Best dive bars in Shanghai
You could hit the Bund every night and order bottle service or sip on RMB 80 cocktails. But the glitterati lose their sheen quickly and at some point, the only bottle you want in your hand has the word "REEB" or "Tsingtao" on it.
Although some locales live up to the cigarette butts and harsh fluorescent lighting image conjured up by the words “dive bar”, the best ones are places that simply keep the concept of a cheap drink, sans frills, close to the heart.
Here are eight of the best Shanghai dive bars in no particular order.
C’s
What you'll drink there: A pint of Carlsberg for RMB 15, or Tiger for RMB 20
Best deal you'll find there: RMB 40 Jagerbombs
The grandfather of places that smell like your grandfather, C’s is a maze of crowded, sweaty rooms in the basement of an office building that are completely covered in graffiti.
Imagine that the wall art is an enormous tramp stamp and this place makes perfect sense.
We can’t go back because somebody in our party decided to start breaking light bulbs, which didn’t seem all that out of place at the time.
This is one of those places where there’s always somebody to talk to or hook up with.
Don't leave without: Writing something stupid on the wall.
C's, 685 Dingxi Lu, near Yanan Xi Lu 定西路685号, 近延安西路, +86 21 6294 0547, Sunday-Thursday: 7:30 p.m.-3 a.m.; Friday-Saturday: 7:30 p.m.-5 a.m.
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Harley’s Bar
What you'll drink there: Beam. Neat.
Best deal you'll find there: RMB 25 pints of Tiger, RMB 45 Heinekens, and RMB 50 Murphy's
In a basement next to an Internet cafe in Xujiahui, Harley’s takes its name and decor from the bar mat of Americana.
There aren’t any specials, the bartender is darped in a leather vest, and the pool table’s felt is torn and frayed. You got a problem with that?
Don't leave without: This might ruin the “Roadhouse” described above, but they have a really nice cat. Pet the cat.
Harley’s Bar, 265 Nandan Dong Lu, near Caoxi Bei Lu 南丹东路265号, 近漕溪北路, +86 21 5424 7317, 6 p.m.-2 a.m.
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Windows Too
What you'll drink there: Coors. They used to be RMB 10, but are now RMB 15
Best deal you'll find there: Other than the Coors? RMB 25 coronary in a Philly Cheese Steak costume.
Windows Scoreboard has better ambiance and view; Windows Underground provides a better assortment of degenerates selling chemical and flesh; but the Jing’an Windows branch is remarkable because it’s so damn unremarkable.
By not intruding with any hip music or decor (except that marvelous “Madagascar” mural), Windows Too allows drinkers to concentrate on the all-important union of beer and liver.
Don't leave without: Asking the manager to put on the new Gift Skateboards video.
Windows Too, 2/F, City Plaza, 1618 Nanjing Xi Lu, near Huashan Lu 南京西路1618号久光百货2楼, 近华山路 +86 21 6288 9007, 10 a.m.-4 a.m.
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Helen’s Cafe
What you'll drink there: They haven’t yet figured out how to water down the booze, so enjoy the RMB 15 shots
Best deal you'll find there: A free bottle of Tsingtao for the first five customers every Wednesday
If, in penance for some sin committed in another lifetime, you find yourself wandering the streets of Yangpu, grab a beer at this place.
Stupid backpacker accoutrements here aside, the place is brimming with students (from Tonji, Fudan, and Shanghai University of Finance and Economics) who are, in turn, brimming with cheap beer.
Don't leave without: Trying the cheeseburger (RMB 26, or RMB 16 before 6 p.m.)
Helen's Cafe, 49 Wuchuan Lu, near Wan'an Lu 武川路49号, 近万安路, +86 21 6536 8669, 5 p.m.-2 a.m.
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