Beijing
Around the drum tower. Hutong speakeasies inside courtyard houses, neighbourhood bars, and the most atmospheric drinking quarter in Beijing. Save this neighbourhood guide before your next night in Beijing.
Gulou · $$
Mexican-influenced cocktail bar in a converted hutong courtyard.
You'll find Cocktail Bars, Craft Beer, Rooftop Bars and Sports Bars here, all tightly clustered enough to walk between in a single evening. That's the value of a neighbourhood guide: pick a starting room, end up four bars in, and never get in a cab. Every recommendation below is independent — barsforKings doesn't take payment for editorial placement, ever.
The order below is a working ranking, not gospel. Read the notes, pick the room that fits the night you're planning, and treat Gulou like locals do — start early, walk between rooms, end somewhere quieter than you started.
A working editorial ranking. Walkable in a single evening — pick your starting room and let the neighbourhood do the rest.