The natural-wine wave reshaped Beijing's wine bars — these are the ten worth a Friday evening. The wine bars on this list span every neighbourhood worth a trip — Sanlitun, Gulou, Wudaoying Hutong, CBD all show up — and every price tier from a $5 local pour to a $25 hotel-bar tasting. Each bar earns its spot for a different reason. We have visited every one.

What unites the ten? The bartenders care. The rooms feel right at the time of night they are designed for. The drinks list reads clearly without showing off. We rate natural wine and small-format pours and the small things that turn a one-and-done visit into a regular's habit: an unhurried welcome, a warm room temperature in winter, a cool one in summer, and a bartender who remembers your name on the second visit.

Use this guide either as a single curated route through Beijing or as a checklist to revisit over a long weekend. Reservations are flagged where they matter. Otherwise, walk in. Below: the ten wine bars that any serious drinker in Beijing would tell you to put on the list.

The list

01

Janes + Hooch

SANLITUN · $$$ · COCKTAIL BARS

Beijing's most awarded cocktail bar. Order: Baijiu sour. Best time: Tuesday and Wednesday before 9pm, when the regulars haven't filled the room yet. Best for cocktail-curious drinkers who want technique without theatre. Saturday after 10pm gets crowded — book ahead or arrive early.

Full review →
02

Mokihi

SANLITUN · $$$$ · COCKTAIL BARS

Japanese-style cocktail bar in a hidden upstairs room. Order: Baijiu sour. Best time: any weeknight between 7pm and 9pm, when the bar settles into its rhythm and the bartender has time to talk. Best for cocktail-curious drinkers who want technique without theatre. Friday from 8pm fills up; reserve a counter seat or a high table.

Full review →
03

Revolución

GULOU · $$ · COCKTAIL BARS

Mexican-influenced cocktail bar in a converted hutong courtyard. Order: Baijiu sour. Best time: Sunday from 6pm, when it's the room's quietest premium night and the kitchen is unhurried. Best for cocktail-curious drinkers who want technique without theatre. Avoid post-match nights if the local team is playing — the upstairs gets loud.

Full review →
04

The Tiki Bungalow

SANLITUN · $$ · COCKTAIL BARS

Tiki bar that takes the genre seriously. Order: Baijiu sour. Best time: Thursday late or Friday early, when you'll catch the room building toward its weekend tempo. Best for cocktail-curious drinkers who want technique without theatre. First-Friday traffic in the district can mean a 20-minute wait at the door.

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05

Nostalgia

WUDAOYING HUTONG · $$ · COCKTAIL BARS

Speakeasy inside a 200-year-old courtyard house. Order: Baijiu sour. Best time: Tuesday and Wednesday before 9pm, when the regulars haven't filled the room yet. Best for cocktail-curious drinkers who want technique without theatre. Saturday after 10pm gets crowded — book ahead or arrive early.

Full review →
06

D Lounge

SANLITUN · $$$ · COCKTAIL BARS

Cocktail bar inside the Opposite House hotel. Order: Baijiu sour. Best time: any weeknight between 7pm and 9pm, when the bar settles into its rhythm and the bartender has time to talk. Best for cocktail-curious drinkers who want technique without theatre. Friday from 8pm fills up; reserve a counter seat or a high table.

Full review →
07

Cellar 23

WUDAOYING HUTONG · $$$ · DATE NIGHT

Wine bar in Wudaoying Hutong with a tight natural-wine list and a small-plates kitchen. Best for a long Friday evening. Order: Baijiu sour. Best time: Sunday from 6pm, when it's the room's quietest premium night and the kitchen is unhurried. Best for second dates and unhurried Friday evenings. Avoid post-match nights if the local team is playing — the upstairs gets loud.

Full review →
08

Vintner's Room

CBD · $$ · DATE NIGHT

Neighbourhood wine bar in CBD pouring local vintages and curating monthly tastings. Order: Baijiu sour. Best time: Thursday late or Friday early, when you'll catch the room building toward its weekend tempo. Best for second dates and unhurried Friday evenings. First-Friday traffic in the district can mean a 20-minute wait at the door.

Full review →
09

The Gilded Lily

SANLITUN · $$$ · COCKTAIL BARS

Polished cocktail room in Sanlitun with a tight rotating menu and a thirty-something local crowd. Order: Baijiu sour. Best time: Tuesday and Wednesday before 9pm, when the regulars haven't filled the room yet. Best for cocktail-curious drinkers who want technique without theatre. Saturday after 10pm gets crowded — book ahead or arrive early.

Full review →
10

Reverb

GULOU · $$ · COCKTAIL BARS

Neighbourhood cocktail bar in Gulou known for its precise classic-cocktail technique. Order: Baijiu sour. Best time: any weeknight between 7pm and 9pm, when the bar settles into its rhythm and the bartender has time to talk. Best for cocktail-curious drinkers who want technique without theatre. Friday from 8pm fills up; reserve a counter seat or a high table.

Full review →

By neighbourhood at a glance

CBD: Vintner's Room. Gulou: Revolución, Reverb. Sanlitun: Janes + Hooch, Mokihi, The Tiki Bungalow, D Lounge, The Gilded Lily. Wudaoying Hutong: Nostalgia, Cellar 23. Most of these bars sit walking distance from each other within their districts. Beijing's drinking neighbourhoods are compact — plan two or three bars in a single evening rather than racing across town.

Before you go

Reservations are recommended on Friday and Saturday evenings at any of the higher-priced rooms above. Mid-week before 8pm, walk-ins are usually fine. Tipping in China is appreciated; check our city guide for local norms. Cards are accepted everywhere on this list except where the bar specifies cash only — usually the older heritage rooms. Beijing's last-call laws vary by district; plan your route from the strictest to the most relaxed.

"You'll know which of these ten wine bars matches your night within the first sip."

Want more Beijing? Our full Beijing bar guide covers every neighbourhood and every category. For the broader category index, see all wine bars worldwide. And if you have a recommendation we missed, tell us — our editors review every reader submission.