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[The Collection]: Craft Beer Destinations in Shanghai

From local start-ups to international craft beer chains, here’s where to knock back some craft beer in Shanghai
By
2022-03-01 12:00:00

  • Featured

    Brewdog

    • Brewdog Shanghai
    • Brewdog Shanghai
    • Brewdog Shanghai

    1/F, 333 Chengdu Bei Lu, near Weihai Lu

    成都北路333号1楼, 近威海路

    8012 2117
    The long-awaited China debut of famed Scottish brewery. It's big, it's wooden, it has Edison bulbs, and 28 taps pouring both the brand's own beers (Dead Pony Club, Punk IPA, Elvis Juice) and several guest taps. Prices for the daily taps go up to 65rmb for the 500ml glasses, and there's a big menu of hearty pub classics and some decent salads. Of special note: lots of vegan burger options. And shuffleboard.
    Craft Beer Bars
    Bars
    Burger
    Jing'an
  • Featured

    Birroteca di Postwave

    • Birroteca di Postwave Shanghai
    • Birroteca di Postwave Shanghai
    • Birroteca di Postwave Shanghai

    Wuyi Mix 320, 320 Wuyi Lu, near Anxi Lu

    武夷MIX320, 武夷路320弄, 近安西路

    6043 0509
    Italian bar and restaurant nestled in Mix 320, Birroteca serves simple yet hearty brunches, such as sandwiches, pizza, risotto, etc. It's a casual spot perfect for a quick lunch and for group gatherings. They have 12 types of craft beers by post wave. Small glasses are 40-50rmb each; large glasses start from 45rmb. Outdoor seating is also available for a sun-kissed afternoon.
    Italian
    Bars
    Craft Beer Bars
    Changning

  • Paulaner Brauhaus (Raffles City Changning)

    • Paulaner Brauhaus (Raffles City Changning) Shanghai
    • Paulaner Brauhaus (Raffles City Changning) Shanghai
    • Paulaner Brauhaus (Raffles City Changning) Shanghai

    Raffles City Changning 1197 Changning Lu, near Kaixuan Lu

    长宁路1197号长宁来福士, 近凯旋路

    6474 5700
    Set in what was, supposedly, once a girl's school (before it was rebuilt for the development of the Raffles City that surrounds it), this two-story, 600ish-person capacity beerhall does what you expect of Paulaner; hearty German food, Paulaner beer, and a bevvy of mostly German-inspired events.
    German
    Craft Beer Bars
    Sherpa's
    Changning

  • Tap House (Yongkang Lu)

    • Tap House (Yongkang Lu) Shanghai
    • Tap House (Yongkang Lu) Shanghai
    • Tap House (Yongkang Lu) Shanghai

    72 Yongkang Lu, near Xiangyang Nan Lu

    永康路72号, 近襄阳南路

    5448 8337
    A place called "Tap House" that, of course, specializes in craft beers, poured from the tap. They've got 18 beers on offer, and a cider, and serve them in ways made for the beer aficionado: beer flights, snack pairings, and so on. Flatscreens show sport. Stools and high tables and some outside seating comes out in the summer.
    Bars
    Craft Beer Bars
    Xuhui

  • Commune Reserve

    • Commune Reserve Shanghai
    • Commune Reserve Shanghai
    • Commune Reserve Shanghai

    1107 Yuyuan Lu, near Fenggang Lu

    愚园路1107号, 近凤冈路

    6226 2510
    This big, airy tap house on Yuyuan Lu is both the physical and spiritual successor to a popular Californian craft beer brand that occupied this space before it. Following the closure of Stone Brewing in March 2020, Commune Reserve (part of a country-wide chain of craft beer bars) took over the space. They barely touched the distressed industrial interior, but the beer taps now also pour non-Stone beers, and the menu has been updated a bit. Still the same space, still the same atmosphere, basically Stone Brewing. Good for groups, good for boozy lunches.
    American
    Bars
    Sherpa's
    Changning

  • BEER&SPACE (Changning)

    • BEER&SPACE (Changning) Shanghai
    • BEER&SPACE (Changning) Shanghai
    • BEER&SPACE (Changning) Shanghai

    No.2, Lane 321 Wuyi Lu, near Dingxi Lu

    武夷路321弄2号, 近定西路

    6228 1117
    Open for only a few months, Beer & Space is a modern, no-pressure craft beer bar on Wuyi Lu, around the corner from Lotus Eatery and Yuyintang Park. The place is pretty spacious with two floors, low-key, minimalist design, with the requisite beer bar wood furniture and brick walls. They've got in-house and guest craft beer on taps and a menu of Western plates — burgers, pastas, and salad — to match. Opens early at 10am and is a nice spot to study or work alongside a few cold ones in the afternoon.
    Bars
    Craft Beer Bars
    Changning

  • Goose Island Brewhouse

    • Goose Island Brewhouse Shanghai
    • Goose Island Brewhouse Shanghai
    • Goose Island Brewhouse Shanghai

    209 Maoming Bei Lu, near Weihai Lu

    茂名北路209号, 近威海路

    6219 0268
    Goose Island is a two-storey brewery, boasting 29 taps serving the Goose Island beers you've probably seen everywhere around town, as well as house-crafted brews. They've also got an "urban craft kitchen" rustling up grub like aged cuts of steak, house-cured pastrami, homemade sauce and various beer-infused dishes. Goose covers all the craft beer bases — IPAs, Porters, and more — and is a real popular one with a general drinking public, dipping their toes into craft beer for the first time.
    Dining
    Jing'an
    Jing'an

  • Mad Dragon by Shanghai Brewery (Donghu Lu)

    • Mad Dragon by Shanghai Brewery (Donghu Lu) Shanghai
    • Mad Dragon by Shanghai Brewery (Donghu Lu) Shanghai
    • Mad Dragon by Shanghai Brewery (Donghu Lu) Shanghai

    20 Donghu Lu, near Huaihai Zhong Lu

    东湖路20号, 近淮海中路

    3356 3996
    Mad Dragon is the Mad Dragon brand-specific brewery from Shanghai Brewery. Not the biggest beer selection in the world, and if you're looking to try out their main thing, you're ordering the "Mad Dragon IPA". Due to its location right in the center of downtown, and the fact that it's just a pretty easy place to end up at, it's busy basically all the time. Lots of sports screens, a fine street-side terrace, and the standard USA-style bar food to round out the IPA.
    American
    Bars
    Craft Beer Bars
    Xuhui

  • Boxing Cat Brewery (Yongfu Lu)

    • Boxing Cat Brewery (Yongfu Lu) Shanghai
    • Boxing Cat Brewery (Yongfu Lu) Shanghai
    • Boxing Cat Brewery (Yongfu Lu) Shanghai

    82 Fuxing Xi Lu, near Yongfu Lu

    复兴路82号, 近永福路

    6431 2091
    At the outset of the craft genre's Shanghai inception, there was Boxing Cat, a craft brew bar that has stood the test of time since 2008. A typical in-road to their craft beer menu is the Contender IPA but they've got lots of seasonal and special one-offs on tap on a given visit. The menu features southern 'Merican comfort food with Southwest accents. A most decent pulled pork sandy comes to mind./ There is also and a pair of small outdoor terraces and a fireplace.
    Bars
    Zrou
    Xuhui

  • Mikkeller Tasting Room

    • Mikkeller Tasting Room Shanghai
    • Mikkeller Tasting Room Shanghai
    • Mikkeller Tasting Room Shanghai

    98 Yanping Lu, near Xinzha Lu

    延平路98号, 近新闸路

    158 2112 0823
    Much anticipated China-first for Copenhagen microbrewery Mikkeller. It's located down the alley that's just next to the the 7/11 on Yanping Lu, in a gigantic new complex. Sleek, modern Scandi atmosphere, blonde wood and 20-some taps of the good, good Danish stuff. 35rmb for a 20cl glass, 65rmb for 40cl. The variety is diverse as heck, from the approachable Pils, Wit and Sout that's always on tap, up to a bunch of experimental, weird and limited production stuff that can cost 75-105rmb for a glass. Bottles upstairs (where there is also a merch store) start at 42rmb. No kitchen, but some snacks available.
    Bars
    Craft Beer Bars
    Jing'an District

  • 8PINTS (Shaanxi Bei Lu)

    • 8PINTS (Shaanxi Bei Lu) Shanghai
    • 8PINTS (Shaanxi Bei Lu) Shanghai
    • 8PINTS (Shaanxi Bei Lu) Shanghai

    457-3 Shaanxi Bei Lu, near Beijing Xi Lu

    陕西北路457号-3, 近北京西路

    177 0161 0762
    A reimagined gastropub in downtown Shanghai. Not a big space by any means but manages to fit in an open kitchen and and sixteen different craft beers, like the Moonlight Witbier or their award-winning Old Driver IPA. They've also got some interesting options to eat: shrimp crackers served with liquid nitrogen (29.9rmb) smoky Sichuan pepper chicken wings (19.9rmb) and a jianbing served with Wagyu beef and jalapenos (45rmb). The company that owns it is the 5-year-old Chinese brewery that's also responsible for Jiuhuar. The name refers to how much they hope their customers can drink without having to empty out their pockets: prices are capped at 29.9rmb per 330ml glass.
    Bars
    Sherpa's
    Craft Beer Bars
    Jing'an District

  • The Beer Lady (Suzhou Creek)

    • The Beer Lady (Suzhou Creek) Shanghai
    • The Beer Lady (Suzhou Creek) Shanghai
    • The Beer Lady (Suzhou Creek) Shanghai

    1247 Nan Suzhou Lu, near Xinchang Lu

    南苏州路1247号, 近新昌路

    5386 3393
    The Shanghai debut of the German chain serves higher-end German food (butter-aged steak) and a huge range of German and international beers. Lenbach's big, with seats for nearly 160 at both booths and tables. TV's showing sport hang on a central pillar and there's ample terrace seating overlooking leafy Fumin Lu; a nice place to enjoy an afternoon beer on into a dinner if you've got the cash. A meal here will probably set you back about 200-300rmb unless you have one of the steaks, which run as high as 880rmb for a hefty 800g ribeye.
    Bars
    Liquor
    Craft Beer Bars
    Huangpu

  • Shanghai Love

    • Shanghai Love Shanghai
    • Shanghai Love Shanghai
    • Shanghai Love Shanghai

    221 Maoming Bei Lu, near Nanjing Xi Lu

    茂名北路221号, 近南京西路

    6266 6517
    The first brick and mortar location for a home-grown Shanghai craft beer success story, Shanghai Love. Shanghai Love takes an inspiration from Cali-style craft beers — plenty of adherence to the new American tradition of doing things — and rounds out the standard offerings with their own variations of porters, IPAs, and more. A mix of delicacies on their menu — things like sashimi, grilled pork belly, Scotch eggs with prawns, served in a mod-ish space.
    Bars
    Craft Beer
    Fusion
    Jing'an District

  • Zapfler (Found 158)

    • Zapfler (Found 158) Shanghai
    • Zapfler (Found 158) Shanghai
    • Zapfler (Found 158) Shanghai

    B1/F, 158 Julu Lu, near Ruijin Yi Lu

    巨鹿路158号B1楼, 近瑞金一路

    5386 2337
    The physical outpost for German craft brewery Zapfler down in Found 158, it's a beer bar with 12 beers and cider on tap, as well as being the only place in the city you can get draft Heike Mate. They occasionally do some experimental brews, like a low-carb beer, but most of the staple Zapfler beer goes for 50rmb a pop nor so, and they have some exceedingly beer-friendly German pub food; curry wurst (28rmb), schnitzel (38rmb), goulash (128rmb, comes with Swabian noodles), the works, well-executed and sticking close to their German roots.
    German
    Bars
    Sherpa's
    Huangpu

  • Beer Barrel

    • Beer Barrel Shanghai
    • Beer Barrel Shanghai
    • Beer Barrel Shanghai

    515-1 Jianguo Xi Lu, near Wulumuqi Nan Lu

    建国西路515-1号，近乌鲁木齐南路

    186 1694 7821
    A neighborhood favorite. Beer Barrel is a craft beer spot on West Jianguo Lu, serving an area without too many other options. This one's fine enough. Indoor and outdoor seating, a range on taps, and most bottles are going for around 60rmb.
    Bars
    Craft Beer Bars
    Xuhui

  • The BREW

    • The BREW Shanghai
    • The BREW Shanghai
    • The BREW Shanghai

    The Kerry Hotel, 1388 Huamu Lu, near Fangdian Lu

    花木路1388号, 近芳甸路

    6169 8888
    Australian-designed craft brewery, featuring signature beers brewed on-site by a resident brew master, a menu of classic pub favorites and nightly live music entertainment. If you live in deep Pudong, this is your go-to for craft beer. Even if you don't live out that way, it's worth the 30 minute ride on Line 7 just to sample their beers. It ain't cheap, but the patio and beer garden are huge, the bar food is solid, and their brewery has been making quality beers for years. Solid wheat beer and IPA, and a few more experimental varieties like a sour beer.
    Bars
    Craft Beer Bars
    Sherpa's
    Pudong

  • Brewlosophy

    • Brewlosophy Shanghai
    • Brewlosophy Shanghai
    • Brewlosophy Shanghai

    98-1 Yanping Lu, near Xinzha Lu

    延平路98-1号, 近新闸路

    -
    Laidback three-story beer bar with a third-floor terrace facing onto Yanping Lu. This one's right in the heart of the action in that F&B heavy area of northern Jing'an, and is worth a stop in on a bar crawl. Run by a couple of exceedingly friendly craft brewers, pouring from a chalkboard selection of their own brews, with rotating taps and seasonal options. Small snacks, decent atmosphere. Good for groups of friends looking for a pub night out.
    Bars
    Craft Beer Bars
    Jing'an District

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