Hong Kong bar reviews

Updated, October 27, 2023: Along with The Dispensary’s team, Aqua Restaurant Group’s beverage director, Lorenzo Coppola, has created a series of cocktails inspired by Eastern and Western natural remedies. The menu is presented in a reimagined apothecary box, and guests are invited to open each cabinet to find hand-drawn pictures of their desired cocktails. Aside from using ingredients inspired by natural remedies, The Dispensary’s latest drinks also incorporate presentation elements that pay tribute to the concept. For instance, the spicy chilli haw margarita ($148) is served in a can designed to resemble haw flakes, a nostalgic treat for many Hongkongers that is often enjoyed with bitter herbal medicine. Another notable creation is the eucalyptus martini ($128), which draws inspiration from Ricqules’ peppermint cure. This cocktail features Tanqueray No.10 Gin, grappa, Mancino Bianco, and lemon bitters, all mixed with fresh aromatic eucalyptus to recreate the refreshing sensation of peppermint.  Old review, November 22, 2018: Contrasting details are a deliberate feature of Tai Kwun. It’s why the Victorian era Barrack Block sits a stone’s throw from the 21st-century JC Contemporary building and stark colour schemes are employed to help guests navigate the different sections of the site. It’s a theme that extends to the various bars and restaurants operating there, too. Nowhere is this more apparent than at The Dispensary. Not only is it resolutely traditional in comparison...

Cafe-bar Barcode is back! After a short absence, the bar has relocated from its previous home on Glenealy Street to a brand-new location on Cochrane Street underneath the Mid-Levels Escalator. The new cafe space offers ample indoor seating, doing away with the small outdoor porch compared to the old venue. Inside, Barcode maintains its signature colour scheme of white, complemented by blue accents on their sofas, and sheer cream-coloured curtains. Their large windows allow plenty of natural sunlight to flood in, creating a relaxed atmosphere that transports you away from the bustling city. The brains behind the cafe-bar is tea-cocktail connoisseur and Tell Camellia’s co-founder Gagan Gurung. Barcode still adheres to their previous philosophy of merging bar, coffee, and dessert cultures. However, unlike their previous location where the bar was concealed, the new venue integrates the cafe and bar areas into a single space.Barcode’s food menu offers a modest variety of options. In the morning, diners can enjoy a small selection of pastries, while during the day they can choose from entrees such as sandwiches, pastas, and burgers. As for the cafe’s coffee selection, their specialty lies in espressos and offer a medium-dark roasted espresso blend that combines Colombian, Latin American, and Ethiopian coffee beans. We ordered a New Black ($55), which sees a thick layer of cream dusted with cocoa powder, placed over brewed coffee. We recommend not stirring the drink initially to...

Over the years, Kennedy Town has undergone a transformation evolving from a sleepy town into one of Hong Kong’s trendiest neighbourhoods full of casual eateries and restobars. Adding to the array of drinking establishments in this waterfront town is Blotto, a laid-back drinking den that prides itself on making sure you have a good time while drinking to your heart’s (and liver’s) content. The bar’s name was inspired from a 15th century term that means ‘to be extremely drunk’ - now, you’ll know what to expect when you swing by. The philosophy of Blotto is simple: ‘if it ain’t fun, don’t do it’, and the bar certainly follows that motto with gusto.  Blotto exudes a no-fuss, unpretentious divey vibe. It is simple yet honest, inviting you to unwind and have a great time. The bar's signage, painted in bold grey letters, almost gives the impression that the painter made an amusing mistake on the letters. Inside, the bar's interior is adorned with colourful metal stools and steel drum chairs. The walls are a cheerful mix of yellow, pink, and blue, decorated with cheeky murals portraying animals joyfully sharing pints or raising wine glasses. It's the kind of joint where you can kick back and gleefully gulp down a few libations without feeling like you're under a microscope. They also offer a modest collection of card and board games to keep you and your friends entertained throughout the night. The brainchild behind the bar is local mixologist Austen Lendrum, who is also the...

Tucked away behind a tall, nondescript wall on On Wo Lane is Ginger, a new whisky bar that has taken up residence in the laidback surroundings of Central’s Kau U Fong. This small space is neatly split over two floors. The ground area, where the bar is located, is bare but inviting, even if the exposed concrete walls and wooden furniture are something we’ve seen a hundred times before. Upstairs is a more intimate, loft-like space with cosy leather armchairs.  The bar is two weeks into its soft opening when we visit. A first-time venture by whisky aficionado and critic Tony Leung, the bar’s menu is comprehensive, with an enticing selection of whiskies, cocktails and beers. Leung is highly knowledgeable, as you’d expect of a drinks connoisseur, but rather than come across as snobbish, he’s an enthusiastic and affectionate owner who's there on the night we visit. He recommends that we try some of the whiskies that are currently off-menu and we eagerly follow his advice, selecting the single malt Linkwood 18 years ($180). This dram is distilled using water straight from Millbuies Loch, its texture is crisp and refreshing with distinctive fruity notes. We are also tempted to order the Sendai ($120), a cocktail of Nikka whisky, dry vermouth and pineapple juice. Blended with fresh instead of canned pineapples, the drink is a vibrant without being as tacky as some other fruity summertime cocktails. The taste of whisky is not lost in the mix, but a sweeter blend would do well to...

Fact: sakes are for cool people. Yakuzas drink it, James Bond drinks it, and if you’ve been meaning to get in on this too, then head no further than Sake Bar Ginn – a shiny enclave dedicated to the best nihonshu from Japan. Tucked away in a small commercial building in the middle of LKF, this homey, terraced bar stocks more than 70 bottles, close to 40 of which are available in single-glass tasting pours. Don’t worry if you don’t recognise most of the names listed in the menu – Sake Bar Ginn’s founder Ayuchi Momose (a Sake Service Institute certified sommelier and instructor who also used to work at the famed Sakagura sake bar in New York) has gone to extra lengths to source lesser-known sakes from small, boutique breweries around Japan. It can be a dizzying list for first-timers, which is why the first two pages of the menu are designed like a crash course on sakes, breaking down the difference between the junmai and honjozo families (the former has no added alcohol while the latter does) before going on to categorise them by grade (determined by the percentage of sakamai rice husk that’s polished off before processing) and basic flavour profiles. But the best way to learn is by drinking (of course) and at Ginn, a sake tasting flight is the best place to begin (starts at $500 and up). The staff will happily talk guests through each drink, explaining the back stories (including how one brewery came to be named after otters) and they’ll do the ritualistic steps to help draw...

This funky little Sai Ying Pun corner spot, the latest culinary concept from the founders of Sheung Wan’s Common Ground café – twin brothers Caleb and Joshua Ng – dishes up sweet and savoury pancake ‘tapas’, paired with original cocktails. The menu is simple and creative: eight pancakes matched with cocktails, plus a handful of sides. We start with the 12H78C ($98) – that’s code for short ribs, slow-cooked for 12 hours at 78°C. While the barbecue ribs themselves are tasty, we’re disappointed by the buckwheat pancakes on which the ribs are perched. They’re measly, bland rounds – certainly not the stars of this small plate. The dish pairs well with Alcoholic’s Breakfast ($108), a vodka-based tipple with a jolt of caffeine. We fare similarly with the other savoury pancakes that we sample, like Pearl ($128) and Chu ($128) – enjoying certain aspects apart from the pancakes themselves. Our final sweet pancake selection – Running Honey ($58) – is the saviour. These golden brown, fluffy hotcakes are a honey-coated delight, from the silky honey butter to the crunchy honeycomb shards. Stack’s pancake-and-cocktail spin is definitely cool, but until the savoury pancakes improve, we’d recommend stopping by post-dinner for a drink and a sweet pancake or two. Stephanie Pliakas Verdict: Pancakes and cocktails for the hipster crowd Stack 1 Third St, Sai Ying Pun, 2549 9787; stackconcepts.com. Dinner for two: $600.

Spilling out into the street for a tipple after clocking off for the day is a staple pastime for many a Hongkonger. Every now and then, however, a bar comes along that invites you to step away from the hustle and bustle into a much needed sanctuary. Down a narrow staircase on Bridges Street, Lof 10 Distillery seeks to do just that.  There’s an impressive terrace, but much like its namesake café – Lof 10 on U Lam Terrace – the whisky bar is nestled out of sight. However, while the former is open and welcoming, the Distillery sports a slightly cold, minimalist interior. Nonetheless, it’s muggy and mid-June, so we step inside. Cool interiors and low-lighting make this a comfortable space, albeit disjointed as the main seating area is disconnected from the bar. We order a Woo cocktail ($120) to start the evening – a refreshing drink made with Campari and limoncello, though the addition of lemon rind adds a sharp edge to an already tart drink. While the cocktail menu is impressive, it pales in comparison to the whiskies. Lof 10 Distillery considers itself to have the finest selection in town, and a glance along the wall adorned with bottles shows they’re definite contenders. With an impressive array of Japanese whiskies, on recommendation, we opt for the Iwai wine cask finish ($190). The smooth undertones of this blended whisky are perfectly matched with a subtle, smoky flavour, and it goes down a treat. While best served neat, a glass of ice and water with a pipette are on...

Blinding incidents in Hong Kong bars have probably increased significantly in recent times. Such has been the exponential rise in the popularity of darts. No longer cast to the darkest, dankest corner of a pub to rot away in cobweb-ridden wooden cabinets, darts are now common place in bars across the city. Seizing upon this, the Japanese phenomenon i Darts has added to its hundreds of darts-dedicated bars and expanded beyond its homeland for the first time by opening in Tsim Sha Tsui’s vertical drinking centre, Katherine House. On exiting the elevators, darts bombard you from every direction. To the left of the dim, open space, a massive, illuminated purple, red, and white bulls-eye hangs above the lustrous bar. Directly in front, there’s a cabinet filled with darts memorabilia, and beyond, a series of ten buzzing, chiming, flashing machines called Darts Live 2, the latest Sega-designed, state-of-the-art electronic darts gizmos, stretching across the ebony and charcoal bar. The i-stage, an elevated, spot-lit machine, takes centre stage, with a long couch providing a comfortable stadium-like viewing spot. Lots of darts in a room might sound like a rather timid affair, but i Darts Club is surprisingly lively. The bar has adopted the slogan “Fun and communication”, promoting a friendly atmosphere, best manifested at the regular, raucous darts parties where the R&B, J-Rock, and 15-minute versions of Eye of the Tiger are overshadowed by the deafening collision of inflatable...

What is a bar? The answer seems straightforward – until you experience something that turns all preconceived notions on their proverbial head. Welcome to Hong Kong, J.Boroski. Named after owner Joseph Boroski, this new Central bar is, well, not really a bar. It technically is, of course – inasmuch as drinks are ordered and consumed on-site – but this ‘creative cocktail space’ goes above and beyond what a bar, however superlative, offers. For starters, this invitation-only space has no listed address and also no menu. It’s a formula that’s already seen success at J.Boroski Bangkok, which, upon opening in 2014, quickly became one of the most sought-after seats in town. As with the Thonglor original, the local incarnation has been designed by Boroski’s long-time collaborator Ashley Sutton, of Ophelia fame. Dark, dramatic and spacious, the room’s focal point is the curved ceiling, half of which is tastefully adorned with large rhinoceros beetles forming a mesmerising display over the spotlit bar. Providing a ‘concierge service’ to guests means that drinks are tailored to your tastebuds – to order is to answer a series of questions about your unique preferences. Strong or mild? Sweet or sour? Floral? Herbal? Spicy? Plus, you pay for the liquor and the rest is added for free. A tequila-based tipple ($150) uses clove and leather-imbued Excellia Blanco – we order ours floral and spicy, and get the perfect balance. We then request a herbal, smoky, whisky-based number and find that...

The past decade has been all about wine, wine, wine. The abolition of taxes last year, as well as the momentum behind wine has seen it creep up on the brown spirits as a leader in our local industry. But while vino has been dominating, beer has been left behind. With the boutique and luxury beer market worldwide burgeoning, Hong Kong has largely been left drinking San Miguel, Heineken, and Carlsberg by the bucket, with the occasional Sol for those feeling exotic. What’s been lacking is a real beer culture and a widely accessible range of decent brews. So, when a new bar like Trafalgar opens with a palpable dedication to the lager, ale and stout cause, it’s a little bit exciting. The guys behind Trafalgar take their beer seriously, demonstrated by the 11 varieties available on tap. Indeed, few – if any – beer dens in Hong Kong can boast a greater selection. The creamy, hoppy Spitfire Smooth is arguably the highlight of the draught beers ($54/pint) – a beer that Trafalgar management claims isn’t available on draft anywhere else in Wan Chai. Of the near 50 beers offered at Trafalgar, the wonderfully dark and potent Thomas Hardy Vintage Ale is one of the standouts, both because of its rareness and its $118 price tag. The Trashy Blond, Punk IPA, and RIP Tide ($50), a trio of beers from Scottish microbrewer Brewdog, are also a welcome surprise, providing a more artisan, boutique twist to the traditional ale-dominated list. Despite its clear enthusiasm for the amber liquid,...