Smugglers

This offshoot of Poachers lives up to its name, washing ashore in Sanlitun one moonless night laden with booze. But don’t go mistaking Smugglers as yet another port of call on Sanlitun’s crowded drinking strip, as it manages to set itself apart from raucous neighbour Kai by eschewing their policy of packing in as many drunken, dancing bodies as possible in favour of providing an altogether calmer atmosphere.

The layout is sure to confuse Sanlitun’s legions of revellers – no outdoor seating and an interior comprised of alcoves with ample seating and walls covered in framed paintings and posters – while the music is of the chilled out, jazzy variety. The hard wood furniture pitches the bar somewhere between its closest neighbours, with a style akin to The Tree and prices straight out of Poachers. Bravely pushing the drinks prices up to 15RMB for a vodka mixed drink, the bartenders still seem to be finding their feet, and speed pouring is a skill they’re going to have to acquire quickly if they’re to remain open.

However this slight increase in the area’s accepted drinks price is tempered by a 15RMB-for-two glasses of Yanjing deal, making them the cheapest bar this side of Pure Girl. Smugglers can also now be added to that ever-so-short list of Sanlitun bars with acceptably hygienic toilets – how long this will last though is anybody’s guess.