Hong Kong and Macau_ City Guide (Lonely Planet, 14th Edition) - Andrew Stone [146]
SOHO WINES & SPIRITS Map Food & Drink
2530 1182; 37 Staunton St; 26
Its name notwithstanding, this place’s forte is its large selection of beer and spirits. If it’s not here, it probably isn’t made or consumed any longer. Its prices tend to be keen, thanks to the shop’s hospitality-trade wholesaling business.
GECKO LOUNGE Map Lounge, Wine Bar
2537 4680; Lower Ground fl, 15-19 Hollywood Rd; 4pm-2am Mon-Thu, 4pm-4am Fri & Sat, happy hour 6-9pm; MTR Central (exit D1)
Entered from narrow Ezra’s Lane off Cochrane or Pottinger Sts, Gecko is an intimate lounge and wine bar run by a friendly French sommelier and wine importer with a penchant for absinthe. The well-hidden DJ mixes good sounds with kooky Parisian tunes, and there’s usually live music on Tuesday and Wednesday. Great wine list, obviously.
WHISKEY PRIEST Map Pub
2869 0099; Ground & 1st fl, 12 Lan Kwai Fong; 4pm-1am Tue-Thu, 4pm-3am Fri & Sat, noon-1am Sun, happy hour 4-10pm Mon-Sat, noon-1pm Sun; MTR Central (exit D2)
The first, and so far only, Irish pub (hence the ‘e’ in ‘whiskey’) to hit Lan Kwai Fong has Guinness, Kilkenny and Harp on tap, and 60 types of whiskey.
STAUNTON’S WINE BAR & CAFé Map Wine Bar
2973 6611; 10-12 Staunton St, Soho; 10am-2am Mon-Fri, 8am-2am Sat & Sun, happy hour 5-9pm; 26
Staunton’s, on the corner of Shelley St, is swish, cool and on the ball with decent wine, a Central Escalator–cruising scene and a lovely terrace. If you’re hungry, there’s light fare downstairs and a fabulously remodelled international restaurant above.
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Sheung Wan
SPARKZ Map Bar
2127 7533; 18 Gough St, Central; 11am-late Mon-Sun; MTR Central (exit A), 26
Run by a former sommelier, Sparkz’ back-lit bottles of wine lining the walls and the comfortable seating say it all – it’s about wine, boasting 150 different varieties. It’s a cosy place for a drink and a chat among a well-heeled professional crowd.
CAGE Map Bar, Restaurant
2816 6739; 3 Mee Lun St, NoHo; 6pm-late Mon-Sat, happy hour 7-9pm Mon-Sat; 26
Escape the crowds at this endearingly decorated (including some antique bird cages) and intimate newcomer, which boasts two outdoor terraces overlooking quiet streets in a charming little corner of Sheung Wan.
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Wan Chai
Wan Chai now has two nightlife areas worth exploring. The busier and more established occupies the western ends of Jaffe and Lockhart Rds; the other is a small but burgeoning food-and-bar enclave springing up in ‘old’ Wanchai, further inland. Check out the bars and dining spots in and around the Ship St area – including the excellent the Pawn Click here(Click here) – close to the tram tracks, as well as the area around St Francis, Wing Fung and Star Sts further west towards Pacific Pl.
BAR 109 Map Bar
2861 3336; 109 Lockhart Rd; noon-3am, happy hour 3-9pm; MTR Wan Chai (exit C)
Tired of rubbing, er, shoulders with working girls in the Wanch? Well, even if not, the 109 will give you 110 reasons to flock here. It’s a serious chill-out zone cobbled from a 1920s-vintage bakery and divided into three sections, including a bar, a covered ‘outside’ area and a 1st-floor balcony.
BRIDGE Map Bar
2865 5586; Shops A-B, 1st fl, Beverly House, 93-107 Lockhart Rd, Wan Chai; 24hr, happy hour noon-10pm; MTR Wan Chai (exit C)
This large and airy bar, with great windows overlooking the frenzy of Lockhart Rd, is open 24 hours, serving cocktails to the denizens and the doomed of Wan Chai. It’s less frenetic than most of its neighbours.
CHAMPAGNE BAR Map Bar
2588 1234 ext 7321; Ground fl, Grand Hyatt Hotel, 1 Harbour Rd, Wan Chai; 5pm-2am; MTR Wan Chai (exit A1)
Take your fizz in the sumptuous surrounds of the Grand Hyatt’s Champagne Room, kitted out in art deco furnishings to evoke Paris of