Sky highs: six of Hong Kong’s best rooftop bars

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This article is part of a hong kong guide by F.T. Globetrotter

One pitfall of the global drinking culture is that after a few sips of Peroni, Bordeaux or Drambuie, it’s easy to fool yourself into thinking you could be in any city, anywhere. But stand on a Hong Kong rooftop and you’ll know exactly where you are. A rooftop drink, even if it charges at the higher end of the spectrum in what is already a very expensive city, can turn an ordinary night into an occasion. What may seem tacky, surly and commercial during the day transforms into a sea of ​​sharp lights at night.

New bars may be opening and everyone has their trusty favourites, but in my few months of being in Hong Kong, the following have stood out. In some you feel closer to heaven than to the ground. In others, the joy is simply the feeling that on a rooftop, you are existing right in the heart of the city. Two things to keep in mind: the risk of bad weather, and it is always a good idea to check if the place is reserved for a private event.

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terrible baby

Fourth Floor, Eaton HK, 380 Nathan Road, Jordan, Hong Kong

• Good for: Hipsters and fans of dance music (with DJ and live music). Spending a Saturday night with friends.

• Not so good for: dirty vanities

• For your information: Nathan Road, one of Kowloon’s main thoroughfares, used to be known as the Golden Mile.

• Website; Addresses

Terrible Baby (from “enfant terrible”) in this case refers to “a group of young, passionate and intrepid creatives who are inspired by the Dada art movement. They are talented but mavericks; innovative and unorthodox who enjoy taking risks and being daring,” according to the bar’s website. I worry that he might take himself too seriously. But upon arrival, I check the cocktail menu (starting at HK$85; around $11/£9) and figure anyone selling a drink called the Freak Show, a mix of tequila or bourbon, passion fruit, syrup thai red chilli and beer that frankly sounds like something my seven year old could mix up in the bath, he knows how to have fun.

The fourth-floor rooftop bar is dominated by a hotel whose neon lights shoot fire across the sky like molten wax in a lava lamp. We don’t discuss surrealism or take many risks, but we do roll back the Freak Shows, as well as other clever cocktails like the tasty Rusty Plum, Crybaby, and Rock Chick, and ride down the neon-lit escalators without getting hurt. .

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Sugar

32nd Floor, East Hotel, Taikoo Shing Road, Taikoo, Hong Kong

• Good for: An alternative view of the port.

• Not so good for: Drizzly nights. They don’t have enough umbrellas for everyone.

• For your information: Take the slow route on a tram, one of the last double-decker trams in the world.

• Website; Addresses

Sit on Sugar’s terrace and think about the history, geography and how Hong Kong became the financial capital of Asia. The bar, named after the produce the Taikoo district was once famous for, has a view of the harbor best enjoyed at dusk, not only for the sunset, but also for the special offer of a cocktail. Sundowner for HK$108 (about $14/£11) and two pints of draft beer for HK$158 (about $20/£16), Monday to Saturday, 5:30-7:30pm. Drinks include the Cheeky Collins, a blend of Hendrick’s gin, lychee liqueur, rose and green tea cordial, and the whiskey-forward Where’s the Monkey, a blend with apple juice, rosemary and ginger beer. For those who find the cocktails too sugary, choose a whiskey from the extensive list and enjoy a part of the city that was once packed with warehouses and is now packed with skyscrapers. As an added bonus, the sink in the ladies’ room has an equally amazing view of a bright, high-rise skyline.

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feather and bone

22 Mosque Street, Mid Levels, Hong Kong

• Good for: cheap drinks for after work

• Not so good for: Restriction. Relatively low prices may encourage you to overindulge

• For your information: Once you have purchased your wine, you need to exit the building and walk around the back to access the rooftop terrace.

• Website; Addresses

Traversing the mountainous Mid-Levels central district is the world’s largest outdoor escalator system: a 800m long chain of escalators and walkways that takes workers downhill every morning, before changing direction and escort your weary bones home at night. Follow the escalators up Mosque Street and you will eventually arrive at Feather and Bone, an upmarket butcher, delicatessen and restaurant with a rooftop terrace that at first glance appears to be a private garden. Although there is no table service on the terrace, it is not a difficulty when compared to the tranquility and privacy, the view of the green Jamia Mosque, the oldest in Hong Kong, and the hordes of escalators, and you can pick up a bottle of wine at retail prices in the store, like a Portuguese Azevedo vinho verde (HK$168; about $21.50/17 sterling), and take it outside for outdoor enjoyment. Feather and Bone will open the bottle, provide plastic cups, and allow guests to order food from the restaurant as long as they bring it upstairs. It is an ideal place for afternoon drinks.

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seva

25th Floor, Prince Building, 10 Chater Road, Central, Hong Kong

• Good for: Glamor in the heart of the city

• Not so good for: People with little sense of direction. I got lost in the network of air-conditioned tunnels under the Prince’s building.

• For your information: Check out the display of Louis XV-themed cutlery by the entrance.

• Website; Addresses

The Bank of China building, all twinkling triangles and sharp edges, is one of the most distinctive in Hong Kong. Officials preparing for delivery to China in 1997 feared the design portended bad feng shui. But the feng shui for Sevva visitors is certainly good. Go up to the panoramic terrace to a Bounty hunter-as a landscape that encompasses not only the Bank of China and statue square but also the 60 m high Hong Kong observation wheel and the harbor itself. The champagne here is so cold it boggles the brain, the music is high-octane, clubby and loud, setting the mood for a party just on the right side of cheesy. The prices are certainly on the higher end: the custom-made mojitos (lychee, guava, strawberry and champagne, and charred mandarin) are HK$185 (about $23.50 / £19). But it’s worth it for the location and chic setting – go early to set the tone for a great night out.

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popinjays

The Murray, 22 Cotton Tree Drive, Downtown, Hong Kong

• Good for: Corporate events when you want to impress a client. A high risk date

• Not so good for: waterproofing The first time we tried Popinjays, the bar was closed because of the rain, somewhat daunting after trudging down Cotton Tree Drive.

• For your information: Call ahead because it is reserved for private events. The Murray hotel porter can arrange a taxi home.

• Website; Addresses

Popinjays, named after the parrot and a reference to its gregariousness, deals with the kind of luxury that can feel a little cheesy, namely the padded leather seat in The Murray hotel’s private elevator that takes you straight to the bar. But the service, the right combination of formality and friendliness, puts visitors at ease. The wine list is decent, there are plenty of champagnes to choose from, and the whiskey selection seems to cover every distillery in Scotland, and then some. Delicious bar snacks include mini truffle pizzas and lobster rolls, and with an afternoon tea deal (HK$398; around $50/£40) that includes oysters, caviar, lobster and Peking duck, this It is a territory for special occasions. On the nights we were there, it seemed like a destination for engagement parties and quiet fun. Whatever the event, there is enough space on the impressively large 420 square meter terrace to relax and enjoy the evening.

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ohana

29th Floor, QRE Plaza, 202 Queen’s Road East, Wan Chai, Hong Kong

• Good for: Unpretentious fun and reminder of lost youth

• Not so good for: impress people

• For your information: It is close to a great Sichuan restaurant called Deng G.. Head to Ohana after dinner.

• Website; Addresses

Ohana’s selling point is its Hawaiian theme, and there’s a whiff of exotic fruit, or possibly air freshener, when we arrive. Its location on the 29th floor of Wan Chai gives the bar an urban, student vibe, with its wicker chairs and hookah pipes underlining the fun, indie vibe. The crowd is young, its signature cocktails cost around HK$128 (around HK$16/GBP13), and if you’re brave enough, it also serves “Drinkable” absinthe shooters (HK$118; around $15/£12).

Although the cocktails are where Ohana shines. The Lit’Chi, a vodka cocktail with a mix of fruits that includes lychee, raspberry, pineapple, and orange, is dangerously easy to drink, while the Ohana Colada, a refreshing mix of rum, pineapple, banana, coconut, and lime, pleases the crowd. . Earning Ohana bonus points is how the cocktail ingredients are used from “stem to seed,” a nose-to-tail-like approach in mixology that aims to reduce waste. But this bar doesn’t take itself too seriously. The night I’m there, the staff wear T-shirts telling me to relax, there are beer coasters advising the same, and with the exception of the no-nonsense signs in the bathrooms telling me to clean up my own vomit or pay for it privilege of someone else doing it, this really is a laid back club. Head here for a few drinks to top off an evening.

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