Gulou / Beiluoguxiang / Jiugulou Dajie-鼓楼北锣鼓巷旧鼓楼大街

A neat bar not far from Andingmen and Beiluo that specalizes in drinks inspired by and using ingredients from Beijing and China. Also, it's kinda sorta Harry Potter-themed, but just nods here and there and nothing obnoxious.

The former second location of the now shuttered B.A. near Andingmen. With it's name short for "Brand new Age", this cocktail den makes drinks that riff upon classics and spawn a whole slew of new creations and flavors.

The Factory is a project space that contains four different venues within its two floors. Housed inside are Tunnel Café, a craft beer bar; Black Hole, a "cocktail and chill-out lounge"; and Steamed Bun Comics, Beijing’s first and only fully-fledged comic store. 

Opened in 2016 by three friends – aka the beer guys – this craft beer bar has 16 rotating taps, a well-stocked fridge, selection of spirits, and steady soundtrack of punk, metal, and rock.

V7 is pretty much everything you’ve come to expect from a modern coffee shop – sleek and minimal design, single-origin pour-overs from the likes of Yunnan and Kenya (RMB 58-68), as well as coconut or oat milk lattes (RMB 38-48) and the ubiquitous americano (RMB 28) and dirty (RMB 38). They’ve also got a range of colorful desserts at RMB 48 each. Simply put, V7 is a coffee shop geared towards coffee aficionados.

A comfortable little coffee shop that focuses on quality third wave roasting principles, without any of the pretension or snobbery.

Gallery is a swanky cocktail, whisky, and wine joint opened by Lao “Lincoln” Hu, the brains behind another purveyor of upscale tipples, Andingmen’s DaliDali. Much like their flagship location, the walls are decked out with the Spanish surrealist’s iconic paintings, and the space features dark wood furniture, leather-clad booths, and moody lighting straight out of a noir film. What's more, Gallery is decidedly much larger and features a sizable lounge set off the main bar area.

Soft-serve in specially rolled cones is the specialty of this hutong ice cream shop.

Wake Up & Coffee is a cafe, bar, and gallery on the south end of Beiluoguxiang street. With exposed wood beams in the ceiling, a wall that appears to have been haphazardly smashed in so that the seating area could be connected with the barista counter, and a fresh coat of white paint, Wake Up & Coffee straddles the line between traditional hutong, distressed warehouse, and modern art space. You can expect bold beans, beautiful design, and a relaxed atmosphere.

A small punk bar run by members of three Beijing bands, Wasted Laika, Xiao Wang, and Hang Nail.

Blinding Elephant has a full selection of liquor, a fridge with a wide variety of beer, two taps, and a menu full of snacks perfect for a night of drinking.

It's a community first and foremost, predicated on a love of music and good times.