Although part of the CITIC Plaza, Backstreet is a curiously quirky corridor that stretches from one tower to the next and goes underneath the car park. It seems to be aimed at a more younger and cheaper audience, and contains about 20 or so shops and restaurants that range from a stationers to jewellery shops to a Japanese restaurant.
For expats Backstreet is of particular interest because of Corner's Deli, a large speciality food store that caters for Westerners and Japanese.
Gail's Place is an authentic slice of America, from food all the way through to music. Order over 200 RMB will be delivered free to most of Guangzhou.
Xinghai Concert Hall is the concert hall in Guangzhou, and plays host to the cities most prestigious events from music shows to opera
Tickets can be bought at a variety of places, including the Garden Hotel ticketing service.
Zinc Cafe & Bar is a modern international-style establishment with a wide variety of drinks, snacks made with the finest ingredients and new music from all over the western world. They regularly hold special events.
Nice stylish cafe, good food, good music!
A favourite amongst expats living in Guangzhou, The Paddy Field is the one and only Irish bar in the city. It serves most kinds of imported beers (Guinness, of course, being available), as well as a good meal selection. Imported beers are expensive (around 50 for a Guinness), although food is reasonably priced.
Tang Club is a great club in the Huan Shi Dong Lu area with live music every night, a medium sized dancing area, and enough style and class to satisfy anyone. The inner decoration of Club Tang not only contains extensive and profound Chinese culture, but also spreads the European luxury of last century. Every two months Club Tang invites a famous band to perform in the hall and more night activities are also available.
VIP rooms are available, should you be feeling suitably wealthy and amorous, and contain a bed and a private dancing spot.
CK Bar is an alternative to Baby Face, and is aimed squarely at the white-collar crowd trying to relax after a week of work. The decor is very modern, red, and elegant. It's not a big club, but features a mix of all kids of pop and hip hop music, and is busy.
China Box is more of a bar/club than a fully-fledged night club. They do have live music & dancing, and it does feel like a club, but it's not music focussed and there's very little space to dance.
This place is popular though, and always crowded. If you turn up early then you can usually get a table, otherwise make sure to reserve a spot in advance.
Baby Face is one of the most popular nightclubs in town, with locations across China. Getting here is not a problem. Mention the name 'Baby face' to a taxi driver and they will instantly know.
Baby Face is split into two sections. The first, Dong Gong (or Eastern Paradise), is populated mostly with 30 - 40 year olds and plays disco-style music. The second, Xi Gong (Western Paradise), has a younger population and is a lot busier with R&B/hit music playing.
The Backstreet Jazz Bar is a two storey architecurally impressive glass building set inside a bamboo forest. A lower ‘Jazz’ floor opens out into a small upstairs restaurant area, and the two are joined together, and with the outside world, by a complicated series of stairs, bridges, and sliding doors. The decor is dark, metallic, and subdued, with lots of glass and mirrors. Live jazz-style music is served up every night.
The restaurant ostensibly serves Latin-American styled food, although it borders on the generic American Italian. The prices are high and portions are small. Drinks, although available in a wide array of forms, are equally served in small quantities. Ask for a glass of wine and you’ll think yourself the butt of a joke; drink it fast otherwise the meagre serving will evaporate.
Guangzhou's only Russian restaurant has everything from vodka, music, and dancing, as well as its large menu of Russian cuisine. Perfect for Russian expats.
Although the quality of food is generally good, the staff are not friendly and do hover incessantly, to the point of outright watching you as you eat. It will help if you have a familiarity with Russian food as the menu gives you no help as to what combinations you should pick. Try and come later in the evening as before 8pm the place is dead and very uncomfortable.
The reason for this restaurant’s name is that it was built in 1920 by some Germans, and has since then become Guangzhou’s centre for all things Germanic.
As you would expect, the restaurant serves up a fine selection of German food, with imported beers (the 'PulanerWeissBeer' is popular) and sausages. Portions are generally small.
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