Bring on the night: Hong Kong's freshest clubs
A clubber's guide to the hottest new venues
Hong Kong is a brutal market for budding nightclub impresarios, and the labyrinthine liquor licence application process and the spectre of noise complaints have been the undoing of many an entrepreneur with disco balls in their eyes. However, this is good news for night owls with short attention spans, as when one door with a red velvet rope closes, another one always opens soon after. The past few months have seen the launch of several great nightspots - here are our favourite five.
The newest venue on this list is perhaps also the strangest: Club XIII is a cosy, upmarket space that delivers you directly onto the dancefloor as soon as you enter. If you're not ready to boogie, fear not: you can tuck yourself away in one of the dark, comfortable booths on the sidelines On the night we visited, suited-up businessmen mingled with the usual club kids - and it all seemed to make perfect sense.
The latest project by the team behind the original Bassment venue on Lyndhurst Terrace, Social Room is a new larger space located above the Stanley Street market area dedicated to underground DJs and live music. Featuring both a chill-out bar area and large dancefloor with a raised stage and DJ booth, Social Room has already been winning rave reviews for its impressive sound system. Although it's still in its soft-opening stage, expect this venue to be rammed when it's fully open soon.
It may have new management and a (slightly) new name, but Basement continues to pull in the same enthusiastic crowd who've long ventured down that staircase for a healthy dose of underground dance music. What it lacks in size it makes up for with its big impact on the local electronic music scene, hosting nights organised by many of the city's top DJs that regularly continue past dawn. The outdoor seating area continues to provide a comfortable alternative to the cramped dancefloor, and its newly granted liquor licence means everything is now legit.
It was only a matter of time before a venue such as MITTE opened in the oh-so-cool Tai Ping Shan area. MITTE is modelled on the typical Berlin-style bar/nightspots, where the cool crowd sample some simple bites (prepared by the resident Italian chef) and sip some impressive signature cocktails while some of the city's top DJs spin in the background. Current restrictions mean the venue can't pump out loud music all night, but MITTE is proving to be a popular launching pad for a big night out.
While this venue has been open for some time, it's only just started to come into its own by hosting big-name DJs such as Sasha, John Digweed, Hot Since 82 and Marshall Jefferson. Club 18 is perhaps the glitziest venue on our list and its drinks don't come cheap, but its spacious dancefloor, decent sound system, and bells and whistles such as strobe lights and smoke machines have all added to some memorable nights. It's only usually open when hosting a large event, so keep an eye on its Facebook page.
