Nightlife & Bars in Shenyang

So it's Friday night in the middle of summer and you're looking for a place to go. What are your choices? Well, in Shenyang the options are limited, but here's a few that we have found to be solid options when the weather is nice. This list is by no means exclusive or exhaustive, and if you have any other suggestions, feel free to list them in the comments section. Party on!

Black Sugar Restaurant & Bar - Nan Nanning Jie at Bei'Er Ma Lu
Although right now the road outside Black Sugar is all torn up due to construction, I have found the atmosphere to be nice here. There is an outdoor deck with some tables and chairs; inside, there are two floors, the main first floor and a more private second floor. The bar has a handful of beers on tap and their mixed drinks aren't weak. The restaurant offers Western fare, from soups and salads to pasta, burritos, steak or hamburger.  Service is attentive and very often there will be a soccer game on their projection screen. Good for dinner and a drink.

Mo Mo Coffee House (formerly 97 Club) - Zhongshan Lu at Zhongshan Square's SW corner
Sitting under Mao's southwesterly gaze, this indoor-outdoor cafe is very pleasant for its ambiance. Outdoor tables, flowers, and fences with string lights on them make for a place to sit in the summer for a beer or drink after a long night. In Shenyang, there aren't many places where you can sit outside and have a drink. If you don't mind the mosquitos or spiders, this places is pretty chill. They don't have everything they list on the menu, so don't come expecting much. But if you want a place to hang out and catch a beer while enjoying the *air, this place is pretty good. (*good air quality not guaranteed).

Stroller's Bar - Wu Jing Jie and Shi Wei Lu on the SW corner
The inside of this corner joint is filled with random German paraphernalia and rock posters from the '80s, while the bartenders walk around in all black metal band t-shirts (probably also from the '80s). A decent selection of bottled import beers makes this place good for a drink. The snack food is also pretty reliable, with the french fries, hamburger, and "tartilla" being consistently delicious with a cold Belgian beer. It's a pretty small place and can get crowded/smoky if there are lots of locals; but if you're there around 6:00pm any weekday it's still pretty quiet. Good for a drink or two on your way home.

Buddha Bar - Bin He Lu just east of the Kempinski Hotel
Jazz lounge atmosphere tucked away into an unpretentious store front. The beer list is small, but the mixed drinks are well-made and reasonably priced. On the few occasions I've been here, a solo female vocalist was singing cover songs and popular hits, which added to the nice atmosphere.  The first floor is lofty and well-spaced, and I think there's a second floor with private rooms. No food available except for the regular popcorn and nuts, but the drinks will keep you occupied well enough. Good for hanging out to chat and have a drink.

The Lobby Bar - The Grand Hyatt, 25th Floor, Wenyi Lu before Qingnian Da Jie
Shenyang's swankiest and newest bar with a phenomenal view of the city. Facing out to the TV tower, the bar is located on the 25th floor of the Hyatt and is a step above every other drinking establishment in the city. Catering to its hotel guests, the Lobby Bar offers specialty cocktails alongside a pricey beer/wine list. I've visited the bar once and will definitely be going back after work sometime soon. The mojito and cosmopolitans were both delicious and well-made. Would be great for a cocktail party.

O'Reilly's Bar - Liu Wei Lu off Bei San Jin Jie
A low-key Irish bar with an international clientele. The drinks here are so-so and the beers run about average. I've only eaten the kitchen's food once (the menu is mostly Mexican food?), but it was good for Shenyang. Occasionally there is live music here, with local bands or singers performing alongside accompaniment. A good option for St. Patrick's Day, but otherwise there are better places to go.

Green Mile/NYPD Pizza - small alley on the east side of Bei San Jing Jie, south of Shi Fu Da Lu
Hands down the best pizza in Shenyang comes out of the kitchen at the Green Mile Bar. The Green Mile is a huge draw for both Chinese and foreigners alike, and this place is packed on weeknights after 6 and certainly on weekends as well. Get a VIP card and go during happy hour to get buy-one-get-one-half-off for certain beers and drinks. While you're there, you might as well get yourself a pizza too. 10+ options to choose from, and I can tell you they all taste great. If you're coming with a big group, call in advance for a table or you might be waiting a while for a seat.

Lenore's - small alley on the east side of San Jing Jie, south of Shi San Wei Lu
Located just off the main street of 三经街, Lenore's has cheap beer and a relaxed, casual atmosphere. Options to sit inside in the air conditioning with TVs playing soccer, or to sit outside along the alleyway. Mixed drinks tend to be weak, but occasionally they have specials that are mixed well. Hookahs also available here, with a number of different flavors. A good place to have some beers before moving on to Party 98 up the street.

SoHo - Nan Nanning Jie, just south of Zhongshan Lu
Curiously, I don't know if this is part of the SoHo chain in China, but this characteristically Chinese bar/club is located just around the corner from Mo Mo. I stumbled in here with friends one night on our way home and found it to be pretty interesting. Drinks are reasonably priced, but the ambiance is a bit awkward. There is a stage for the DJ and singer, and a catwalk where there is performance dancing. Music trended towards nondescript Chinese house music, but occasionally Western songs came on. Not my first choice for going out, but it's close to downtown.

Party 98 - San Jing Jie, just north of Shi San Wei Lu
A typical Chinese club at its finest, Party 98 offers both live music (Western on the first floor, Chinese on the second floor) and DJ mixes, complete with a hydraulic dance floor. Thursdays are ladies night and Fridays/Saturdays there are great drink specials (15RMB for mixed drinks). A good selection of drinks to choose from and of course you can always order the fruit plate for your table. My recommendation is to go with a group and plan to people watch before getting on the dance floor yourself and rockin' out to some good jams.

Pure Color - Feng Tian Jie, north of Shi Fu Da Lu
Shenyang's best (and only) international dance club. The live band is awesome and they get the crowd pumping. In between their sets, the DJ plays top 40 tracks (erring on the side of last year's top 40, though). Beer is decently-priced and your standard mixed drinks are typically buy-one-get-one-free. You'll see a good amount of expats here, although the music's so loud you won't really be able to start a conversation with them. Just dance, that's what Pure Color is good for. All in all, a great place to end the night.

Winter Arriving, With Perks?

Over the past weekend, the season in Shenyang switched from a beautiful autumn brisk air to a harsh, bone-chilling wind from Mongolia. Oh, I guess Winter's here. =P

Foreign Service people are clever, and after surviving my first winter here last year and talking with my colleagues at post, we have devised ways of dealing with the desolation of winter. You ready?

1. House parties: Since Shenyang is a small post, it's quite easy to host a party at one's home and not be completely overwhelmed by the thought of having EVERYONE that you invite show up. Whether it's having people over my apartment after book club to decorate Halloween cupcakes or throwing a Thanksgiving Weekend block party in the halls of the Crowne Plaza, house parties are easy to arrange and certainly fend off any blues associated with the impending cold of the changing season. So far, we've had pizza nights, pasta nights, and cookie baking nights. In the near future, I'll probably host a taco night for sure. ^_^
2. Concerts: Surprisingly, Shenyang does have a bit to offer in terms of arts and culture. Never could of guessed it? Me either. In the recent months, Post has been invited to two international orchestra concerts, and two bigger philharmonic orchestras (like the Philly Orchestra and NY Philharmonic) will be coming back to Shanghai/Beijing later in the year. Classical music not your style? Last night, a group of us went to an old abandoned electronics warehouse (a legit concert venue, apparently) to see a indie/folk/post-dubstep artist named Jamie Woon. After coming home from a long day and a quick 5K run at the gym, I almost skipped out on this event. But I'm soooo glad I didn't. Jamie Woon is British, but his parents were Malay Chinese and Celtic Scottish, a combination that results in... well, awesome music. Woon's style is based on his beautiful R&B voice, a keen sense of beat, and an innovative use of a loop sampler to create multi-layered tracks. The following video is 11-minute documentary introduction of his 2011 album "Mirrorwriting", which gives you insight to his inspiration and also his style: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L0aLNS13f_o -- Check him out!
3. Traveling out: As one of my colleagues said to me recently, the best thing about Shenyang is the proximity to other places to go to. So true. With a three-day weekend, a trip to Thailand, Singpore, Korea, or Japan is completely feasible. There's also so much to do in China itself, from the mainland cities of Beijing and Shanghai (cheap plane rides!) to the off-shore hotspots of Taipei and Hong Kong. Another colleague has spent the majority the weekends of his two-year tour outside of Shenyang, for both work and pleasure. To be honest, it's more of a shock to see him around on Saturdays and Sundays than it is to hear he's traveling over the weekend. It might take a few months after he's PCSed from post to realize he's actually gone for good!

Armed with these strategies and the warm friendship of the other people at post, I'm pretty sure Shenyang Winter 2012-2013 will be even better than last year!