To call Shanghai a party town is an understatement. Every week has a new bar or club opening, and about a dozen celebrating anniversaries of some sort. Staying on top of where’s hot is a full-time job. Fortunately, we’ve done it for you. 

1. The Cut

From the same group as the infamous Bar Rouge and exceptional dining experience Ultraviolet, this year-old restaurant and bar atop IAPM mall and is now the hottest spot in town on a Thursday night (from 5-10pm two drinks go for just 60RMB (B300)). Come for the affordable steak and fries sets, but stay for the split-level rooftop bar with its glammed-up expat crowd, indie-disco soundtrack and views across the city. IAPM, Unit L6-606, 999 Huahai Rd.

2. Le Baron

Local lifestyle mag City Weekend’s Best New Club 2015, this grungy, Parisian-styled nightspot is the one place on everyone’s lips as soon as they’re done with the one they’re currently in. The guys at the door can be strict (dress up or else be born beautiful), but once you make it in it’s a refreshingly unpretentious place, decked out in every shade of red and witness to some pretty loose behavior. 7/F, 20 Donghu Rd., near Huaihai Rd.

3. The Nest

Part of the stalwart MUSE family of clubs, this cocktail and gastro-lounge is a few blocks back from the Bund. With prime real estate and the Grey Goose partnership, it checks all the right boxes for snobbery, but is in fact refreshingly low-key. It’s got some of the best (and best value) vodka-based cocktails in town and a soundtrack (think The Killers and The Smiths) far removed from your usual table-service spots. While there’s an outdoor terrace, if it’s views you’re after you’ll have more luck at newbie Shen (7/F, 7 Yan'an Dong Rd., +86 21 6316-9119), an upmarket Bund-side offering from the guys behind legendary local bar DADA. 6/F, 130 Beijing East Rd., near Huqiu Rd.

4. Union Trading Company

Speakeasies are, ironically, no longer hard to find in Shanghai, with crowds flocking to the likes of Speak Low (579 Fuxing Middle Rd., near Ruijin No.2 Rd.) and newbie Flask (432 Shaanxi South Rd., near Fuxing Middle Rd.) whose doors are hidden behind bookshelves and vintage Coke vending machines. And while year-old Union has the same Prohibition-era charm, it dispenses with all the pretense: it’s simply a very, very good cocktail bar (with a 100-strong and seasonally refreshed list) in a cozy spot on one of the former French Concession’s leafy lanes. 64 Fenyang Rd. near Fuxing Middle Rd., +86 21 6418-3077

5. Starling

Styled like a cooler version of Raffles’ Long Bar (there’s even beef rendang on the menu), this cocktail bar may not be what you’re looking for after coming from Singapore. But the Taixing Road complex, a stack of F&B venues that opened mid-2014 in a restored courtyard amid the old lanes off Nanjing Road, is extremely popular right now (and much more fun than the better known Xintiandi). The ground-floor, colonial-inspired Starling is a great place to people-watch, before moving on for tapas at Tomatito (from acclaimed Spanish chef and Shanghai kingpin Willy Trullas Moreno) and even more cocktails at el ocho and Logan’s Punch, all of which are right next door. 99 Taixing Rd., near Nanjing West Rd.

6. Zapfler

A four-month old dedicated craft beer spot on the infamous Yongkang Lu (a quiet backstreet just five years ago and is now the Shanghai equivalent of the Khao San Road), this simple hole-in-the-wall stocks beer from a German-run brewery out in the small town of Jintan. They’re currently using 10 of their eventual 27 taps and turning out a range of ales, including the flagship Bearded Bear IPA, smoked and honey lagers, and an alcoholic ginger beer. 42 Yongkang Rd., near Xiangyang Rd.

SHANGHAI ESSENTIALS

The PuLi

GETTING THERE
Air Asia can get you there from around B10,920 return, Shanghai Airlines from B15,862.

VISA
Thai and foreign nationalities can apply either at the embassy or through the China Visa Application Service Center (1550 Thanapoom Tower 5/F, Petchaburi Rd., 02-207-5999).

WHERE TO STAY
We stayed at six-year old design hotel The PuLi Hotel and Spa (1 Changde Rd., +86 (0) 21 2216-6973), which is just off central thoroughfare Nanjing Road West and a short walk north of the former French Concession. An icon in the world of hotel design (it was really the first of its kind in China), The PuLi is all hushed-chic (the ground floor in particular evokes the urban oasis feel with a huge teak bar and a view out over a serene reflection pool) and glamorous clientele (especially during the Shanghai International Film Festival, when we happened to be there). Also at ground level: a cozy library stocking more than 2,000 Chinese and Western titles and a pleasant garden terrace, both of which make it easy to escape the bustle of the city. At 26 stories, the PuLi is hardly the tallest building in the city, but the hotel backs onto the small and leafy Jing’an Park, which means great, unobstructed views from many of the stylish (think Nespresso, Bose and rainforest showers) 200-odd rooms and suites, especially from the Grand Studios in the corners. On-site restaurant Jing’an offers seasonal, Asian-influenced international dishes (breakfast is served at the lobby bar or on the outdoor terrace) and the hotel also boasts an indoor infinity pool and is home to Shanghai’s first Anantara Spa. It's a great base from which to explore the city, starting with the historic Jing'an Temple right nearby, as well as the shops, restaurants and bars of the Shanghai Kerry Centre right across the street. Rooms start from B9,391/night if you book through Design Hotels.