Hong Kong’s 8 Best Bars With A View
Cam Hassard is an international penman, sax-wielder and rogue wayfarer…
As well as being a shopper’s paradise and a street-food lover’s dream, one of Hong Kong’s greatest selling points is its incredible waterfront views. Victoria Harbour has to be one of the most spectacular vistas in the world and, thankfully, Hong Kong is not short of amazing rooftops from which to take it all in.
[related_articles]64167,63261[/related_articles]After a day of intensive retail therapy and gastro-grazing the world’s best dumplings, hit up one of HK’s rooftop bars for a cooling aperitif.
#1 Sevva Rooftop Bar
A seminal Hong Kong experience, Sevva delivers a unique food and drinks menu that draws on a blend of Hong Kong’s traditional and colonial influences. Home to what’s arguably the best high tea in town, it’s definitely one of the highest.
At 25 floors up, the stunning panoramic views of the city from the Sevva Bar terrace may induce more of a cocktail mood. It’s without a doubt one of the most elegant spots in town, with some of the best seats for taking in the city’s famous Symphony of Lights laser show.
Where: Princes Building, 25/F, 10 Chater Road, Central
#2 Eyebar
Any decent watering hole offers an evening happy hour, but Eyebar offers “sunset hour” between 6pm and 9pm, when you’ll get your martinis at a very sunny 30 percent off. It’s the cherry on top of the venue’s already generous panoramic city views.
Located in modern iSquare in bustling Tsim Sha Tsui, Eyebar’s floor-to-ceiling windows, contemporary vibe, and stools by the glass barrier on the 30th floor terrace make it one of the most sought-after ogling spots in the city.
If martinis aren’t your deal, try its signature beverage, the Suzie Wrong, otherwise wrap your lips around the equal parts punny and thirst-quenching Grape Expectations: a gin, grapefruit, lime, vanilla and yoghurt liqueur house favourite.
Where: 30/F, iSQUARE 63 Nathan Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon
#3 Aqua Spirit
Thirty floors up, in Hong Kong’s Peking One skyscraper, the David Collins-designed Aqua Spirit is one of the city’s most stylish and innovative hotspots. With its pricey fusion menu, clubby DJ soundtrack, and smattering of wealthy bankers and expats, it’s an acquired flair here.
But there’s no beating Aqua Spirit’s top-of-the-world night-time views. The signature cocktail might be called Anxiety (a fruity fusion of vodka, pomelo and pink grapefruit) but, this high up, you’ll be feeling anything but.
Where: 29+30F, 1 Peking Road, Tsim Sha Tsui
#4 CÉ LA VI Hong Kong
In Hong Kong, CÉ LA VI is “the life”. The sky deck in this outpost of the CÉ LA VI group of venues earns its capital letters, with one of the most dazzling 360-degree panoramas in the region. Set in the commanding California Tower, CÉ LA VI’s stratospheric terrace even boasts a Jacuzzi. Coupled with world-class, award-winning dining, this is probably the city’s number one place to see and be seen.
Where: 25/F California Tower, 36, 30 D’Aguilar Street, Central
#5 Fu Lu Shou Bar
For something decidedly less swanky (and decidedly more hip), a night at the casual Fu Lu Shou Bar is as enjoyable to visit as it is to say its name out loud. Don’t be put off by the grungy front door and the rickety lift within – Fu Lu Shou offers a top-notch food and beverage experience, slinging some of the city’s most delicious cocktails and Western-inspired Asian culinary favourites.
And while the views might not be as epic or glittery as some of the city’s finer options, its urban cool and unassuming vibe elicits a refreshing alternative. Enjoy an ice-cool Thyphoon Number 8 with a fresh-cut cigar, and kick back in casual style.
Where: 31 Hollywood Road, Central
#6 Sugar
Classy, elegant, and in its own words, “slinky”, at 32 floors up, EAST Hotel’s Sugar deck and lounge is a boon for the elevation-inclined. Though positioned a little away from the bustling city centre, Sugar delivers with an incredible sunset vista over Quarry Bay and the eastern cityscape, not to mention world-class resident DJs and a cocktail list to die for.
Where: 32/F, EAST, 29 Taikoo Shing Road, Taikoo Shing
#7 Wooloomooloo Steakhouse & Bar
More dining den than bar, Wooloomooloo is actually a chain, with multiple branches in and around town. The Steakhouse in Wan Chai is regarded as one of the best, and it’s not just the flame-grilled meat that has locals and visitors drooling: the rooftop views from the Wooloomooloo bar are a real deal-sealer (though the Australian-inspired meat and fish driven menu is nothing to baulk at, either).
Where: 31/F & Rooftop The Hennessy, 256 Hennessy Road, Wan Chai
#8 Ozone @ Ritz Carlton Hotel
At a lofty 188 floors up in the ICC Tower’s Ritz Carlton Hotel (1608ft above sea level), Ozone is, without question, one of the highest bars in the world and one of the most stunning. Enclosed in panoramic glass windows, we’re stretching the friendship by calling this one a “rooftop”, but we feel its vertiginous vantage demands a mention.
Where: International Commerce Centre, 1 Austin Road West, Tsim Sha Tsui
[media_embed]https://youtu.be/TrVL4ankdf0[/media_embed] [qantas_widget code=HKG]Check out Qantas flights to Hong Kong.[/qantas_widget](Lead image: Aqua Hong Kong)
Cam Hassard is an international penman, sax-wielder and rogue wayfarer who writes for Junkee, Carryology, Huckberry, Caddie, Fairfax Media, Carryology, Intrepid, Peregrine Adventures and Europe Up Close. He’s eaten ant salad in Laos, hauled trucks from NYC to Vegas, and destroyed himself on the Camino de Santiago. Originally from Melbourne, he currently calls Berlin home.