[Hai Lights] Shanghai's Best New Bar Openings in the Last Year

Hai Lights is your shortcut through the chaos. Shanghai's PACKED with choices – restaurants, bars, galleries, bike routes, football clubs, hot pot joints, pizza spots, pasta dens, weird little shops selling weirder little things. We cut through the noise to curate only the best. Each list hits a theme – Spanish restaurants that don't suck, places to pretend you're into cycling, clubs where people actually play football (not just wear the jerseys), and whatever else makes this city tick.

No fluff, no filler. Just the places that matter, the ones worth your time – and ours.

Denizens of worldly cocktail bars – from Singapore to New York to London – would feel at ease tucking in to Shanghai's ever-evolving bar scene.

A rising global drinking destination, the city's bar landscape is at its heyday with menus traversing Chinese ingredient-inspired sippers to the most inventive global techniques, a draw for locals and tourists alike. From basement speakeasies to neighborhood dram dens, from trendy dives to polished pubs, here are our favorite bars that swung open their doors to Shanghai's cocktail loving masses within the last 12 months.

Asian Flush

Serial barman Allen Fang (previously of Dreamsicle) opened Asian Flush (cheekily named after the red facial "glow" many Asians experience when consuming alcohol) on Ruijin No. 2 Road at the end of summer. Drinks go for 95 yuan/US$13.5 (75 yuan for mocktails), with a menu full of – you guessed it based on the bar's name – culinary Asian ingredients, like pandan soda, durian distillate, white miso, Sichuan oolong, MSG saline solution, Thai tea, and the list goes on. The candy apple red velour sofas mirror the bedazzled crimson velvet ceiling, contrasted by wood counter and Malay-style wicker chairs, plus leafy plants abound, inviting guests in for another round.

Address: 592 Fuxing Rd M.

复兴中路592号

Bar Leone

This November, Shanghai got a major upgrade with the arrival of the world's most celebrated bar. Born in Hong Kong and crowned No. 1 on The World's 50 Best Bars 2025, Bar Leone brings its convivial "cocktail popolari" ethos – think Italian-inspired, approachable classics and spirited modern riffs – to a two-floor Sinan Mansions space in Huangpu. On the ground floor, the Bar di Passo buzzes with aperitivo-style spritzes and lively conversation around a horseshoe-shaped bar, while the upstairs channels the warm, living-room vibe of the original with more spirit-forward sips and rare aged creations. With signature drinks and bar snacks like mortadella focaccia and smoked olives joining the mix, this is one global heavyweight that feels right at home in Shanghai's ever-expanding cocktail scene.

Address: Sinan Mansions, 525-527 Fuxing Rd M., near Ruijin No. 2 Rd, Huangpu District

复兴中路525-527号思南公馆(近瑞金二路)

Bar Rock

Bar Rock is a Xizang-themed watering hole backed by the OHA Group, conveniently located nearby their flagship venue, OHA. Expect the unexpected with cocktail ingredients like highland barley, Qinghai sea buckthorn, cili prickly pear, tsampa and yak butter, sourced from the Xizang highlands by bar manager Suonan's family. Cocktails fall in the 75-95-yuan range, with all drinks included in one of three categories that span lightest to heaviest in ABV: Discipline, Meditation and Wisdom – the three stages of Xizang Buddhism studies. Sip on these ingenious libations in the comfy "no shoes allowed" space, all to the backdrop of vibrantly colorful Xizang décor, traditional Xizang beats and floor-to-ceiling windows with lush views across the Xingguo Hotel Gardens.

Address: Rm 101, Bldg 22, 72 Fuxing Rd M.

复兴中路72号22幢101室

Bar S-Otto

Bar S-Otto, by seasoned bar veteran Filippo Sanchi (previously of the Rosewood Hotel Guangzhou, Lennon's in Bangkok and Republic Bar Singapore) and restaurateur Daniel An (Atelier Izakaya), opened this summer as Shanghai's first-ever basement speakeasy bar. Situated behind a hidden door and down a set of stairs inside Atelier No. 3 (on Fumin Road), the bar's name is a play on the Italian word for under(ground) – or sotto – and eight – otto – a nod to the roster of drinks, which includes a lucky eight classics and eight signature cocktails. The main bar seats 30 in the cozy, minimalist-style space, with a private room just for whiskey.

Address: 291 Fumin Rd

富民路291号

Boo's

Sister bar to retro hangout Pop Corner, by the same co-founder (Lucky Huang), Boo's on Ruijin No. 2 Road is named after a term of endearment for a close friend or loved one. As all are considered family at Boo's, the bar's conviviality is echoed in the welcoming vibes. The menu is split in two: riffs on classics and experimental bevvies, the latter of which sees numerous ingredients you're more likely to find in the kitchen cabinet (like miso, taro, cactus juice and parmesan) rather than shaken on ice. This same culinary sentiment is further reflected in the kitchen-style setup and mood of the space. There's also a dabble-worthy, Chinese-leaning bar snack menu.

Address: 50-3 Ruijin No. 2 Rd

瑞金二路50-3号

Full House by Bar Choice

Full House (满堂) by Bar Choice is an homage to the serene beauty of Hangzhou's West Lake in design aesthetic, menu concept and calming atmosphere. Opened in July, the 22-seater invites visitors into its garden oasis, seemingly a world away from the bustling Bund Financial Center in which it resides. Here, the disparate worlds of tea culture and mixology collide, with a menu orbiting Hangzhou's pride and joy: aromatic roasted Longjing tea. In collaboration with Qi Yingjie, the 12th generation inheritor of West Lake Longjing Tea Co, Full House (满堂) by Bar Choice uses the family's 300-year-old flagship brand, Gong Pai, grown on UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage land, for their crafted libations.

At the helm of this innovative venture is Ring Zhao, a visionary mixologist who scored the title of Bacardi China Legacy Champion in 2020. The drink menu, designed by head bartender Wilson Chen – who cut his teeth at Vender (No. 20 on Asia's 50 Best Bars 2025) – is categorized into four themes: Fresh, Umami, Light Pairing and Lingering Notes, covering easy drinking, unconventional tastes, cocktails made for pairing with food, and booze-forward sippers, respectively. As you sip your tipple, you're not just tasting the drink; you're partaking in a narrative that bridges centuries of tradition with contemporary cocktail culture.

Address: Rm 106A, Bldg N1, 73 Renmin Rd

人民路73号N1栋106A室

Gallows Humor

Another one for the imbibers, Gallow's Humor on Shaanxi Road S., is founded by the same team (Crawford Su and Aya Guan) as neighborhood Cantonese-inspired cocktail bar Paal. The name itself references the underlying humor in horror. An extension of the experimentation at Paal, Gallow's Humor takes said dungeon rave ethos a step further through hypnotic techno, psychedelic lighting, mind-bending ingredients and consciousness-expanding energy. With an ingredient line-up that sounds more like a pregnant woman's grocery list – blue cheese, neroli blossom, century egg, masala spice, clam juice, black sesame gelato and liquid marshmallow – be prepared to for something out of this world.

Address: 35 Shaanxi Rd S.

陕西南路35号

Penicillin

A transplant from Hong Kong, the team behind zero-waste, closed-loop Penicillin (No. 24 on Asia's 50 Best Bars 2024) opened in May along Nanchang Road, led by Hong Kong's co-founders Agung and Laura Prabowo, Jamie McCleave (Penicillin Hong Kong Bar Supervisor) and Chris Wu (previously of Speaklow).

Recognized in the global drinks industry for pouring up "mad scientist" cocktail creations – formulated with all manner of rotovap infusions, centrifuge distillations and molecular gastronomy gadgets – the menu features 50 percent of the same offerings from Penicillin Hong Kong, with the other half of the menu being inspired by the innovative use of up-cycled local Shanghai ingredients.

Sustainability pervades every aspect of Penicillin Shanghai, a planet-conscious powerhouse of a venue with a holistic approach to environmental protection and longevity. From repurposed produce (that would customarily find its way into the bin) to up-cycled Eco Spirits bottles to working with local farmers to reduce the bar operation's carbon footprint, there's a whole lot of forward-thinking, eco-friendly-focused and energy efficient practices coming at you from all angles. You can sleep easier at night knowing you're sipping 90-yuan cocktails for the betterment of Mother Earth.

Another Hong Kong institution that have opened up shop as of late and is worth popping in, is the temple to the agave gods, COA.

Address: 62 Nanchang Rd

南昌路62号

Triple Neck

Over on Xinzha Road, Shanghai native Henry Wang (who trained in London's bar industry) has returned home to open a three-story bar, playfully called Triple Neck. The design takes after the movie and novel phenomena surrounding Dune, whereby each floor incorporates elements from different Dune planets, while simultaneously offering separate drink menus. The atmosphere also progresses from evening into night as patrons ascend. The cocktails (a collaboration with Elon Soddu from London's Amaro Bar) spotlight Shanghainese ingredients and Chinese teas, amongst other China-influenced details.

Address: 1750 Xinzha Rd

新闸路1750号