Favorite Bars and Cafes in Central (Hong Kong)

Brewery Tap Pub

What a great deal—running from Sunday to Friday between 5p and 9p, you can eat as much Nepalese curry as you like for a small price! Great food, plus an exhaustive range of draught bitters, lagers and bottled beers, makes this a top Hong Kong drinking hole. The interior is fashioned around a British pub, with wooden tables and bar chairs, and the terrace outside allows you space to relax and enjoy the flamenco guitarists entertaining diners at the restaurant opposite.

Martini Bar

This hotel bar offers a view of Mody Roadand makes a good hang-out for after-dinner drinks and socializing. The comfortable and cozy ambiance are a stark contrast to the bustle outside—perfect for a quiet drink on a hot afternoon! A good place for a solitary drink, one can simply sit back and engage in people-watching or simply enjoy the view.

Chater Lounge

Smart, no-nonsense waiters guide guests to luxurious sofas and armchairs that characterise this excellent hotel lobby bar. Located in the heart of Central, the ritzy decor definitely demands a suit and tie rather than jeans and sneakers! A pianist entertains softly during high tea, and different bands play throughout the evening, blending Cantonese ballads with 70s Western hits. Prices are very good considering the luxurious surroundings. There is a 10 percent service charge, which is worth every single percentage point.

Captain's Bar

This English style bar, located within the exclusive Mandarin Oriental, features partitioned booths for seclusion and privacy. At lunch you will see mainly business people and in the evening diners come here to enjoy a pre-dinner drink. Drinking here is not cheap and you will have to pay a large bill for the pleasure. At lunchtime there's a good value bar buffet where you can buy a beer and help yourself to the various dishes along the bar.

Amoeba

Special features of this bar include free Internet browsing, live sports events on a big screen, and facilities for private parties. The walls are covered in soccer shirts from around the world and you can while away Happy Hour trying to match country to stripes. Its modern interior is clean and unfussy, and the longish Happy Hour encourages you to stay. The beers are cheap and the ambiance great.

Insomnia

This drinking hole in Lan Kwai Fong is similar in character to its neighbours, and like its Dusk till Dawn sibling in Wanchai, there is a Mediterranean look, with an open front and ochre-wash arches, which lead through to a second bar where bands play and the Lan Kwai Fong set do their thing. As the name suggests, it is open till late and drinks are the usual beers, wines and spirits.

Club Shanghai

If you like the quiet of a hotel bar, you might like a drink or two in the Shanghai, located within The InterContinental. Relaxing, refreshing decor and very helpful staff make this a more than pleasant place to imbibe a few afternoon cocktails and shake off the dust of the Tsim Sha Tsui streets. It is conveniently located, just east of Nathan Road in hotel land--a fine bar to retreat to if rampant consumerism makes you thirsty.

Westworld Manhattan

Predominantly a Chinese disco which is popular with students, this is a fairly anonymous, large, high-tech disco with the lights, the beat, and the beautiful dancers. You need to look smart to get in and no untidy dressers get past the security personnel, unless you are famous of course. Thursday night is "ladies' night", which really means "lads'" night, because the lads come for the ladies. Doors open at 5pm daily.

Moon Garden

Dim sum for lunch and traditional Cantonese dishes for dinner make this restaurant a good overall choice even though the attraction here tends to be the prices rather than the food. In general, the selection is not bad and the service is fairly consistent but the food is not really memorable.

Ming Sing Bar

Ming Sing means famous star in Cantonese and the walls are decorated with paintings of Hollywood movie actors. The interior is modern, painted in warm colors, with seating for about 80 people. The atmosphere is pretty quiet and it is rarely busy except during Happy Hour. Entertainment is provided by a Filipino band playing soft pop every night, and by a Chinese singer crooning Cantonese ballads from 8.30pm to 10.15pm on weekdays. During Happy Hour you get the standard Hong Kong two-for-one deal. Promotions are held on a monthly basis and the beers include European and Asian lagers.

Stix

Popular with young, usually well-heeled and always well-dressed professionals, Stix attracts a mixed Chinese and expatriate crowd, offering discounts to airline crews and other large groups on special nights. Located in the basement studio of the Park Lane Hong Kong, the decor is clean and modern, perhaps a little spartan, featuring chrome tabletops, velvety alcoves and a gregarious bar, where singles meet singles. The music is always low-key enough to ignore should you fail to find your disco feet on the night.

Godown

Situated in the midst of Central's busy business district, Godown is a popular haunt for expatriates who come for the beer, the live jazz music, and to meet others. Very popular with business people, this comfortable bar offers great hospitality for professionals and is a great place to unwind with colleagues or to meet clients on a more informal basis. Great for a good beer, the bottled ones are kept just at the right temperature. Snacks are also available at reasonable prices.