Nanmen Station 南门站酒吧

Article By Michael Gruendner

Shu Yuan Men Antique Street C1 shop (Near East Shunchengxiang)
书院门仿古街C1铺 (近东顺城巷)
(029) 8725 6861 132-0177-9000
8:00pm – 2:00am

Average Price per Person /人均消费: 50RMB

PROS: Great location, beautiful design

CONS: A bit expensive, music was a bit loud


 

It’s time to pack your bags and take a trip to Nanmen Station. This newly renovated bar is located just to the east of the gate it’s named for, and is a fit for anyone inclined to travel, or at least inclined to pretend like you are. When I first walked into this cave of a bar I wasn’t sure what to expect, increasingly so as I walked through the metal detector, which wasn’t even plugged in. But, after you step through the second door you are transported to a place well worth visiting.

The entrance walkway and some of the seating areas are designed to look like a train car from the 1920s. As soon as you exit the entrance walkway, you’ll find yourself inside one of the most beautiful bars I’ve seen this side of the Pacific. With an all-wood interior and minor hints of iron throughout, the bar has an impressive flow and design. It’s clear that they spared no expense on designing this train-station-themed bar. They’ve even allowed for a spacious corner of the bar specifically for their pool table, as well as two private rooms and one semi-private room in the other three corners of the main area that surrounds a large stage. Nanmen Station has plenty of space for as many companions as you want to bring.

That would be enough to entice some reluctant passengers, but the icing on the cake is that bar. It’s fully-stocked, and their massive menu has any kind of mixed drink you can think of, at prices comparable to a lot of other places around town. There’s some beer to go along with all the liquor, but truth be told the beer list is not one of the more impressive parts of their drink menu; the selection was average and seemed a bit pricey, so if you’re just going for a beer you might want to venture elsewhere. They were also out of stock on quite a few of the beers, which left me wondering if the menu was all that accurate as to what they sold. Alongside their menu of drink is a considerable menu of food. Their selection ranged from bar snacks to something you expect from a hostel restaurant with prices that won’t break your bank.

Nanmen Station is an interesting spot, to say the least. It was nice to get out of the standard bar, all concrete and sparkly and industrial-style, and get a taste of somewhere with a style of its own.

c1

c2

c3

Mike Gruendner is an Energizer bunny FOMO-ing at the mouth. He can be reached at reviews@xianease.com