Bar-Hopping Along Guilin’s Zhengyang Pedestrian Street

Yangshuo’s bars may get all the attention – and probably rightfully so – but Guilin’s bar scene has been expanding, offering the thirsty traveller or resident more than one good watering hole to choose from. If you’re of the bar-hopping nature, then a night of boozing at Zhengyang Pedestrian Street is a must as seven bars call this street their home. Beer in all of these bars is around 18-45 RMB depending upon the brand (unless otherwise stated), and the food is reasonably priced at around 50-100 RMB for two people. All serve wines and spirits.

1) Lounge Bar (Music Life Club) (朗聚酒吧)
Starting at the Jiefang Road end and working our way to the lake, some 100 metres in, we reach Zhengyang Square on our right. At the far right-hand corner is the Lounge Bar, a.k.a. the Music Life Club. Offering only indoor seating, it has a lively, independent nightclub feel, yet is small enough to be cosy. It specialises in house, funk, jazz and dance with occasional DJs and live bands. For the ordinary tables there’s a cover fee of 20 RMB per person. If you want to party in private with your friends, the venue also offers side rooms with comfy chairs which can cost as much as 400 RMB depending on the room’s facilities.

Lounge Bar (Music Life Club) (朗聚酒吧)
Add: 7 Zhengyang Guangchang 2nd floor, Zhengyang Pedestrian Street, Guilin
地址: 桂林正阳步行街正阳广场广2-07
Tel: 13707731414
Opening Hours: 20:00-2.00
Web: http://site.douban.com/musiclifeclub

2) Amani Bar (阿玛尼酒吧)
Next up, the Amani Bar is a favourite haunt for foreign tourists, and is nicely situated on the clock tower crossroads at Zhengyang’s centre. An amiable watering hole for passing trade, Amani has a good selection of Western food, teas and coffees as well as the usual beer and spirits. Cosy and with plenty of outdoor seating, it’s got a pleasant location and is a quiet place to relax if you want to watch the world go by while having a meal with friends.

Amani Bar (阿玛尼酒吧)
Add: 159 Zhengyang Pedestrian Street, Guilin
地址: 桂林正阳步行街159
Tel: 0773 2106351
Opening hours: 10:00-02:00

3) Ragazza Pub (伊人酒吧)
At the crossroads, turn right, walk ten metres and on the left is the Ragazza Pub, a Chinese nightclub of the shirtsleeve-chic variety. A fairly large venue, the music is blaring balladry with live singers from 22.30, and the favoured lighting is a subdued red. Customers are allocated tables upon entry and though there’s no minimum charge for the seats in the centre, the comfy seats on the side are not going to be cheap. Beer is a little pricey with a can starting at 25 RMB. It may be a good idea to bring a Chinese friend on the first visit just to get over the language barrier and to make sure you know what you’re paying for.  

Ragazza Pub (伊人酒吧)
Add: 27 Yiren Lu, Guilin
地址: 桂林衣仁路27
Tel: 0773 2822222

4) Guilin Back Garden Irish Pub (桂林后园爱尔兰酒吧)
A short walk further down the pedestrian street, take a left and, almost on the corner, is one of the most popular haunts for the long-term laowai. The Guilin Back Garden Irish Pub is a pleasant place to hang out with friends. There’s a wide selection of food available largely oriented towards Western taste buds, and the manager Kevin, who speaks excellent English, has worked hard to make the bar a laowai home away from home. This is a good place for breakfast, lunch, dinner or to while away an evening. The bar offers fairly spacious indoor and outdoor seating. Live folk music performances begin at 21:00 every evening.

Guilin Back Garden Irish Pub (桂林后园爱尔兰酒吧)
Add: Ming Cheng Hotel, Zhengyang Pedestrian Street, Guilin
地址: 桂林正阳步行街名城酒店南侧
Tel: 0773 2803869
Opening hours: opens at 10:00-02:00

5) Paulaner Bar (柏龙酒吧)
Just over the road, the Paulaner Bar is a chain specialising in imported beers, wines and spirits so expect to pay extra for these accordingly. Starting prices are around 40 RMB for 300ml of beer but of course, prices vary widely depending upon your choice of beer. Most of the seating is indoors, but you can also find some tables spilling out onto the street outside. Popular with foreigners and Chinese alike, this is a good place to come and watch a football match on one of the many screens. The football memorabilia scattered across the walls creates a sports bar atmosphere. When there’s no match flickering across the screens, a number of Chinese musicians play live music. A little more corporate in feel than the homely Back Garden, it’s nonetheless a pleasant place to be, particularly for those who take their drinking seriously.

Paulaner Bar (柏龙酒吧)
Add: 2 Zhengyang Pedestrian Street, Guilin
地址: 桂林正阳步行街2
Tel: 0773 2868698
Opening hours: opens 15:00 in summer and 19:30 in winter -02:00

6) Side Street Bar (畔街酒吧)
As we approach the lake, we come to the Side Street Bar. All the seating is outdoors, with the interior given over entirely to the bar itself and a selection of the natural stone and wood art for which Guilin is famous. It gives the impression of a shop that has accidentally spilled out onto a street and can get pretty lively, perhaps thanks to the very loud live folk music on offer.

Side Street Bar (畔街酒吧)
Add: 4 Zhengyang Pedestrian Street, Guilin
地址: 桂林正阳步行街4
Tel: 15977321106
Opening hours: 15:00-02:00

7) Buluoto ([soon to be] Indochina) Restaurant Bar (贝侬西餐厅酒吧)
Finally we come to Buluoto, soon to be renamed the Indochina Restaurant Bar. Under the same management as the Side Street Bar, Buluoto has a somewhat more orderly outdoor seating area than its sister bar. Something of a work-in-progress at the time of writing, it’s less rowdy than its sister and will focus more on meals than drinking. Piped reggae was on offer when I visited, but the Buluoto, as its sister, features live music most evenings.

Buluoto Restaurant Bar (贝侬西餐厅酒吧)
Add: 43 Zhengyang Pedestrian Street, Guilin
地址: 桂林正阳步行街43
Tel: 15977321106
 

Related links
Great Western Restaurants on Yangshuo West Street
Guilin Café Guide - Finding the City’s Coffee Culture
Where West Meets East: West Yangshuo Street