Inn Side Out

Inn Side Out occupied the second floor podium of the South China Athletic Association clubhouse at 88 Caroline Hill Road, an open air American style sports bar that Sassy Hong Kong once called the city's ultimate sports bar. For decades it ran on a simple formula: big screens, long tables, ceiling fans, and free monkey nuts whose shells went straight onto the floor.

That formula ended on March 31, 2026. A notice outside read, per Dimsum Daily: We are closing tonight. Enjoy a last beer with us.

SCAA staff describe the closure as temporary with no reopening timetable, and the venue's page has come off the association's website. Online reaction called it the end of an era, which for once undersells it.

The setting did the work: a covered open air terrace on the clubhouse podium, screens in every sightline, and enough long table seating to hold a full Sevens weekend crowd. Time Out listed it among Causeway Bay's reliable standbys for exactly that scale.

It sat a short walk from Causeway Bay MTR via Times Square, with the SCAA's pitches and the hum of Caroline Hill Road below.

The program was beer first: cold draft pints and match night pitchers at clubhouse prices that Yelp reviewers consistently flagged as a bargain against Central's sports bars. The kitchen ran an American grill menu, burgers and wings built for halftime.

The real signature cost nothing. Baskets of monkey nuts landed on every table, and cracking shells onto the floor was the house ritual that regulars cite first in three decades of reviews.

Match nights drew expats, SCAA members, and anyone who wanted sport without Lan Kwai Fong prices. Daytimes ran gentler, with families and long lunches under the fans.

What regulars say:

• Sassy Hong Kong called it Hong Kong's ultimate sports bar.
• Dimsum Daily reported an outpouring of nostalgia at the closure, with patrons calling it the end of an era.
• Yelp and hkclubbing reviews return to the same trinity: cheap pints, free peanuts, every match on.

Who it was for:

• Big group match nights that needed long tables
• Sevens weekend warmups and wind downs
• Avoid if you wanted cocktails or air conditioning

Hong Kong lost its most distinctive sports bar when the shutters came down. If the SCAA reopens the space, the peanuts should be the first thing back. Until then, the city's match night trade moves to the rooms below.

Status: Closed indefinitely since March 31, 2026. SCAA staff call it temporarily closed; no reopening date exists. Check the SCAA's official site before planning a visit.

Where it was: 2/F, South China Athletic Association, 88 Caroline Hill Road, Causeway Bay, a short walk from Causeway Bay MTR via Times Square.

For the same itch: The Globe pours craft pints with match coverage in Central, and our watching the game in Hong Kong guide maps the full field of Hong Kong sports bars.