Shoot Some Pool While Enjoying a Beer at These Beijing Bars
In many a pub in the UK you’ll find a billiards – aka pool – table, and shooting some pool while enjoying a beer or two is a great way to spend a casual evening. If you’re also a pool fan, or if you fancy giving it a go, here are a few bars in the capital for you to check out.
Ball House
When approaching this bar just northeast of the Drum Tower, it’s easy to think that it’s closed, but push open the door and you’ll find yourself in an old, spacious converted hutong house. Run by an elderly Chinese couple (who seem to always be eating some kind of meal) and with a bit of a ramshackle feel, it isn’t the usual type of bar you’ll find in the capital, but that’s part of its quirky charm.
However, if you’re a Fast and Furious fan then the real appeal is that you can play pool on the same table that actor Vin Diesel once played on. There's even a photograph by the pool table to prove it! Along with the pool table, Ball House has a beer fridge and classic cocktails available to order. The bar doesn't serve food but you’re welcome to order waimai there if you wish.
Ball House
40 Zhonglouwan Hutong (directly east of the Bell Tower), Xicheng District
西城区旧鼓楼大街钟楼湾胡同40号
Pool Bar
A bit of a no-brainer given the name, Pool Bar is another hutong bar that has, you guessed it, a pool table. Open until 5am, this is the ideal place for those looking for a bit of late night pool to wind down after a night out on the town. If you’re looking for some other games to entertain you they also have a great foosball table.
Pool Bar
106 Gulou Dongdajie, Dongcheng District
东城区鼓楼东大街106号
Q Mex Bar & Grill
Apart from their Q Mex Taqueria location, all four branches of Q Mex have a pool table, so technically that’s a whole four other pool tables added to the list! With daily food deals and a great summer menu, Q Mex is a great place to grab a bite to eat while also shooting a game.
A quick heads up that Wednesdays at their CBD location and Thursdays at their Solana location are quiz nights, and things can get a little busy, meaning the pool table may not always be available to play. So it may be best to avoid those days and locations if you want to be guaranteed the table.
Q Mex
All branches except Q Mex Taqueira
The Local
Sanlitun sports bar The Local has a pool table up on their second floor, and it's the perfect spot if you want to catch a game at the same time as playing pool. They also have a recently updated menu with ten different kinds of mac and cheese, which are definitely worth trying out if you’re there. Sometimes the upstairs isn’t always open or can be booked out for private events, so if you’re dead set on playing pool it's a good idea to call ahead first.
The Local
Courtyard 4 (opposite west entrance of 1949 - The Hidden City), Gongti Beilu, Chaoyang District
朝阳区工体北路4号院（1949西门对面）
Eudora Station
Up near Siyuanqiao, Eudora Station is the furthest out of central Beijing of all the bars on our list, which means that it also tends to be less busy. Plus, thanks to the fact that this venue has ample seating in the front and back of the restaurant, the area surrounding the pool table is usually pretty quiet. This might be a good shout for those with minimal special awareness when playing pool.
Eudora Station
6 Fangyuan Xilu, Chaoyang District
朝阳区芳园西路6号
READ: Check Out These Events & Happenings in Beijing Aug 24-30
Images: Dianping, Unsplash Stephen Collins
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BauLuo
Submitted by Guest on Thu, 08/25/2022 - 20:55 Permalink
Re: Shoot Some Pool While Enjoying a Beer at These Beijing Bars
Well that was nigh on 30 years ago. And yaknow what yesterwhiles hippy freaks turn into, doncha?Okay, so what can we argure about today. Shooting pool in bars it seems. Me and the mates we were off on the weekend, after a week of slogging it 10 hours a day in the horizontal rain, at maybe a few degrees above freezing. If ya were at a higher elevation it was called snow, which you weren't allowed to plant trees in. `Horizontal rain' for those that don't know is rain whipping at you sideways at about 100 km/hour. This was west coast of Vancouver Island, mid-Febfuary if I remember, about 20k outside of Gold River, west side of Vancouver Island. Now after a week of this duress, boss came up with checks worth last 30 days of our labour, gave us a 3 day holiday, and down to the only bar in town did we go., there to drink an shoot pool. There was only two pool tables to play. The locals were used to having both, but when 30 long-haired hippy freak treeplanters come inta tthey had to make a wee sacrifice. So for the course of the night everything was mostly amicable. A few bumped elbows shuffling aroung the pool table, but no manifest violence. Until last call, whole bar was being kicked out, when one treeplanter friend of mine mentioned that one of the local girls tits looked very nice, .... all hell broke lose. The local RCMP constasbulary, which consisted of 2 constables (Gold River only having about population of 5 thoousand) arrested 5 of us hippy freaks, stuck us in jail overnight, let us out next morning, no fines. So that's the news about shooting pool.
I was just watching Easy Rider. Rednecks sacrifice hippy freaks too. With rather little ceremonial though. Definiely low-church, they.
BauLuo
Submitted by Guest on Thu, 08/25/2022 - 16:20 Permalink
Re: Shoot Some Pool While Enjoying a Beer at These Beijing Bars
Okay, so what can we argure about today. Shooting pool in bars it seems. Me and the mates we were off on the weekend, after a week of slogging it 10 hours a day in the horizontal rain, at maybe a few degrees above freezing. If ya were at a higher elevation it was called snow, which you weren't allowed to plant trees in. `Horizontal rain' for those that don't know is rain whipping at you sideways at about 100 km/hour. This was west coast of Vancouver Island, mid-Febfuary if I remember, about 20k outside of Gold River, west side of Vancouver Island. Now after a week of this duress, boss came up with checks worth last 30 days of our labour, gave us a 3 day holiday, and down to the only bar in town did we go., there to drink an shoot pool. There was only two pool tables to play. The locals were used to having both, but when 30 long-haired hippy freak treeplanters come inta tthey had to make a wee sacrifice. So for the course of the night everything was mostly amicable. A few bumped elbows shuffling aroung the pool table, but no manifest violence. Until last call, whole bar was being kicked out, when one treeplanter friend of mine mentioned that one of the local girls tits looked very nice, .... all hell broke lose. The local RCMP constasbulary, which consisted of 2 constables (Gold River only having about population of 5 thoousand) arrested 5 of us hippy freaks, stuck us in jail overnight, let us out next morning, no fines. So that's the news about shooting pool.
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