Food & Drink Awards 2015 – Bars & Nightlife Winners

That's Shanghai's biggest party of the year took place on August 13 – our annual Food and Drink Awards. This year, the bash was kindly hosted by M1NT. Votes were counted for your favorite F&B venues over the course of a month and we came together to celebrate the best of the best in Shanghai. 

Best Cocktails

Union Trading Company

Shanghai has caught up with cities like New York and London when it comes to quality cocktails. And with a 100-strong cocktail list, it’s no wonder Union Trading Company got your vote as the best place in town to sip on potent alcoholic potions. From bespoke libations to the revival of the classic cocktail worthy of Don Draper, this place is mixing undeniably phenomenal drinks. The best way to help them celebrate the win? Go imbibe their Remember the Maine. Or the Dead Man’s Gun. Or both. There’s no better way to get a little hammered in style, we tell you. 

// See listing here.

Best Craft Beer

The Brew Kerry Hotel Pudong, Shanghai

Surely the sign of a good bar is not remembering it the next day, but The Brew in Kerry Parkside has clearly kept us conscious long enough to remember their tasty – and numerous – craft beers.

// See listing here.

Best Craft Beer Restaurant

Shanghai Beer Factory

Craft beer is big in Shanghai. Huge, in fact. As of this year, Shanghai Beer Factory is the king of it all. Found on the edge of Shanghai Indoor Stadium, this brew bar ain’t your typical after-work joint, but for hop lovers it’s as good as it gets. Don’t let its somehow scruffy décor fool you. With an excellent list and five delicious beers brewed on site, the joint pops with personality. Plus you can score pints not typical of other microbreweries.

// See listing here.

Best Beer Selection

Paulaner Brauhaus

A Shanghai’s institution, Paulaner Brauhaus is to beer lovers what the chocolate factory was to Charlie: heaven. The venture has countless (literally: we couldn’t keep up) beers available, plus a selection of hops and malts brewed on site and special beers offered twice or three times a year on a seasonal basis, also made on the premises. There’s only one thing we can say… sehr gut.

// See listing here.

Best Happy Hour

Pistolera

Arriba arriba! Cerveza! Cinco de Mayo! Et cetera, et cetera.  Pistolera isn’t just a delicious Mexican Cantina. For all of you happy hour lovers out there, it’s also the queen of post-work drink deals. Of cheap and cheeky cocktails. Of affordable flights of wine, free queso and beer. Looking for a boozy bargain? This is it.

// See listing here (Hengshan Lu) and here (Biyun Lu).

Best Dive Bar

I Love Shanghai

What can we say. You love I Love Shanghai. And we are sure I Love Shanghai loves all of you for making it a winner the 100th time in a row (give or take). There’s just so much love here we’re getting pretty teary. Maybe it’s the shabby look. The basically free drinks. The 90s pop-meets-heavy metal music. The student-y atmosphere. We don’t know. But you must, since you’ve really showed this place some real affection over the years. So take your crown, I Love Shanghai. You are king of all dive bars. Keep loving.

// See listing here.

Best Sports Bar

The Camel

This was a no-brainer, we’re sure. There’s no place like The Camel. Just like there’s no place like home. For many of us, in fact, the Camel is home. It’s there to feed us comfort food and drink deals seven days a week. It’s there when our favorite football team plays at some ungodly hour and our other half is asleep or our Chinese TV won’t show the match. It’s there for World Cups and World Series, Wimbledons and Ashes. For the wins and the losses. We’re getting teary again…

// See listing here (Puxi) and here (Pudong).

Best Whisky Bar

The 1515 West Chophouse & Bar, Jing An Shangri-La Hotel, West Shanghai

You can drink whisky pretty much anywhere… except in your car. Or in the street. Or at your job. Or at the grocery store. But literally, ANYWHERE else, except those places. The best place to do it in Shanghai, though? The 1515 West Chophouse & Bar, Jing An Shangri-La Hotel, West Shanghai. The bar-cum-restaurant is a celebration of food, jazz, cigars and whisky. It’s the perfect spot for anyone with a taste for the finer things and a healthy wad in their sporran. It’s not cheap, but neither is quality whisky – you folks know that. Also, it probably has the most comfortable couches in the city. Just sayin’.

// See listing here.

Best Wine Bar

Le Vin

Shanghai is in the middle of a wine bar renaissance, with newcomers cropping up all over town. Your favorite though? It’s a good oldie – and rightfully so. Cozy and with an extensive wine list, Le Vin has plenty going for it. It’s chilled and quaint, warm in winter and delightfully refreshing during summertime, courtesy of its lovely terrace out front. Just like any good wine and wine bar should be. We love.

// See listing here.

Best Al Fresco

Kartel

As much as we love Shanghai’s dive bars and speakeasies, there are occasions when dingy interiors or 1930s décor don’t quite cut it. After all, there’s a reason why the expression ‘al fresco drinking’ was invented. That’s when Shanghai’s rooftop bars and beer gardens come in. The one you picked to win our Best Al Fresco category is, of course Kartel. The former French Concession is not famed for granting stunning views of the city’s skyline, but sit on this roof bar at twilight and you can drink in unparalleled views across Shanghai along with your Campari-based cocktail, prosecco or bottled beer.

// See listing here.

Best LGBT Club

Lucca

When 390 Bar suddenly shut down, it sent shockwaves through the LGBT community. Rising from its ashes like the Phoenix of Panyu Lu, however, Lucca offers the same warm community vibes during the day and an outrageous party atmosphere at night.

// See listing here.

Best KTV

Taibei Chun K

With so many options in the city, Taibei Chun K remains a standout KTV for its opulent decoration and strong selection of songs. And its Tianzifang location is the nicest place to be to channel your inner Slim Shady.

// See listing here.

Best Dance Club

MYST

Sino Group has changed the landscape of the city’s clubbing scene and this Yanan Lu mecca remains their jewel. EDM megastars like Paul Van Dyk and Deadmau5 have gotten booties seriously shaking during recent shows.

// See listing here.

Best DJ Club

Fusion

The new kid on the Xintiandi block extends Sino Group’s dominance, taking over the former G-Plus. In just one year, they’ve wowed crowds by booking ascending international talent like Nicky Romero and Porter Robinson.

// See listing here.

Best Alternative Club

URVC

Online radio station uDance’s lounge has become a north Jing’an hotspot with great drink deals and even better music with Shanghai staples like Dave K diving into the electronic underground from tech house to old school disco.

// See listing here.

Best Jazz Club

JZ Club

The Fuxing Lu institution remains the place for jazz cats to get their fix. While international names occasionally take the stage, JZ Club has built up a loyal following for the local jazz scene that is bringing a 21st century Jazz Age to the city.

// See listing here.

Best Live Music

Heyday

While new kids on the block, this intimate jazz lounge has won the hearts of the city’s music lovers mixing a classy environment with an atmosphere that truly spotlights Shanghai’s finest singers.

// See listing here.

// See the Big Winners at That's Shanghai's Food & Drink Awards 2015 here.