In a city that sometimes seems more comfortable with dry-ice spewing cocktails and speakeasies than good old fashioned drinking, Duo feels like a tall glass of water. Or beer, more likely, since this is a bar dedicated to the fine sport of beer pong.
Inside, the bar’s atmosphere strikes squarely between sports bar and college frat dorm. Strapping American-born Chinese guys seem to make up the majority of the clientele, tapping into their days of youthful abandon as they toss ping pong balls across neon tables, designed by Hong Kong celebrity Edison Chen, actor, fashion entrepreneur, and apparently ping pong table designer.
Thick-necked sports pundits postulate on the day’s NFL proceedings from wall-mounted TV screens, somewhat pointlessly since everyone here is focused on besting their opponents on the pong tables.
A private room at the back boasts a darts board, foosball, a private lounge area and its own Absolut Vodka branded pong table, raising terrifying questions as to whether people might be mad enough to play with vodka instead of beer.
Playing beer pong at Duo is a markedly more refined experience than that of our own college days, thanks to a dedicated attendant who hovers at the side of our table. Her job is to catch and run after our failed throw attempts and to pour beer. In case you’re wondering, in the name of hygiene the cups we’re throwing into aren’t the ones to be drunk from, something that didn’t come under consideration during college games.
Overall, we’re surprised at how much fun we end up having at Duo. It’s definitely not the kind of place you’d bring a date or come to for anything more refined than a whisky coke, but for groups looking for an alternative to the usual craft cocktails, it’s an original experience that makes it seem like our late teens weren’t so long ago.
Price: RMB50-150 per person
Who’s going: American born Chinese types, young locals
Good for: groups, copious beer consumption
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