A Night Out in Beijing

A Night Out in Beijing

Beijing nightlife rocks on till late, if you know where to look. Here’s our perfect night out in the Chinese capital for gadabouts, night owls and all-round bon viveurs.

Ease into the evening ahead with a few crafty brews at Jing A Brewpub, the toast of Beijing’s boutique beer scene. Hop heads and hip types mob this bare-brick watering hole and secret ‘Back Bar’ with cocktails on tap (well hello, free-flow Negroni), pairing their 16-tap Jing-A offering plus rotating guest beers with saltily moreish snacks like ribs, cornbread, crispy Brussels sprouts, and loaded fries.

To mix things up a bit, swap hops for grain at game-changing Capital Spirits, a Chaoyang hutong hideaway devoted to the traditional Chinese tipple, baijiu. Although enduringly popular with older folk, this hard white liquor is often maligned for its gut-stripping alcoholic content, but Capital Spirits is making it fashionably quaffable again with a quality-driven introductory flight. The brave can sip on thimble-sized servings from their selection of over 40 baijiu varieties, including Yanghe Blue Dream and Maotai Flying Fairy, or even dive into a robust baijiu-based cocktail list.

Now, time to get your dance on at Beijing’s hottest boom box, Dada. Tucked beneath warmer-upper Temple Bar, this grungy, subterranean shape-breaker pedestals some of China’s best electronic DJs, as well as an eclectic international lineup, making it the undisputed and enduring king of the nightclub circuit. Friday and Saturday nights are peak sweaty, so kit up cool.

Handily located within steps of sweet respite at The Peninsula, 24-hour hot pot institution Haidilao will quieten any late-night rumbling tums with its steamy selection of hand-pulled noodles, and delectable slivers of beef, seafood and veggies to dunk as you please. And so, your bed beckons. Nighty night!

Jing A Brewpub / 57 Xingfucun Zhong Lu / Chaoyang / +86 10 6416 5195 / 11am-midnight Sun-Thu, 11am-2am Fri-Sat / jingabrewing.com

Capital Spirits / 3 Daju Hutong / Dongcheng / +86 10 6409 3319 / 8pm-1am Tue-Sun / capitalspiritsbj.com

Dada / 101 Bldg B / 206 Gulou Dong Dajie / Dongcheng / +86 183 1108 0818 / 9pm-late daily / @DadaBarBeijing

Haidilao / In88 / 88 Wangfujing Dajie / Dongcheng / +86 10 5762 0153 / 24 hours