Oldie but Goodie is a monthly column where we feature noteworthy restaurants, cafes or bars that have been open at least six months and are worth a try.
Sure, Nansha District may be a bit of a haul for Guangzhou residents living in the city’s more central areas (like Zhujiang New Town, for example), but there is a lot of really cool shit out there. Take Nansha Tin Hau Palace, for example, which is an impressive complex dedicated to the goddess Mazu, a deity often referred to as ‘Goddess of the Sea.’
There is also Nansha Wetland Park: a man-made eco-destination that sees up to 100,000 migratory birds visit each winter. Both are top-notch day trips and well worth the hour-plus metro commute from the CBD.
If you do decide to venture to Guangzhou’s southernmost district, we also have a recommended watering hole (because who doesn’t want to catch a buzz after bird watching): Tap House.
Located on Yuexiu Binhai Yuecheng Bar Street (think watered-down and slightly depressing version of Party Pier), Tap House is the best and perhaps only Western-style, craft beer-serving pub in Nanshan.
A popular hangout for expats in the district (likely due to the fact Tap House is the only place that serves nachos in the far-flung area), Tap House offers over 20 draught beers, a decent selection of cocktails and mixed bevies.
In the edibles department, the bar successfully executes flavorful, ‘finger lickin’ good’ pork ribs (RMB168), coated in a tangy BBQ sauce that transports you to – er – somewhere that isn’t Nansha.
Tap’s 'special' house burger (RMB88), on the other hand, is nothing to write home about. In all honesty, the pub’s burger is fine, but it lacks the creative twist we have come to expect of Guangzhou hanbaobao after trying BB Bao’s fantastic Korean-style minced pork and kimchi burg, M’eat's black bun burger, or any of these delicious lamb burgers.
Tap House’s red brick, tobacco smoke-scented interior hosts a free-to-play pool table, two electronic dart boards and a small stage for live music (which, we are told, happens two or three times per month) – for those of our readers that require something more than booze and good banter for entertainment.
We firmly believe Tap House is a cool hangout and it definitely fills a void in Nansha’s almost-non-existent pub scene, although it is fair to note that Guangzhouers who spend their weekends getting inebriated at Code Red will likely find the experience underwhelming.
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