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1. Felix
The shining pinnacle of Hong Kong bars is set in Kowloon's famous Peninsula Hotel. Philippe Starcke designed Felix, and the result is coolness incarnate. Let the experience envelope you, beginning with the dedicated elevators and their light effects, to the untrammelled delights of Felix's restrooms. The harbour views are an added bonus. If you plan to visit just one bar in Hong Kong, make this the one.
- 28/F, The Peninsula
- 2315 3188
- $$$$$ (over HK$600)*
2. Foreign Correspondents Club
Any club that has brass plaques screwed to the bar top, commemorating members who died drinking on that spot, deserves to be a legend. Open only to members and their guests.
- 2 Lower Albert Rd, Central
- 2521 1511
3. Club 64
One of Hong Kong's most genuinely integrated scenes can be found at this Lan Kwai Fong institution. The sixth month, fourth day numbers of the name refer to the 1989 Tiannanmen Square massacre. On a given night, Chinese DJs will be sat next to expatriate web editors and Nigerian bass guitarists. Club 64 has no spit or polish whatsoever, but the beer is cheap, and everyone's in the mood to talk.
- 12-14 Wing Wah Lane, Lan Kwai Fong
- 2523 2801
4. Kee
A discreet keypad and unmarked doorway on Wellington Street is the entrance to this spanking new and seriously happening club. Everyone worth knowing in Hong Kong is on its members' list, but this means that it can be hard to gain access. Inspired by the Enlightenment concept of literary and discursive salons, Kee can sometimes be too arty by half, but it's always worth an invitation. Assuming you're lucky enough to score one.
- 6/F, 32 Wellington St, Central
- 2186 1861
5. Antidote
With its white modular furnishings and trippy lighting, the dÉcor is fit for a soirÉe of subscribers to top international design magazine Wallpaper. Some of Hong Kong's best DJs and sound systems (notably Digital Cutup Lounge) perform in this intimate room, to cosy audiences of Hong Kong's air-kissing fab young things.
- 15 - 19 Hollywood Rd
- 2526 6559
6. Bottoms Up
Fulfill your sad James Bond fantasies in the padded, crepuscular interior of this 1970s topless bar, which was used as a location in The Man with the Golden Gun. It had more character under its legendary original owner and ex-Windmill Girl, Pat Sephton. Don't despair: for kitsch factor alone, Bottoms Up will always be a worthy pit stop.
- 14 Hankow Rd
7. The Jazz Club
At ordinary times, this tiny and utterly unremarkable bar and performance space would hardly be worth mentioning. But when a maestro is in town, the Jazz Club is the scene of legendary, impromptu jams. Believe it or not, even the likes of Wynton Marsalis and Miles Davis have played here, right in the faces of the 100 or so people lucky enough to have been there at the time.
- 2/F, 34 D'Aguilar St, Lan Kwai Fong
- 2845 8477
8. Visage Free
A slacker alternative to the unremitting trendiness of SoHo and BoHo, Visage Free is the kind of bar that can disregard commercial imperatives to mount monthly poetry readings. The crowd is loyal and diverse.
- Amber Lodge, 23 Hollywood Rd, BoHo
- 2546 9780
9. Feather Boa
Away from the rowdy main strip of Staunton Street bars sits this unremarked gem, with its inconspicuous entrance, fin-de-siÈcle gold drapes and sofas. The crowd is young, arts and media-slanted, and cliquey. One of SoHo's better kept secrets: would it could stay that way.
- 38 Staunton St, Soho
- 2857 2586
10. Dance Parties
Hong Kong is a prime Asian stop on the international DJ circuit (everyone from Fat Boy Slim to Paul Oakenfold and Carl Cox have hit the decks here), and the city has nurtured more than enough turntable talent of its own. Hong Kong's dance parties, particularly at the cavernous HITEC venue, are well-organized affairs. Check the local media for details.
- Various venues
