Must-see nightlife in Asia

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    Employees Only

    Chinatown & the CBD

    This outpost of the famous New York cocktail bar of the same name has brought a slice of big city buzz to Singapore, along with a dazzling array of…

  • Atlas

    Little India & Kampong Glam

    Straight out of 1920s Manhattan, this cocktail lounge is an art deco–inspired extravaganza, adorned with ornate bronze ceilings and low-lit plush lounge…

  • Suzie Wong

    Kuala Lumpur

    Push aside the heavy curtain at the end of a clubby bar to discover the wild goings-on at this old Hong Kong–style speakeasy cocktail bar. Expect a…

  • Manhattan

    Singapore

    Step back in time to the golden age of fine drinking at this handsome Mad Men–esque bar, where long-forgotten cocktails come back to life. Grouped by eras…

  • Quinary

    Hong Kong

    Consistently voted one of the world's top 50 bars, Quinary is a sleek, moodily lit cocktail bar that attracts a well-dressed crowd. Its gifted mixologists…

  • Operation Dagger

    Chinatown & the CBD

    From the cloud-like light sculpture to the boundary-pushing cocktails, extraordinary is the keyword here. To encourage experimentation, libations are…

  • 28 HongKong Street

    Colonial District, the Quays & Marina Bay

    Softly lit 28HKS plays hide-and-seek inside an unmarked 1960s shophouse. Slip inside and into a slinky scene of cosy booths and passionate mixologists…

  • Club Octagon

    Gangnam & Southern Seoul

    Voted number seven in the world's top clubs by DJ Mag in 2018, Octagon is one of Gangnam's best for serious clubbers. High-profile resident and guest DJs…

  • 1911

    New Delhi

    The Imperial, built in the 1930s, resonates with bygone splendour. This bar is a more recent addition, but still riffs on the Raj. Here you can sip the…

  • The alleyway entrance to The Old Man, just off Aberdeen Street

    Old Man

    Hong Kong

    If Ernest Hemingway was still alive today, the chances are he’d love this tiny no-sign speakeasy named after his novel The Old Man and the Sea with a neo…

  • Native, drinks

    Native

    Chinatown & the CBD

    This hidden bar in hotspot-heavy Amoy St is the brainchild of bartender extraordinaire Vijay Mudaliar – formerly of Operation Dagger – and his concoctions…

  • Three Little Birds. The well-trained baristas also whips up a good filter coffee

    Three Little Birds

    Kuala Lumpur

    Top-tier coffee bar and micro-roaster Three Little Birds is manned by the pioneers of third-wave coffee culture in KL: Michael Wilson and wife Amirah…

  • Tippling Club

    Tippling Club

    Chinatown & the CBD

    Tippling Club propels mixology to dizzying heights, with a technique and creativity that could turn a teetotaller into a born-again soak. Sample the…

  • Other Room

    Singapore

    You'll find this hidden drinking house, a throwback to a bygone era, behind a secret door in the Singapore Marriott lobby – ring the doorbell for entry…

  • Terrace of Bear Brew overlooking White Dagoba Pagoda in Xisi, Beijing

    Bear Brew

    Beijing

    Run by two affable, aproned Chinese bears (who speak excellent English), this gay-friendly hutong hangout pours a host of house creations such as a 24…

  • Moon Bar, rooftop bar at the Banyan Tree Hotel.

    Moon Bar

    Bangkok

    An alarmingly short barrier at this rooftop bar is all that separates patrons from the street, 61 floors down. Moon Bar claims to be among the highest…

  • Save the Ales

    Bishkek

    Bishkek's favourite craft-beer bar, where drinking the best beer in town straight from the taps more than makes up for the higher than average prices. On…

  • Citadel is a cocktail bar in Fukuoka

    Citadel

    Fukuoka

    At this classy upstairs bar, mellow out over coffee cocktails such as mojitos (with homemade coffee rum and coffee ice cubes) and espresso martinis…

  • Cafe entrance from inside the courtyard, Akihabara, Kagurazaka & Korakuen.

    Imasa

    Kōrakuen & Akihabara

    It's not every day you get to sip your coffee or tea in a cultural property. Imasa is the real deal, an old timber merchant's shophouse dating from 1927…

  • Le Trio Coffee, shop, Vientiane, Laos

    Le Trio

    Vientiane

    Sip your piccolo latte to a soundtrack of jazz and the scent of cooking beans; tiny Le Trio roasts its own coffee and is the most atmospheric hang-out for…

  • Nuoyan Wine Bar

    Beijing

    Move aside, Merlot, it's mǐjiǔ time! Try something new at this rustic tavern specialising in Chinese wine made from glutinous rice (米酒; mǐjiǔ), a…

  • Great Leap Brewing #6

    Beijing

    Lost in a maze of alleys east of Houhai, this tumbledown courtyard is where Beijing's craft-beer scene first burped into life back in the heady, pre-Xi…

  • Birdland

    Suzhou

    Friendly staff speak excellent English and there is an ever-changing selection of 15 well-kept, local brews on tap. There are also tasty burgers, pizza…

  • Zouk

    Colonial District, the Quays & Marina Bay

    This legendary super club has been pumping beats since 1991 and draws in some of the world's biggest DJs and Singapore's seen-to-be-seen crowd. This is…

  • Amazake-chaya

    Hakone

    Teahouses like Amazake-chaya were once common sights along the old Edo-era (1603–1868) foot highways that criss-crossed Japan. This one, with a thatched…

  • Good Time Charlie

    Kumamoto

    Charlie Nagatani is a living legend, the 'Johnny Cash of Japan', the founding figure behind the nation's entire country-music scene, and an accomplished…

  • 13 Coffee

    Taichung

    The versatile '13' (Shísān) has turned his family's car-repair shop into this wonderfully eccentric cafe that he spent four years building with old school…

  • Oil

    Shenzhen

    Quite possibly the best underground club in China, Oil is a compact, sweaty chapel to electronic beats, the darker and more esoteric the better. An…

  • Chulho

    The Terai & Mahabharat Range

    Without a doubt the place to be in Narayangarh, this crowded bar and restaurant hums with unleashed activity. Perched on the top floor of a building…

  • Soloist Coffee Co

    Beijing

    Partway down a gentrifying hutong is this exquisite coffee roaster and cafe, born here as a pop-up during Beijing's annual Design Week, and now a small…

  • Dada

    Beijing

    Ever since this Shanghai export touched down in 2012, Dada has become Beijing's premier venue for esoteric, bass-heavy beats, while remaining…

  • Wistaria Tea House

    Taipei

    History, nostalgia and fine tea combine in this charming former wooden dormitory from the Japanese era. Wistaria was built in 1920 for naval personnel and…

  • Omnia

    Bukit Peninsula

    Perched at the base of the Bukit peninsula, Bali's hottest new day club is home to seekers of sunshine-fuelled revelry and house and hip-hop beats. The…

  • Social

    Mumbai (Bombay)

    Colaba is the best of the locations of the hip Social chain, which combines a restaurant/bar with a collaborative work space. The happening bar nails the…

  • Samai Distillery

    Phnom Penh

    The origins of sugarcane are in Southeast Asia, so the Venezuelan owners of this beloved rum distillery see themselves as bringing the tradition full…

  • Smoke & Mirrors

    Colonial District, the Quays & Marina Bay

    Oozing style, this rooftop bar offers one of the best views of Singapore. Perched on the top of the National Gallery, the vista looks out over the Padang…

  • Lala’s Art Cafe

    Leh

    Entered beside a 2000-year-old Dhyani Buddha stela, this tiny, traditional temple-like house was saved from demolition and immaculately restored in 2006…

  • SG Club

    Shibuya & Shimo-Kitazawa

    SG stands for 'Sip' and 'Guzzle' but also for award-winning bartender Shingo Gokan. Ground-floor Guzzle is a social, counter space; the house drink is…

  • Calanthe Art Cafe

    Melaka City

    Fancy a full-bodied Johor or classic Perak white? Sip a coffee inspired by your favourite Malaysian state at this perky place. The coffee is excellent,…

  • Arch Bar

    Beijing

    First-rate cocktails come with a first-class price tag at this exquisite cocktail bar hidden inside the Duan Qirui Former Government Building compound…

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