[OM88]

(01-01-2019 07:42 AM)Dafeiji Wrote:  

Happy New Year! This thread is due for a bit of an update, so I'm here to add some nightlife venues to the mix here that don't seem to have been mentioned in this thread yet.

Hope you guys find this helpful.

SUPER helpful,thanks man! Would have needed this two months ago when I was visiting and quite clueless.

Any bars/ clubs that play latin music, especially Reggaeton/ Latin Pop/ (e.g., Ricky Iglesias/ Pitbull)? Also open to Salsa/ Bachata places that play Reggaeton/ Latin Pop sometimes (I dance Salsa but prefer to be in a club environment that is not so 'serious' about dancing as some pure Salsa places tend to be).

[SpursFan741]

You have la social, Revolution and Zapatas where all the latin pop is. But mehhh the latin girls in Shanghai are ugly as fuck and they are not that easy actually. A lot of overweighted Mexican's especially.

[OM88]

(01-04-2019 08:57 AM)SpursFan741 Wrote:  

You have la social, Revolution and Zapatas where all the latin pop is. But mehhh the latin girls in Shanghai are ugly as fuck and they are not that easy actually. A lot of overweighted Mexican's especially.

Thanks! Not particularly interested in Mexican girls, more interested in girls (Chinese or other) that like that kind of music as it's my scene. la social, Revolution and Zapatas all sound worth checking out.

[Stiffmeister]

(01-01-2019 07:42 AM)Dafeiji Wrote:  

Happy New Year! This thread is due for a bit of an update, so I'm here to add some nightlife venues to the mix here that don't seem to have been mentioned in this thread yet. I could write about so many more venues than what I've chosen to write about below, but these are just a few that I've been hitting up recently. Here's a map with the places I mention, along with some of the more well-known clubs that have already been mentioned plenty of times before on the forum (anywhere outside of this map is basically irrelevant), although keep in mind that there are places I haven't marked on here that are still worth visiting:



Up: New bar/lounge on North Shaanxi Lu, next door to the Shed and a block or two from Cages (both are popular sports bars) in the Northern part of Jing'an District. Turns into a club-type atmosphere at night. Dance floor isn't too big, but decent-sized, and the music is good, and not too loud. Crowd is a little more upscale here, think mid to late 20s professionals, both foreign and Chinese. Seeing as it's new, last night was my first time there, but will definitely go back at some point, as the talent there was pretty good. The more foreigner-oriented crowd meant that girls there were pretty approachable (not shy like most Asian girls are).

I have been meaning to check out SOS, which is a big Chinese club a floor below Cages, but haven't gotten around to it. As I said above, it is about two blocks from Up, and I've heard decent things about it, so could be worth going to.

Revolucion/La Social: Two bars about a block from each other located roughly at the intersection of Wuding Lu and Yanping Lu, maybe about 3/4 of a mile west from the Up/Shed/Cages area. Crowd is demographically similar to that of Up (maybe slightly more foreign), but both also have a slightly more ratchet vibe. These places are absolutely popping off on weekend nights, with lines out the door. Very fun atmosphere, and would definitely recommend hitting them up.

Found 158: Surprised I haven't seen much reference to this area on the forum, as these days it seems to be the epicenter of Shanghai nightlife if there is such a thing. Found isn't one venue, but rather a cluster of bars and two clubs all packed into what can only be described as a large glorified hole in the ground of a park in southeastern Jing'an, on the eastern end of Julu Lu. Crowd at the bars here are similar to that of the previous two areas described, meaning that the Chinese girls there are generally into foreigners. El Santo, Mito, Boteco, Café Des Stagiaires, and a number of other bars here that I can't remember are all solid choices. Tables are cleared out to make way for a dance floor at most of these bars on the weekends, great if you like utilizing dancing like I do.



Club-wise at Found, you've got TAXX and Arkham. Arkham is more of a hip-hop club with a younger, and more Chinese crowd. They generally charge a cover fee of at least 100 RMB, and I unfortunately have yet to seriously check it out, but it is usually very popular on weekends.

TAXX is possibly in the top three of most popular clubs in the city right now, and the crowd is similar to that of Arkham age-wise, but slightly more foreign. It's a typical Shanghai mega-club, with the rich Chinese people balling out on tables and sitting around playing dice games, while the foreigners dominate the dance floor, although there are enough Chinese chicks out there dancing too. What gives TAXX an advantage over some of the other well-known clubs here (e.g. Bar Rouge, M1NT, Myst, Fusion) is that because it's located right in Found 158, you can pregame at some of the bars mentioned above, then walk right over to TAXX. As long as you have a wristband from TAXX, you can also leave and re-enter as you please. There can sometimes be a cover fee of 100 RMB as well, but I've had very good success here (as an ABC), so it's well worth it in my somewhat biased opinion.

One more note on Found, it can be a bitch to leave from if you have to take a cab somewhere on a weekend night, and if you're leaving with a girl, it's especially important to find a ride out of there. Didi (Chinese Uber) gets a shit ton of people waiting for rides, and can take up to 45 minutes to find a driver. The cabs that line up on Julu Lu to pick people up don't run their meters, and will haggle with you on prices, starting at pretty high fares. If you're fine with paying stupid high fares just to leave, then more power to you, but if you're not trying to get charged out the ass, the move is to walk at least a block or two west down Julu Lu, and try to flag down cabs there, since those will be cabs that are just passing by, and not there exclusively to rip off foreigners. There are also often motorized rickshaws waiting in front of Found too, and those can be cheaper than the actual cabs.

ASL: Hip-hop club on Tongren Lu, right across from the Jing'an Shangri-La Hotel. Vibe is similar to that of the Donghu Lu clubs (Le Baron and Monkey Champagne), meaning that music is decent, and not loud enough to drown out conversations, but I've found people to be less snobby/more approachable here than at Donghu Lu. Seems to be especially popular with ABCs, and to me feels like a more mature version of Arkham.

Couple other venue notes, Myst has moved to where M2 used to be (Hong Kong plaza on Huaihai Lu). This actually happened nearly a year ago, but I don't think it's been mentioned here yet. Consequently I go there less now, because I hated the layout of M2 (dance floor way too small for a mega-club, and for how packed it gets). Monkey Champagne has also moved from Donghu Lu to the western end of Julu Lu, a 20-minute walk from Found 158.

Hope you guys find this helpful.

Great info - wish I had this when I was visiting SH a week ago! I wasted a lot of time trying to find places with Google Maps. For example, Google didn't know that Myst had moved, which was very upsetting because that was one of the main reasons why I stayed in the Jing'an area.

PSA: Zapatas is closed as of 1/1/2019. They did hint that they might move to another part of town. Kind of a shame, because I liked their setup - I liked how you could get away from all the music and noise in a separate area.

[jabba]

I'll be traveling to China soon. On my first trip to SH a few years ago, I didn't use VPN. That was a big mistake. Locals gave me wrong directions.

I need to use Google Maps to get around without relying on locals for directions.

Which VPN works best in China?

[croquet]

Quick update on nightlife: Myst has closed. Monkey Champagne is now a lounge/restaurant. Many places are closing or have closed. Apparently the city wants to shove nightlife venues into places like Found158.

Not here for a long time but here's what I've done so far: Perry's is ok, it will be grimy and messy. Skews young and low budget. Tiny dance floor, more pub-ish.

TAXX is asian style tables, there's a 10 feet x 50 feet dance floor at the front. Would skip unless you get a table. Good talent, and good luck accessing it through the bouncers.

M1nt is an institution, go once just so you can see the sharks. It's a western style place, many foreigners. Hit or miss. Wouldn't be my 1st choice.

Here for a few more days, might drop an update after.