This chic salon is a mix between fine art exhibitions and fine dining, this expansive Central venue leaves most of its appeal to mystery. Boasting a spacious terrace and elegant interiors, Duddell’s specialises in traditional Cantonese cuisine to contrast with its cosmopolitan décor. The menu consists of comforting Cantonese staples such as baked abalone, crispy suckling pig, and fried lobster with innovative twists. Also serving great Chinese-inspired cocktails at its trendy ‘Salon’ bar.

Photo credit: jiagroup.co

Address: Level 3, Shanghai Tang Mansion, 1 Duddell Street, Central
Operating Hours: Mon-Wed: 12pm-12am, Thurs-Sat:12pm-1am, Sun:12pm-11pm
Tel: +852 6258 1344
Website: www.duddells.co
Email: info@duddells.co
Nearest MTR: Central Station

The Wise King, its name pays tribute to Alfonso X of Castile, a 13th-century Spanish monarch who allegedly contributed to the creation of the country’s culinary tradition that celebrates the golden age and rise of tapas food and drinking culture. Founded by two celebrated mixologists, Joe Villanueva and Sandeep Kumar, this cozy little spot in the heart of Central focuses on an exploration through the sensation of sight, taste, and sound with warm and welcoming hospitality from a team of service professionals.

Try the signature cocktail named after Alfonso himself, El Sabio or The Wise, featuring spiced peach and pineapple wine reduction with Cava, with a side of patatas bravas in the intimate space with plush velvet seats and golden Damask-style wallpaper.

Photo credit: The Forks and Spoons

Address: 25 Staunton Street, Basement, Soho, Tsung Wing Ln, Central
Operating Hours: Mon - Thu: 6:00pm - 1am, Fri - Sat: 6:00pm - 2am
Tel: +852 6258 1344
Website: www.thewiseking.com
Email: info@thewiseking.com
Nearest MTR: Central Station

Tell Camellia takes a cocktail bar to the new level. Named after Camellia sinensis, the bush plant of tea, the bar uses modern techniques and cutting-edge equipment to create unique drinks highlighting the flavors of the world’s finest teas.

Founded by Sandeep Hathiramani and Gagan Gurung, two Hong Kong bar industry veterans, who conceptualised this hidden gem, the bar has been carefully designed to complement the experience. Contemporary with a distinctive Japanese touch, the deep green walls, light wooden beams and subdued lighting give this intimate bar a warm and relaxing atmosphere, perfect for a date night.

Photo credit: Tell Camellia

Address: Car Po Commercial Building, LG/Floor , H Code 45 pottinger street Entrance alley on 48 Cochrane Street also, Central
Operating Hours: Sun - Thu: 2:00pm - 1:00am, Fri - Sat: 2:00pm - 2:00am
Tel: +852 6038 4020
Website: tellcamellia instagram page
Email: info@tellcamellia.com
Nearest MTR: Central Station

Tucked away on the fourth floor of an anonymous Wan Chai commercial building, this sophisticated Japanese-style bar, headed by ‘bartender-in-chief’ Masahiko Endo, who is usually impeccably attired in a white dinner jacket and bow tie, is the ultimate gateway to everything that is superb, stylish and classic.

It is a sanctuary serving up premium and rare whiskeys primarily from Japan and Scotland, as well as a list of signature, or bespoke cocktails. Aside from rare (whiskey) bottlings and expertly crafted cocktails, the bar incorporates a full-on terrace (complete with karesansui, or a traditional Japanese zen garden) where guests can relax... with a cigar.

Photo credit: whiskybase.com

Address: 4/F, Kiu Yin Commercial Building, 361-363 Lockhart Rd, Wan Chai
Operating Hours: Mon - Sun: 6:00pm - 3am
Tel: +852 3571 9797
Website: www.mizunarathelibrary.com
Nearest MTR: Wan Chai Station

Expect only the best at Quinary, with Diageo World Class 2015 Hong Kong & Macau Champion Antonio Lai at the helm, the bar celebrates flavour and aroma combined together with different textures, appearances and even sounds will challenge every preconception held about cocktails — hence, a Multisensory experience.

The must-try is its signature Earl Grey Caviar Martini, a heavenly mix of vodka, elderflower syrup, apple juice, Cointreau, lemon and lime, earl grey caviar but don’t hesitate to put your taste buds to other adventures, try the Bloody Mary (wasabi-redistilled vodka, homemade bloody mary mix, lemon and tomato juice, or the Oaked Havana (Havana rum, Cointreau, Martini Rosso, bitters – punchy, strong yet balanced and Cointreau rounded) – or A Touch of Rose (Blackcurrant vodka, Monin rose and violet reduction, champagne, where the floral flavours have been crafted in-house.

Photo credit: Condé Nast Traveler

Address: 56, 58 Hollywood Rd, Central
Operating Hours: Sat to Thu: 6:00pm - 1am, Fri: 6:00pm - 2am
Tel: +852 2851 3223
Website: www.quinary.hk
Email: info@quinary.hk
Nearest MTR: Central Station

DarkSide is a sophisticated, timeless celebration of rare aged spirits and confident classic cocktails complemented by sultry live jazz. Its dark spirits selection spans back to the early 19th century and includes exclusive casks of single-harvest tawny port from 1969 and Grande Champagne cognac aged in oak, as well as an extensive library of choice rum, whisky and calvados. The concise cocktail list pays homage to Kowloon’s “Dark Side” moniker and focuses on time-honoured traditions updated with innovative techniques.

Photo credit: Time Out

Address: Rosewood Hong Kong Victoria Dockside, 18 Salisbury Rd, Tsim Sha Tsui
Operating Hours: Sat to Thu: 6:00pm - 1am, Fri: 6:00pm - 2am
Tel: +852 3891 8732
Website: www.darkside.hk
Email: hongkong.restaurants@rosewoodhotels.com
Nearest MTR: Tsim Sha Tsui Station

With a strong focus on the interactions shared between the staff and guests, COA boasts a cosy, open and intimate space with reclaimed industrial accents. The humble Mexican inspired setting favours wood, brick and concrete elements, and is dimly lit by candles that cast a soft glow over beautifully hand-drawn wall murals of goddesses and mythical creatures and a real coa hand carried from Oaxaca, embedded into the wall of the bar serving as a symbol of craftsmanship.

COA features a beautifully curated cocktail list inspired by flavours of Mexico. The menu introduces a new cocktail every week based on seasonal ingredients which are handpicked by the team. While the bar features tequila and mezcal, it also carries a wide range of other Mexican spirits such as Raicilla, Bacanora, Sotol and Charanda.

Photo credit: The Forks & Spoons

Address: Shop A, LG/F Wah Shin House, 6-10 Shin Hing Street, Central, Hong Kong
Operating Hours: Mon: Closed, Tues to Sun: 6:00pm - 1am
Tel: +852 2813 5787
Website: coa.com.hk
Email: info@coa.com.hk
Nearest MTR: Central Station

Butler may be small, but it is not short of character, it is the place to go if you love a personalized touch and where the bartenders who don Casablanca-style white dinner jackets will answer every question you have, while you watch them showcasing the precision of Japanese cocktail-making techniques.

Butler is the first independent venture by Oriental Sake Bar Yu-Zen’s former master mixologist Masayuki Uchida. As someone who’s shaken and stirred at some of the finest cocktail venues in Ginza, Uchida has taken Japan’s detail-oriented bartending culture as the overriding blueprint for Butler. It boasts a well-stocked bar with over 200 different types of whiskies and pleasing cocktail creations and it is a place full of character. With an atmosphere like a classic American bar, this quiet, cosy, understated drinking venue that only seats 20, is the watering hole of choice for Japanese salarymen in Hong Kong,

Photo credit: littleadventureinhongkong.com

Address: Tsim Sha Tsui, Mody Rd, Mody House
Operating Hours: Mon to Sun: 6:30pm - 2:30am, Sat 6:30pm–2am, Sun: 6:30pm–1am
Tel: +852 2724 3828
Website: butler-gr.com
Nearest MTR: East Tsim Sha Tsui Station

This is yet another Antonio Lai’s, award-winning mixologist from Hong Kong, intervention. He is conspiring with Derek Tsui and Michelin-starred Chef Vicky Cheng in delivering a densely packed punch on the list of near 20 signature cocktails inspired by the cuisine and techniques of Asia and other parts of the world, as well as the art of deconstruction and reconstruction complete with Asian style snacks available to accompany each beverage.

Sitting on the 29th-floor balcony of VEA Lounge, right up close against other behemoth towers, is in some ways a more breathtaking setting at night than any rooftop bar with a harbourview. The drinks themselves are imaginative, taking risks where it matters. The Bone Marrow Old Fashioned is an inspired take on a classic, while Goddess In The Sky perfectly blends earthy and floral notes for a memorable tipple. The Instagram-friendly Whooo’s Chai comes in a generously-sized bronze owl tankard and retains its smoke and spice-laden taste to the end.

Photo credit: VEA HK

Address: 29 & 30/F, 198 Wellington Street, Central
Operating Hours: Mon to Wed — 5pm - 1am, Thurs to Sat — 5pm - 2am, Sun: closed
Tel: +852 2711 0063
Website: www.vea.hk/lounge
Email: lounge@vea.hk
Nearest MTR: Central Station

Don’t be fooled by its tiny size of a bar, The Old Man has been wowing its patrons since opening in 2017. With a unique T shaped bar and an abstract, geometric portrait of Ernest Hemingway, apparently assembled from surplus building materials leftover from The Old Man’s build, this sexy and intimate watering hole ranked No. 1 in 2019.

Inspired by the American novelist’s worldly travels and penchant for proper potations, and named after his 1952 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, “The Old Man and The Sea,” here head bartender Agung Prabowo has built a concise list of libations inspired by the author’s favourite drinks, spirits and flavours. Many cocktails incorporate rotovap distillation technology and are built from a mix of sweet and savoury ingredients, some rarely found in cocktails, such as Gruyère cheese.

Photo credit: Champ Magazine

Address: Lower G/F, 37-39 Aberdeen Street, Soho, Central, Hong Kong
Operating Hours: Mon–Sat: 5pm-2am, Sun: 5pm-12am
Tel: +852 2703 1899
Website: www.facebook.com/TheOldManHK
Nearest MTR: Central Station