The bustling bars and cafes of Yongkang Lu have been a firm favorite drinking destination for many a moon now. But the ever-increasing crowds and chaos aren’t to everybody’s taste. For those looking for a leafier, more relaxed alternative Danshui Lu’s ‘bar street’ seems to be coming into its own.
Situated just two minutes walk from Xintiandi, this narrow street has seen a number of small but perfectly formed buvettes pop up, many of which are more modestly priced and less raucous than the YKL haunts, leading us to question: is Danshui becoming the new Yongkang?
Here is our comprehensive look at everything the road has to offer, ranging from long-standing stalwarts to brand new entrants. With cheap and cheerful as the prevailing theme, we fancy it is a fantastic alternative option for casual eating and drinking…
No. 468 Fuxing Lu (by Danshui Lu) Encore
First up on the corner of Danshui and Fuxing Lu, Encore is a classy cocktail lounge serving up premium spirits and mixology (Godfather cocktails, above). Drinks start at RMB70 upward.
No. 270: Beer Bear
Not to be confused with Beer Shelf further on down the street, this casual little bar has a happy hour up to 9pm offering all draft beers and cocktails for RMB30.
No. 229: Mr. Shaker
With room for just 15 in the front and a larger table at the back, the bar (above) at this cozy cocktail spot takes up most of the space. Well-made drinks like godfathers, mojitos and zombies from RMB45, and some cool alcohol-themed wall art at the back.
No. 260: Creme Milano
Promising 100 percent authentic Italian Gelato, this place sells flavors by the cup like Ferrero Rocher, Nutella and pistachio from RMB20.
No. 254: Cui Sushi
Cheap and cheerful sushi, with favorites like Princess Li, Motorola and Lucy Rolls from about RMB45.
No. 250: Small & Spice
This fantastic Tokyo-style curry house is a hit with locals and expats alike. Most popular dishes include tender beef curry with omelet wrapped rice (RMB65), washed down with plum wine (RMB35) or Brooklyn Lager (RMB38).
No. 248: Bar Mini
As the name suggests, Bar Mini is a compact but lively bar, notable for its huge Vetruvian man wall art. We couldn’t find fault with their pint-sized mojitos (above) for RMB30 or their buy-one-get-one-free deal on bottled beers.
No. 246: Soupa Kitchen
This local run spot has a good range of healthy Chinese-style soups, rice-based meals and healthy drinks, like chicken soup with dried fish maw, pear, snow mushrooms and Sichuan pepper for RMB38.
No. 225: Jolie House
Side by side Korean bar and café serving meals like bimbimbap, Jeju Island rice and kimchi pork from RMB35, with a cool beanbag filled hangout spot upstairs.
No. 242: Luccio’s
With cheerful, bright interiors, this restaurant is one of the more up-scale outfits to appear on Danshui Lu, serving up hearty Italian fare like prosciutto-streaked pizza (RMB95) or pork Milanese (RMB32). Emphasis also on great value wine, with an additional wine cellar shop further up the street.
No. 238: Mix and Drink
With shady interiors and a balconied mezzanine level upstairs, this tavern-style café and bar offers cocktails starting at RMB35, coffee from RMB25 and simple dishes from RMB40.
No. 234: Something to Eat
This bright, tiny eatery serves up great value Korean food, like tteok rice cakes, gimbap and bimbimbap from around RMB50.
No. 232: The Beer Shelf
One of the longest standing bars on the street, specializes in Belgian beers, serving draft beer from RMB30 and over 50 different types of bottled beers. Colorfully decorated with beer paraphernalia and about six seats inside.
No. 230: C’est La Vie
Small but charismatic, this locally owned bar serves up cocktails from RMB30, with bottled Estrella from RMB35 and a decent range of wines by the glass and bottle.
No. 222: Freddie’s Tavern
Another recently opened, this bright and airy bar also serves freshly made Australian-style pies, thanks to owner Freddie’s years spent in the Land Down Under. Drinks-wise there’s VB from RMB30 and Strongbow and Heineken on draft from RMB25 and RMB20 respectively.
No. 215: Favorita
Also new, and one of the slightly more spacious locations on the street, Favorita is primarily an Italian-style wine bar, but also has a small range of Italian-style cocktails and tapas. Our favorites were the bacon wrapped plums and caprese salad.
No. 210: Also Café
Serving up a decent range of food like pastas, steaks and sausage platters from RMB35, in addition to cocktails like ‘Kaffir-itos’ (RMB55) in the evenings, this tastefully decorated spot also sells handmade coffee during the day.
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No. 211: La Taps
New from the owner of the Beer Shelf, La Taps (above) is basically a larger model of the same, except perhaps with an even larger selection of bottled beers. On our visit they even stocked Old Rasputin, which is hard to find outside of California where it’s made, let alone Chinese mainland
No. 206: Shanghai Slam Bar
Opened up by a pair of friendly locals, this cute little bar (above) offers cocktails, drafts and bottled beers from RMB30, and has cushion-lined seating inside and tables outside.
No. 204: Le Jasmin
With classy, sleekly decorated interiors (above) , Le Jasmin is one of the more sophisticated looking spots on the street, with a fully stocked bar at the back and extensive seating inside and out.
No. 200: Anatolia
This café and bar has a vaguely Ottoman-Byzantine vibe, and sells Turkish coffee in addition to cocktails, snacks and desserts.
No. 194: 194 Rue de Danshui
Owned by friendly local Paul, this split level bar has a casual ambience and a happy hour from 3-8pm, with 50 percent off draft tiger, vodka Redbull, special mojitos and all whiskies.
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