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  • 10 Hong Kong Speakeasies You’ve Almost Forgotten About — Now Open!

    Aleksandra Milewicz
    Aleksandra Milewicz
    Last updated 27 Mar 2024
    dr frns gin parlour hong kong

    Rediscover Hong Kong’s vibrant nightlife at these hidden bars and speakeasies. Now open again!

    Telephone booth, doctor’s waiting room, umbrella shop. Speakeasies in Hong Kong know how to nail a theme and the cocktails are just as creative as the concept and its interiors. Now that the bars in Hong Kong are finally open again, let’s uncover some of these hidden gems!

    Hong Kong speakeasies — July 2021

    1. Penicillin 
    2. Foxglove 
    3. Frank’s Library
    4. Dr Fern’s Gin Parlour
    5. Ping Pong 129 Gintoneria 
    6. Please Don’t Tell (PDT)
    7. Hugger Mugger
    8. The Wise King
    9. Stockton
    10. Room 309

    1. Penicillin 

    penicillin hong kong
    Photo Credit: PENICILLIN Hong Kong Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/penicillinbar/)
    penicillin hong kong
    Photo Credit: PENICILLIN Hong Kong (https://www.facebook.com/penicillinbar/)
    Penicillin is not just a great place to grab a drink, it’s also one of the most environmentally committed bars in town. Inspired by the farm-to-bar movement, Penicillin is on a mission to become Hong Kong’s first “scrap-less” bar — a bar that produces minimal waste by the end of the night. All cocktail ingredients are locally sourced in Hong Kong and there’s an entire section of the menu devoted to upcycled fermented fruit and vegetables. Red cabbage & passion cocktail, anyone? 
    Penicillin 

    2. Foxglove 

    red leather couches in hong kong bar foxglove
    Photo Credit: Foxglove Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/foxglovehk)
    wine cellar at hong kong bar foxglove
    Photo Credit: Foxglove Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/foxglovehk)
    Stepping into this bar is like falling headfirst into the rabbit hole from Alice in Wonderland — but swap all the tea for booze. Unlike most speakeasies, Foxglove isn’t hiding in a dark alleyway. The old-timey umbrella shop is so out of place among the skyscrapers, you’ll spot it straight away. Come on in to enter the world of fictitious adventurer Frank Minza who will take you on an alcohol-fueled journey through the 20th century: from the Golden Age of cocktails in London to the prohibition era in New York. 
    Foxglove
    • Opening hours: Mon-Sat: 12 PM-12 AM, Sun: closed 
    • Website: https://mingfathouse.com/foxglove/
    • Address: 2/F, Printing House, 6 Duddell St, Central

    3. Frank’s Library

    frank's library hong kong
    Photo Credit: Frank's Library Facebook (facebook.com/frankslibrary)
    There’s only one thing better than a speakeasy: a speakeasy within a speakeasy! Find an elevator panel in the depths of Foxglove and you may unlock access to Franks’ Library, a secret bar inside. Continuing the theme of our cosmopolitan explorer Frank Minza (see the description above), the library focuses on one of his favorite countries — Japan. Enjoy drinks inspired by flavors of Japan, like Sakura Blossom, Impossible Highball or Tokyo Drift. 
    Frank’s Library
    • Opening hours: Fri-Sat: 6 PM-12 AM
    • Website: https://mingfathouse.com/franks-library/
    • Address: Hidden inside Foxglove, Printing House, 6 Duddell St, Central
    • Book via: +852 2116 2449

    4. Dr Fern’s Gin Parlour

    dr frns gin parlour hong kong
    If you like your drinks with a dash of storytelling, you have to check out Dr Fern’s Gin Parlour, another whimsical Hong Kong speakeasy. A fictitious physician, Dr Fern has devoted his entire life to studying botanicals and his practice is focused exclusively on treating alignments with gin-based drinks. You’ll have trouble claiming this prescription from your health insurance but it sure is delicious. 
    Dr Fern’s Gin Parlour
    • Opening hours: Mon-Sun: 3 PM-10 PM 
    • Website: https://mingfathouse.com/dr-ferns/
    • Address: Shop B31A, First Basement Floor, Landmark Atrium, 15 Queen's Road Central, Central

    5. Ping Pong 129 Gintoneria 

    Ping Pong 129 Gintoneria hong kong
    Photo Credit: Ping Pong 129 Facebook (facebook.com/pingpong129/)
    Walking around Sai Ying Pun, you’d never guess that the unassuming red door leads to a stylish gin bar. Housed in an old ping pong hall, this speakeasy really delivers on atmosphere (and is much bigger than your average Hong Kong bar). Enjoy the cool interiors as you make your way through the extensive gin menu and nibble on some tapas.
    Ping Pong 129 Gintoneria
    • Opening hours: Mon-Sun: 6 PM-11 PM 
    • Website: http://www.pingpong129.com/
    • Address: 129 Second Street L/G Nam Cheong House, Sai Ying Pun
    • Book via: +852 9835 5061

    6. Please Don’t Tell (PDT)

    PDT hong kong
    Photo Credit: The Landmark Mandarin Oriental Facebook (facebook.com/TheLandmarkMandarinOriental)
    Located inside the Landmark Mandarin Oriental, Please Don’t Tell is a collaboration with the iconic New York speakeasy under the same name. Just like the original PDT, the entrance is hidden inside a vintage phone booth (head to the mezzanine level of MO Bar to find it). But there is more to this bar than a quirky entrance. PDT has been regularly voted among the world’s best bars with a cocktail menu offering a mix of the original New York location classics and creative Hong Kong-inspired cocktails. 
    Please Don’t Tell (PDT)
    • Opening hours: Mon-Sun: 4 PM-11 PM 
    • Website: https://www.mandarinoriental.com/hong-kong/the-landmark/fine-dining/bars/pdt
    • Address: The Landmark Mandarin Oriental, 15 Queen's Road Central, Central
    • Book via: the website

    7. Hugger Mugger

    hugger mugger hong kong
    Photo Credit: Hugger Mugger Website (https://huggermugger.hk/)
    hugger mugger hong kong
    Photo Credit: Hugger Mugger Website (https://huggermugger.hk/)
    Ever noticed the ornate wooden door inside Chaiwala? Hugger Mugger, a British-themed speakeasy hidden within, pays homage to Britain’s cultural legends with an inventive cocktail menu. The Indian dishes on the bar menu are as delicious so give them a try while you’re at it. 
    Hugger Mugger
    • Opening hours: Mon-Thu: 5 PM-12 AM, Fri-Sun: 3 PM-12 AM 
    • Address: Basement, No. 43-55, Wyndham Street, Central
    • Book via: +852 2362 8988

    8. The Wise King

    the wise king hong kong
    Photo Credit: The Wise King Facebook (facebook.com/Thewisekinghk/)
    Did you know that the birth of tapas is attributed to Alfonso X of Castile, a 13th-century Spanish king? The king was a wise one indeed: he proclaimed that alcohol shouldn’t be served without food, thus starting a tradition of tapas, or small snacks served with drinks. The Wise King continues this delicious legacy with some of the best cocktails in Asia (#28 on Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2021) and, of course, tapas to go with them. Now, who said you don’t learn anything from going to bars?
     The Wise King
    • Opening hours: Mon-Thu: 6 PM-1 AM, Fri-Sun: 6 PM-2 AM 
    • Website: https://www.thewiseking.com/
    • Address: 25 Staunton Street, Basement in Tsung Wing Lane, Soho, Central
    • Book via: +852 6258 1344

    9. Stockton

    stockton hong kong
    Photo Credit: Stockton Hong Kong Facebook Page (facebook.com/StocktonHK/)
    Stockton may look like a 19th-century gentleman’s club but there is nothing old-fashioned about the cocktails here. The current drink menu follows human evolution through... the evolution of our tipple. We can’t weigh in on the historical accuracy of the concoctions but we can say they look just as inventive as they sound. If you like flavor combinations unlike anything you’ve ever tasted before, this is the place for you. 
    Stockton
    • Opening hours: Mon-Thu: 5:30 PM-2 AM, Fri-Sat: 5:30 PM-23 AM 
    • Website: https://www.stockton.com.hk/
    • Address: Down A Dark Alleyway, 32 Wyndham St, Central
    • Book via: reservations@stockton.com.hk or +852 2565 5268

    10. Room 309

    room 309 hong kong
    Photo Credit: Room 309 Facebook (facebook.com/room309hk)
    room 309 hong kong
    Photo Credit: Room 309 Facebook (facebook.com/room309hk)
    It’s not easy to up the speakeasy game in Hong Kong but Room 309 came up with yet another creative concept. Head to the Pottinger Hotel reception and ask to check in to, you guessed it, room 309. You’ll get a keycard and only then can you enter the bar. Nicely done! Try one of the Invisible Cocktails: drinks that are completely colorless to remove any preconceived expectations of the taste. 
    Room 309
    • Opening hours: Mon-Sun: 4 PM-12 AM
    • Website: https://www.room309.hk/
    • Address: The Pottinger Hong Kong, 74 Queen's Road, Central. Pick up your keycard at The Reception on 3/F
    • Book via: walk-ins only 

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