Category Archives: First Impressions

Quiz nights, schmiz nights: The Rickshaw holds a bingo bonanza

Seeking something more mentally stimulating than the city’s quiz nights? Hone your math and daubing skills every Thursday at The Rickshaw bingo bonanza. The event coincides with a five-kuai Tsingtao…

First Impressions: Opener?

Despite a questionable name and a dismal location in Cell Block 11 (3F) of Jianwai Soho, Opener? was a must-visit since the management includes a former owner of the now-chai’d…

Shooters: They’ll Cap Your Glass

In the former locale of Moscow and just up from Kai, Shooters is rising up the hit list of favorite cheap bars – with a bullet. The place may not…

A-Che: Revolution without a cause

The neon Che Guevara profile at the door suggests something revolutionary inside, but this place delivers the same mediocrity found elsewhere in Beijing . The place itself gives a good…

Rui Fu: Henry Li returns

I toiled beyond the borders of China during the heydays of Neo Lounge and Vogue, the venues that shot Henry Li to the top of the Beijing club-owner charts a…

Zeta: Eye candy galore

Traces of Austin Powers, The Jetsons and Laugh In come together fabulously in Zeta, a lounge and dance club that opened Monday as part of Hilton Hotel‘s US$18 million upgrade….

Frank’s Place: Back for a second round

Frank’s Place had its soft opening last Thursday. With the furniture, wall art and seven taps for draft beer in place, this spot has filled out nicely. It’s a bit higher…

Blank Ant

A sign announcing “pub” attracted me to Black Ant Leave Town, just off Sanlitun South. Perhaps, I should have been satisfied with the reading experience. The many tagged bottles and…

Mojito: Souk central

Mojito, funded by the people behind Souk, offers a Latin American option near the Kuntai Hotel. Despite being in the basement of a commercial building, the layout and lighting work…

Moscow: French fries and caviar

I’ve passed MOSCOW a hundred times and finally popped in with two friends who had a caviar craving. This is an eclectic place, with the fine China contrasting against the…

Q Bar: Echo and George III

Jointly owned by popular bartenders George Zhou and Echo Sun and an investor, Q BAR had its soft opening on May 13 and will officially launch in June. With a…

Jazz-Ya: Long Island haven

  Due to the weather, this Japanese restaurant and sometimes live jazz venue was hot enough to inspire a sweat, but not to convince management to turn on the air…