Intimate Moments: 4 Best Speakeasy Bars in Hong Kong

Looking for a spot for a quiet tête-à-tête? Prestige rounds up some of this city’s hidden speakeasy-style watering holes.

XX

Good news. Rosewood Hong Kong’s former ladies-only bar XX has reopened and is now an inclusive space for all. Antique mirrored tables and plush velvet couches form the perfect ambiance for unwinding and reconnecting with friends in an intimate setting, with the Hong Kong skyline as a backdrop. Of course, it offers a large selection of whiskies, wines and cocktails concocted by expert mixologists. The Inca Sour, containing Pisco, lime juice, sugar syrup and egg white, is the perfect drink to kickstart your experience.
Rosewood Hong Kong, 18 Salisbury Road, Tsim Sha Tsui

FRANK’S RECORDS

Frank’s Records is unlike any spot you’ve been to, smartly combining the vinyl record listeing experience with an Italian-American cocktail bar. Located on top of Frank’s Italian American Social Club, the venue is an intimate 12-seat cocktail bar and listening lounge that also has its own retail section with an extensive selection of vinyl. Not surprisingly, signature cocktails are inspired by hit songs and musicians. For instance, the CREAM concoction (pineapple-infused dry vermouth, coconut oil washed dark rum, orgeat, lime and coconut cream) gets its name from the song by the Wu-Tang clan.
7/F, 79 Wyndham Street, Central

THE WISE KING

Keep an eye out for the secret entrance to this intimate hole-in-the-wall cocktail bar hidden in Soho. Despite its tiny size, The Wise King has already made huge waves on Hong Kong’s mixology scene. Inspired by “the wise” King Alfonso X of Castile, the bar’s decadent exploration of the senses through sight, taste, and sound is topped off with warm and welcoming hospitality from its friendly team. Best of all? If you love the cocktails here, you can buy the bar’s bottled concoctions to enjoy at home. Our favourite is The Queen of Spas, made from truffle brandy, Mancino Vermouth Chinato, Pacharan and Frangelico – the perfect nightcap.
Basement, Soho, Tsung Wing Lane, 25 Staunton Street, Central

ELLA

Named after Ella Fitzgerald, the new bar Ella is a small live-music venue that pays homage to New Orleans, the birthplace of jazz. Hardly your average venue, Ella tranSports you to the city’s vibrant streets and alleyways, treating you to a taste of the Deep South with classic cocktails and Louisiana bar bites. On the drinks menu, choose from the Louie Sazerac, which pays tribute to Louis Armstrong, to the Hurricane, often sipped by Frank Sinatra.
HCode, The Trilogy, 26/F 45 Pottinger Street

PDT HONG KONG

A bar within a bar, PDT (Please Don’t Tell) Hong Kong is hidden in the mezzanine level of the Landmark Mandarin Oriental’s MO Bar, which can only be accessed via a secret phone booth. Seating a mere 25 guests, this fun collaboration with the operators of the New York namesake serves creative cocktails developed by mixologist Jeff Bell, with a talented bar team led by head bartender Daniel Valencia, all the way from the Big Apple. While there, be sure to try PDT NYC’s legendary cocktails, such as Benton’s Old Fashion and Be a Fan, recreated for Hong Kong with locally brewed bitter-melon apple kombucha.
Landmark Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong, 15 Queen’s Road Central, Central