The 5 Best Bars in Guangzhou

Hope & Sesame

Hope & Sesame opened in March 2016 behind a small Cantonese store in Dongshankou, in the old heart of Guangzhou, and is led by Bastien Ciocca and Andrew Ho. The bar calls itself a testing ground for cocktail innovation rooted in Cantonese hospitality and flavors, and its seventeenth menu, Bittersweet, is built on herbal teas, bitter melon, dried tangerine peel and ginseng.

Too High

Too High sits on the 107th floor of Rosewood Guangzhou, looking out over the city from one of its tallest towers. The room combines a long statement bar, a lounge and cozy booths, with live performances in the evening. The drinks list leans on spirits, with 107 hand picked single malts alongside rare rums, mezcal and Cognac.

Fat Boi Cocktail Bar

The Churchill Bar

The Churchill Bar is the wood-paneled bar of The Ritz-Carlton, Guangzhou, on Xing An Road in the Pearl River New City district of Tianhe. Its center of gravity is an extensive collection of single-malt whiskies, backed by fine cognacs, wines, beers and the bar's signature cocktails. The rest of the evening follows the classic hotel-bar script: imported cigars, handmade chocolates, a snooker table and live entertainment from a pianist and vocalist duo. In a hotel whose restaurants cover Cantonese, Italian and buffet dining, this is the room for a dram and a slow nightcap.

Tian Bar

Tian Bar sits on the 99th floor of Four Seasons Hotel Guangzhou, which occupies the top third of the 103-story International Finance Center in Zhujiang New Town, between the Pearl River and the Tianhe business district. The room is built around a bar counter made from natural crystal agate stone, and beside it stands "Angel," a sculpture by the Chinese artist Guangci Qu. The list covers champagnes, wines and spirits alongside a menu of signature cocktails, with small bites to go with them. The hotel pitches it for evenings of music and drinks, with views across the city and the river.