A decorated cocktail bar where inventive drinks are backed up by excellent bar food. Expect contemporary signatures, approachable variations on classics and satisfying snacks ranging from fried chicken and fries to American-style comfort food.

Address: 230 Jinxian Road, Huangpu District 进贤路230号

A restrained lane-house cocktail bar with warm lighting, minimal decoration and a calm acoustic atmosphere. Drinks are sophisticated without being showy, and the bartenders are comfortable moving beyond the printed menu when guests have a particular style in mind.

Address: 1F, Building 12, 287 South Shaanxi Road, near West Jianguo Road, Huangpu District 陕西南路287号12号楼1楼，近建国西路

A lively convenience-store-inspired highball bar with late-night snacks in a bustling neighbourhood. The crowd frequently spills onto Fumin Road, making it one of the area’s better stops for casual drinks and people-watching rather.

Address: 185 Fumin Road, near Julu Road, Jing’an District 富民路185号，近巨鹿路

A relaxed listening bar built around vinyl, warm hospitality and exceptionally well-made cocktails, featuring a few well-loved Peddlers cocktails. The soundtrack leans toward funk, soul, jazz and rare groove, making this one of Shanghai’s best places for a slower drink.

Address: 145 Nanchang Road, near Ruijin 2nd Road, Huangpu District 南昌路145号，近瑞金二路

A small, elegant cocktail bar in one of Shanghai’s busier nightlife areas, with a restrained interior and a strong focus on precise, modern drinks. Seating is limited, giving it a quiet and intimate character when it is not at full capacity.

Address: 542 Julu Road, near South Shaanxi Road, Huangpu District 巨鹿路542号，近陕西南路

A spacious listening bar, lounge and late-night music venue with an excellent sound system and a programme spanning house, techno, dub and ambient music. The cocktails are solid, but the real reason to visit is the combination of drinks, DJs and a room designed around serious listening.

Address: LG1-02, Haisu Culture Plaza, 658 Zhaohua Road, near Wuyi Road, Changning District 昭化路658号海粟文化广场LG1-02室，近武夷路

An all-female bartender bar led by Mushroom, a well-known drinks influencer, specialising in bold cocktails built around Chinese flavours. The drinks can be polarising, but the combinations are distinctive, ambitious and unlike almost anything else in Shanghai.

Address: 93 Ruijin 2nd Road, Huangpu District 瑞金二路93号

A casual second-floor neighbourhood bar centred around martinis, straightforward cocktails and smash burgers (plus excellent oysters and steak). It feels more like a friendly local hangout than a formal cocktail destination, but the drinks are carefully considered and the atmosphere is easygoing.

Address: 2F, Building C, 98 Yanping Road, Jing’an District 延平路98号C栋2楼

An intimate Italian-Chinese bistro where Chinese ingredients are given the spotlight in familiar Italian dishes and the cocktails receive the same level of attention as the kitchen. It is a lively, personality-driven restaurant that works equally well for dinner, a date or several late drinks at the bar during their weekend ‘late night’ service starting at 10:30pm.

Address: Room 201, 2F, 47 Yongfu Road, near Wuyuan Road, Xuhui District 永福路47号201室，近五原路

Reservations are essential. Click here.

A spacious but relaxed cocktail bar designed to feel more like a comfortable living room than a formal speakeasy. Its signatures explore ingredients such as tea, coffee, corn and savoury flavours, with some drinks accompanied by small food pairings.

Address: 50-3 Ruijin 2nd Road, Huangpu District 瑞金二路50-3号

A tiny counter-style cocktail bar hidden beneath Atelier No. 3, offering an omakase-like experience built around conversation with the bartender. The concise menu mixes original drinks with carefully executed classics and is particularly well suited to solo visitors or pairs.

Address: Below Atelier No. 3, 291 Fumin Road, Jing’an District 富民路291号Atelier No. 3楼下

An intimate bar inspired by the atmosphere of a vintage train carriage, serving polished reinterpretations of classic cocktails. The menu uses modern techniques without losing the recognisable structure and balance of the original drinks.

Address: 46 Sinan Road, Huangpu District 思南路46号

One of Shanghai’s most established modern cocktail destinations, arranged across several Japanese-influenced spaces for coffee, food, casual drinks and more ambitious cocktails. Each section has a distinct atmosphere, so it can work as anything from an early evening stop to a full dinner-and-drinks destination. At the ground level of Shanghai’s notorious nightclub complex ‘INS’ - it can be the beginning of a dizzying night, if that’s what you are after.

Address: F106, 1–2F, 109 Yandang Road, Huangpu District 雁荡路109号1至2楼F106

A coffee-led cocktail bar inside (on the second floor) of the enormous Starbucks Reserve Roastery in the heart of Shanghai, with an approachable list combining espresso, tea and familiar cocktail formats. It is less intimate than Shanghai’s independent cocktail bars, but it is an experience. Keep an eye out for some of Peddlers Gin’s Salted Plum cocktails on the menu.

Address: 2F, 99 East Beijing Road, near Yuanmingyuan Road, Huangpu District 北京东路99号1楼，近圆明园路

A compact Southeast Asian restaurant with vibrant food and cocktails designed to stand up to aromatic, spicy and richly seasoned dishes. Come for dinner rather than drinks alone: the cocktails make the most sense alongside the restaurant’s lively regional cooking.

Address: 966 Wuding Road, near Changde Road, Jing’an District 武定路966号，近常德路

Reservations are strongly recommended: +86 199 2136 1351.

One of the bars that helped establish Shanghai’s international cocktail reputation. Hidden behind a bar-tools shop, its multiple floors offer different styles of drinking, from energetic and approachable to more intimate, expensive and technically ambitious.

Address: 579 Middle Fuxing Road, near Ruijin 2nd Road, Huangpu District 复兴中路579号，近瑞金二路

A playful animal-themed cocktail bar with a relaxed, colourful atmosphere and a less formal approach than many of Shanghai’s speakeasies. It is well suited to groups looking for good cocktails without the hushed mood or elaborate ceremony of a tasting counter.

Address: Unit 101, Building B, 1101 Wuding Road, near Jiaozhou Road, Jing’an District武定路1101号B幢101室，近胶州路

A contemporary cocktail bar exploring flavours from across Asia through modern techniques and unexpected combinations. The menu moves between ingredients such as tea, miso, pandan, baijiu and regional fruits without turning them into novelty drinks.

Address: 592 Middle Fuxing Road, near Ruijin 2nd Road, Huangpu District 复兴中路592号，近瑞金二路