What’s the difference between a lounge and a bar?
For starters, one need actually be able to lounge in it. Secondly, the vibe need be as chilled as possible. Newly opened lounge bar La Moda on Julu Lu possesses both of these qualities in abundance.
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Cozy and modern inside, velvet Chesterfield couches ensure you’ll be lounging from the get-go. Fun ottomans in the shape of abstract animals supply additional seating. At the bar, the menu’s strength is a comprehensive list of primarily New World and Italian wines (including sparkling) from RMB58.
Cocktails are slightly less polished but still decent, the best being the whisky-based ‘Maxiu Laoshi’ (马修老师，RMB88).
However, La Moda has a secret strength: it has one of the best soundtracks we’ve heard in a lounge or bar anywhere in Shanghai. Perfectly curated to an upbeat, chilled and yet thoroughly un-intrusive playlist of Shibuya-kei (Japanese mix of jazz, pop, and synthpop); tracks that enable conversation rather than impede it.
Just about every song that came on, we found ourselves reaching for our phones to Shazam it, until a helpful waitress came over with a CD of La Moda’s playlist to take home. Available for all guests, apparently. We spent hours lounging away in La Moda, and plan to do so again in the future for slower-paced nights out on the town.
Price: RMB150-300 per person
Who's going: hip young locals, lounge lizards
Good for: lounging, relaxed drinks, dates
See a listing for La Moda Lounge
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