The Pontiac

Hong Kong

No. 16 on Asia's 50 Best Bars 2017; Asia's 50 Best Bars 2023, No. 53 (51-100); and No. 33 on Asia's 50 Best Bars 2022.

Every great bar city needs a place that operates on pure energy rather than technique, and The Pontiac fills that role for Hong Kong. Rock posters plaster the walls, the playlist runs loud, and the drinks, strong, honest, unpretentious, arrive fast. What Beckaly Franks built before stepping away in 2024 endures under a team that kept the dive-bar ethos intact: no pretension, no reservations, no apologies. The Pontiac remains the essential counterpoint to Central’s polished hotel bars, reminding the city that the best nights often start in the least expected rooms. NEON LIT: A Light in Shadow Spaces, the bar's eleventh menu, follows in September 2026 under Partner and General Manager Jen Queen, pairing elevated nineties club riffs with stories drawn from the team behind the bar.