I like this place

I've been about a dozen times spaced across four years (I don't often go to Houhai), but every time the music has impressed me. The bar can be a little hard to find, especially on your first time, but this is true of so many places in Beijing, and the large window viewing across the lake at Houhai looks lovely at night. There's no entry fee, it's easy to get a table (I detest being asked to pay or to buy a certain amount of drink to get a goddamn table!), and prices are reasonable. There's a decent range of beer (with several on draft), though the cocktails are a bit sketchy, seem a bit watery. But as jazz bars go in Beijing, this has go to be the best.