The Place:

COA is an agave spirit bar (think, mezcal, tequila, etc) that is a transplant from Asia's Best Bar that began in HK. The Shanghai iteration, however, is an explosive evolution above and beyond the small HK ship that started it all. This COA is big. Four distinct floors with their own character, plus two menus, one served on the first and second floors, and the other served on the second and third floors.

COA is the creation of Jay Khan whose journey began years ago, fueled by a dream to create a bar that reflected his passion for tequila and agave spirits. As a bartender, he often jotted down ideas and visions in Evernote, transforming his dream into something tangible. This idea simmered for a few years, a seed waiting to sprout a year later in Shanghai with his local partner, Eleven.

A Bit of Story:

I had been in the loop for a few years. As a bartender, I always wanted to open my own bar. I had my own ideas and I started jotting them down in Evernote. You see, if an idea is just in my head, then it's just a dream, so I put it in Evernote to make it feel more tangible. I opened a notebook and wrote bullet points on how it would look and feel, and what drinks I would be serving. This process was in place for a few years, but it was just an idea, almost like daydreaming and manifesting during downtimes when I was bartending.

My long-time partner in HK, Flora, and I often chatted about life. I used to tell her about my dream of opening a bar and how it would be. Over time the idea really sunk in with her and wanted to do something too, although she wasn't sure what at the time. We met through a recruitment company, worked there for a couple of years, and became good friends. She knew a few investors who were interested in opening a small bar, so it became a project driven by 100 percent passion. I wanted to do it with the right people, and she provided an avenue to them.

Opening COA HK:

In 2017 we went for it. We started COA HK. Many thought it wouldn't work because it focused on tequila and agave spirits without food in HK. This just isn't a popular concept (or popular spirit in HK, at the time at least). But I didn't want to overthink it; I just followed my heart. The first year was difficult; we weren't breaking even and had to do a lot of things to support the business like working side jobs to reinvest money into the bar to keep it going. But I knew if we persisted, it would work.

It was tough...

It took us a year and a half to break even. Progress was slow but steady, helped by word of mouth and industry folks recommending us. When we opened COA, there weren't many places like it. It inspired a lot of industry people, giving hope that "if he can do it, maybe we can too," especially as we made it past the first year and are slowly being recognized by F&B writers. This eventually paved the way to winning awards, which opened more doors for us. Before the umbrella protests, business was doing well, but the protests and then COVID hit us hard.

COA's Spring...

After COVID, we felt the reward for our hard work as people came in droves. We were suddenly packed, every night, all night. Our name ventured past Hong Kong, and we ended up seeing business travelers and tourists, and the fact that the space in COA isn't huge, meant that it always felt a little bit like a hidden secret, popular with people "in the know."

COA Shanghai...

As for COA Shanghai, Eleven was a frequent guest in HK, known for his connections with many bars and restaurants. He approached me about opening COA in Shanghai. I initially said no because COA wasn't a project I wanted to expand. He was persistent, and eventually, I changed my mind. Flora and Eleven knew each other from university, and after some background checks, he convinced us it wasn't about making money but bringing our passion and standards to Shanghai.

City News Service: At this point, Eleven joined in on the conversation, and added some additional color.

Eleven: Back then, I knew nothing about the Food and Beverage industry. I work in a family office and hedge funds. But I liked COA, went there a lot with friends. The design and vibe of COA set it apart it was rustic but also very elegant. In 2018, I wasn't busy with work and often went to COA. The drinks, the hospitality, everything was good.

In 2021, I returned to Hong Kong, and COA was so popular it was hard to get a seat. I admired the passion behind it and learned a lot about agave spirits. Despite being turned down several times when I first proposed the idea of COA Shanghai, I persisted. The Japanese bar style in Shanghai was good but not very interesting, and I thought COA could offer something different.

Jay Khan: We had a place locked in just before COVID hit, so I was never able to see the bar in person. Everything was done virtually using intuition and guesswork. When we opened, it was exactly what we had envisioned, though not perfect. The space was narrow, three floors, and not very spacious. We wanted different concepts for each floor, but it ended up feeling the same. It was a learning experience.

Eleven: The first iteration of COA felt so disjointed and kind of introduced me rather roughly to the world of F&B. While the first iteration did well from a business perspective and developed a following, it just didn't hit its stride like we wanted. It was tough honestly, especially for me handling everything in Shanghai while separated from Jay due to COVID. I said, "I am NEVER doing this again." But... well, it definitely wasn't the end, I was ready for more.

Jay Khan: Later, we had to move due to a renewal project. We saw this as an opportunity to do something better and bigger. We went to Mexico City and Oaxaca to gather inspiration, visit various restaurants and bars. We incorporated these experiences into the new design, aiming for a 1930s and 40s colonial style with stone bar tops and a color scheme inspired by our trip.

The design came out exactly as we envisioned. We didn't want our guests to wait any longer, so we quickly opened the new space, knowing it would be busy. There was already an organic hype around the place, and the response has been fantastic.

Eleven: But the construction phase was NOT without issues. Soooo many issues. The facade, the walls, the texture, the painting – so many things we changed during construction. Each phase of review during construction revealed issues, but we kept improving. The first time, we had 50 defects, the second time 32, and by the last iteration, we dealt with 12 issues. In total, we tackled over 100 defects. But eventually, the final product turned out EXACTLY as how we had it planned in the design phases.

The Vibe:

The space is in a corner ... lane house at the intersection of Fuxing Road and Ruijin Road No. 2. Each floor has its own vibe.

The first floor is called Taqueria: Meant to feel like a streetside Mexican pub where you can grab street tacos.

The second floor is Cantina: Not fancy, but somehow sophisticated. Wood accents along the bar make this place feel established. Here the food menu expands, as well as the agave spirit offerings.

The 3rd floor is the Salon: Arguably an extremely romantic place, not just in COA but in Shanghai. Dim lighting, with candles that split light against the stone countertops, this place is where you bring a date and lean in. If there isn't a bit of gentle caressing going on, then you probably didn't warm up enough in Taqueria or Cantina.

The fourth floor is Mezcaleria: It feels like a place that can be rented out for private space, but more often than not, it holds a smattering of very serious agave aficionados.

Cool Latin music wafts on each floor, and with industrial-scale insulation, each floor has its own vibe and playlist, none of which interrupts the other spaces. Lots of antique Wild West memorabilia, and real plants scattered throughout the place make it feel lively, fresh, sentimental, and down to earth.

The Food (& Beverages):

The Chef is an established Frenchman doing Mexican food. It's pretty good, most things anyway. On the food spectrum, the shrimp tacos are the bomb. Get 12 of them, don't be shy. Just down them one by one, and enjoy life.

One small complaint about COA on the food side is that if you're trying to get your fiber in, there just aren't a lot of options in terms of vegetables. The menu is very protein-heavy, which if you're drinking a lot, can either make you last all night or send you headway to bed. The only options are a Burrata Cheese & Tomato salad (there are a lot of nice things at COA, this is definitely something you don't need to spend 88 yuan on) and the mushroom tacos (with avocado, onion, tomato, and cilantro... like the shrimp tacos, you can pound these all night).

In the food arena, another highlight is the beef pepper tenderloin for 128 yuan. The beef is super tender and marinated quite nicely. The chicken chilaquiles 108 yuan (a Mexican dish typically enjoyed for breakfast or brunch).

The Damage:

For the quality and price ratio, it is no surprise COA is always packed. It has a level of refinement that you'd expect from J. Borowski, except... it feels imminently like a good deal. There are zero sentiments of "high-way robbery here." Tacos go for 30 yuan each, plates of 3 are 90 yuan (simple math).

Good For:

This is my favorite new bar in Shanghai. It's good for quick bites and drinks for Taqueria, casual bits and drinks in Cantina, and Salon is my go-to now if I want to get on someone's good side. HOWEVER, this place... all floors I mean... are practically always full, every. single. day. of. the. week. You should still go because the fullness contributes a special energy. As much as I'd like this place to not be so packed, it's just part of COA's identity at this point. And when I say packed, I don't mean... like sardines, you just need to wait a bit to get a seat, because they are all taken.

Philosophy:

Normally, we'd end these articles on "good for," but we got a nice little snippet from Eleven. After telling us how he decided vehemently after COA V1 that he would "never in hell do this again"... he launched into a story of what actually makes him tick (and why he's still doing this, despite his day job being primarily about investing on behalf of Hong Kong's elite).