D, is a two minute walk away. The plaza can be entered from Shennan Middle Road or Nan Yuan Road.

Cafe de ZZ

This cafe-style bar has edible pizzas for RMB60 and large bottles of Tsingtao for RMB25. The best thing about Cafe de ZZ is the special offer that is available every night. For RMB100 you get one pizza and all the Tsingtao you can drink until they close at 2am. With comfortable sofas and a...
This cafe-style bar has edible pizzas for RMB60 and large bottles of Tsingtao for RMB25. The best thing about Cafe de ZZ is the special offer that is available every night. For RMB100 you get one pizza and all the Tsingtao you can drink until they close at 2am. With comfortable sofas and a cosy atmosphere, not to mention customer control of the music, you'd be hard pushed to find a better deal in Shenzhen.
 
Since first writing this review Cafe de ZZ has decided to add a 10% "service charge" to their prices. While this does not change the fact that it is a cheap place to get drinked up, it is not the kind of place that should have a set service charge and more effort could be made to inform the customer of this extra charge before ordering.
 
How to get there
The Seibu building is opposite the Hilton Hotel on Dongmen South Road. From Guomao Metro stop walk east along Jiabin Road until you reach Dongmen South Road. Seibu is at the intersection. Bus nos. 2, 5, 14 and 17 stop here.

Amigos Restaurant and Bar

Amigos is a Tex-Mex restaurant that also has Italian dishes, seafood and steaks. The food is good, the portions are generous and the English speaking staff are efficient without being unnecessarily formal. This is Western food served in a Chinese way, so if you don't want your main course to ar...
Amigos is a Tex-Mex restaurant that also has Italian dishes, seafood and steaks. The food is good, the portions are generous and the English speaking staff are efficient without being unnecessarily formal. This is Western food served in a Chinese way, so if you don't want your main course to arrive before you are finished your starter you had better request so beforehand. It's a little weaker on the bar front, seeing that it is laid out more like a restaurant than a pub (with pictures of famous Texans and Mexicans like, er, Audrey Hepburn decorating the walls). Then again the outdoor-seating area makes it a pleasant place to sink a few.
 
A meal (consisting of starter and main course) here will cost about RMB100-150 per person. Beers cost RMB16-45 and mixed drinks are RMB45. A 10% service charge applies.
 
Amigos is opposite MacDonald's in Seaworld.  Seaworld is off Taizi Road near the Taizi Hotel. Bus nos. 105, 204 and 220 pass here. A taxi from Luohu will cost about RMB80.

Le Cafe Panam(e)

Chengdu nightspots usually appeal to one crowd or another. At Le Café Panam(e), however, your chance of chatting up an elderly expat are just as likely as an eager, wide-eyed Chinese university student. Whether its coffee, a classic baguette, or French desserts in the  early evening...
Chengdu nightspots usually appeal to one crowd or another. At Le Café Panam(e), however, your chance of chatting up an elderly expat are just as likely as an eager, wide-eyed Chinese university student. Whether its coffee, a classic baguette, or French desserts in the  early evening (Y10-15), a few draught beers (Y20/pint) later on, or a live DJ on the late night, there is something for every kind of Chengdu resident. The owners are deservedly proud of their reasonable prices (Y16/glass) for authentic French wine and “French corner” meetings which are held every other Friday from 7-9 PM. There is outdoor seating, a pool table, room for dancing when inspired to do so, and the 2nd floor lounge area doubles as an art exhibition area.
 
The recently opened Le Café Panam(e) is a dream come true for two French sinophiles. The mystery that is the Internet brought the enterprising David and Chloe together and the rest is history. David had been yearning to make a return to Chengdu and Chloe had been teaching here for quite some time. Familiar with Chengdu, and recognizing the redundant nightlife, they wanted to open an establishment that as Chloe says, “ Is anything but arrogant...”
 
Most significantly, David and Chloe wanted to open a comfortable place for their friends and create an informal atmosphere where any “Chengduren” (Chengdu person) could make new friends. Most of Chengdu’s nightspots can be easily categorized in terms of patrons and atmosphere, but that is not possible at this French café, bar, lounge, or whatever you want it to be. David and Chloe have only one wish, “That everyone in Chengdu, Chinese or foreign, student or traveler, business person or parent, can feel at home at Le Café Panam(e).
 
Directions: Le Cafe Panam(e) is in the southeast part of the city, outside the south 1st ring road. If you go there at night, tell the taxi driver "Kehua Beilu", and then say "Ya Tai Guangchang". From the "ATT" sign where the driver stops, walk across the main road, and then continue walking south until you see a plaza with bars and clubs on your left. The cafe has a red sign and is on the 2nd floor. Buses 6, 55, and 110 all pass by the plaza during the day, keep an eye out from the bus.

Bourbon St. Bar and Nightclub

For those looking for a bit more nightlife action then just a drink, Bourbon Street is the answer. Like its Shanghai counterpart, Bourbon Street in Laowaitan, is a nightclub with a live western band. It recently began promoting a new latin flavour. Prices are standard for Chinese clubs. Dancing f...

For those looking for a bit more nightlife action then just a drink, Bourbon Street is the answer. Like its Shanghai counterpart, Bourbon Street in Laowaitan, is a nightclub with a live western band. It recently began promoting a new latin flavour. Prices are standard for Chinese clubs. Dancing fools out there will have every opportunity to dance the night away at Bourbon Street.

Park 97

The Lan Kwai Fong Entertainment Group consists of Baci Italian Cuisine, KazBar Lounge, California Club, Lux Shanghai, and Park 97.  Park 97 offers a great selection of late night entertainment for many groups in Shanghai.  Appealing to the well connected as well as full pocketed popul...
The Lan Kwai Fong Entertainment Group consists of Baci Italian Cuisine, KazBar Lounge, California Club, Lux Shanghai, and Park 97.  Park 97 offers a great selection of late night entertainment for many groups in Shanghai.  Appealing to the well connected as well as full pocketed populations in Shanghai – you will see many westerners, nouveau-riche Chinese, and American Born Chinese dancing and drinking amongst the two large floors at Park 97.
 
Upstairs at Park 97 often offers a band, although very little room to dance – I’m not sure what the reasoning behind that is. The last time I visited Park 97 there was a great Latin Band and many people had tried to create a dance floor in the only walking space available, I don’t really blame them, I wanted to dance too – but it made for a pretty claustrophobic environment.
 
Despite the claustrophobia, you can definitely come here on a Friday or Saturday night and find a great, engaging night. If you want a change of venue, head over to Guandi, only a few steps away, also in Fuxing Park.
 
Drinks are not cheap, but typical of expat bars – about 45-60RMB each. Depending on the evening you may or may not find a cover charge; call before you go to be sure if it makes a difference to you.
 
To get there: Take Metro Line 1, Huangpi Rd Station. Head west on HuaiHai Rd, passing under the overpass. Take a left on Si Nan Lu, then a right on Gaolan Lu into Fuxing Park.