T-Lounge Bar

Article By Mike Leaner

300m North of Tang Yan Road and Ke Ji Road Intersection, Yanta Disrict 雁塔区唐延路与科技路十字向北300米 (唐延鑫苑3号楼底商)
186 0297 3988
3:00pm -3:00am

Average Price per Person/人均消费:50RMB

PROS:
Great cocktails, nice location that’s away from it all
CONS:
Some people just hate Gaoxin, I don’t know why

The bar scene in Gaoxin feels like a zero-sum game in recent years; it seems that for every place that opens, another closes. Here’s hoping that one of the newest, T-Lounge, can become a staple in the Hi-Tech District.

Located on the northern stretch of Tangyan Road, T-Lounge exudes a certain modesty at first glance. There’s a small patio with a couple of tables, and inside the door is a tiny café with a bit of seating. However, if you don’t open the retro Coca-Cola fridge in the back corner, you’re missing the bigger picture: a sprawling industrially-styled barroom with arcade cabinets and a veritable platoon of liquor.1-1

That liquor alone makes T-Lounge a must-visit. The bar is staffed with mixologists shipped in from Shanghai, and they know their way around a cocktail. Want a Manhattan? You got it. Feel like getting your Don Draper on with an Old Fashioned? No problem. Tom Collins, Tequila Sunrise, the list goes on. My poison is a whiskey sour, and it was made with Maker’s Mark, which I hadn’t yet seen in Xi’an. There is beer, of course, but I recommend you give those bartenders a try; I doubt you’ll be disappointed.

T-Lounge is in the middle of a kitchen renovation, but they aren’t doing too badly on food at present. There’s barbecue on the weekends, and there are some cakes and similar snacks at the café. What they’ve got going right now is a bit sparse but enjoyable, and bodes well for when their kitchen is up and running.1-2

All that said, what you can expect from a visit at T-Lounge is this: a nice, shiny place with a minimalist aesthetic but a welcome dash of character, drinks that are on-point and a nice bit of food that will at least keep your drunk cravings at bay. If all goes well, they’re going to save a lot of Gaoxinians some cash on taxis by providing them a top-quality bar experience at a reasonable price, without having to wade into the downtown melee. That doesn’t mean you should skip over it if you’re stationed elsewhere in the city—it’s just a tad more convenient for us southeasterly people. Regardless of who or where you are, you’d be a fool not to grab a couple of friends and some cocktails and get fancy here.

Mike Leaner likes to get dirty but not for free. He can be reached at reviews@xianease.com