- Chengdu
- (29)
-
China
British bar/pub, the best place in Chengdu to watch sports (rugby, footy, cricket, boxing, whatever is on satellite) and a civilised place to have a few beers, relax, and chat.
Chill out on the sofa, natter at the bar, sup in the barbershop chairs. Excellent Brit memorabilia, from footy programmes to classic photos of celebs, and the staggeringly artistic screwdriver on the wall.
Also check out the quote of the day on the blackboard. Old Speckled Hen, Abbot Ale, Tiger, German lagers, a tasty range of cocktails. Occasional dancing ensues.
Open afternoon until as early as necessary.
Kehua Jie No. 19 / 科华街19号
30°37'32.96"N 104° 4'37.82"E
On the first floor (second floor for non-Brits) opposite the WoWo minimart on KeHuaJie, near the south gate of Sichuan Uni, so ask the taxi driver for ChuanDa NanMen. Just down the street from Cafe Paname, and next to some good local and Korean restaurants.
The ancient cultural remains at Sanxingdui are world famous, being among the most spectacular in the world. Their historical, scientific, cultural and artistic value is immense and still being uncovered.
Two large sacrificial pits discovered from July to September 1986 at Sanxingdui constitute one of the most important archaeological finds of the twentieth century.
You can get there by bus from Chendu's northern bus station. It's a couple of hours and a local bus or taxi from the nearest town.
World class Sichuan cuisine by
Chef Liao He Yi & his team in the five-star German-run Kempinski Hotel.
No visit to Chengdu and Sichuan would be complete without a visit to Shuxiangge. Try some of the very famous local dishes: Mapo Toufu, Lai Dumpling, and Han Steamed Bun.
Kempinski Hotel Chengdu
42 Ren Min Nan Lu, 4th Section,
Chengdu 610041 Sichuan Province
People's Republic of China
Phone: 86 + 28 + 85269999
www.kempinski-chengdu.com
Contact details:
Bernhard Kern 86+13350056464
(speaks fluent English & German)
Email:bernhard.kern@kempinski.com
Peter's has quickly become a favourite haunt of not only Chengdu's expat community, but also the locals looking for some home cooking Texas-style.
Open every day: 7.30am – 11.00pm
Stop in to get a few (covered in frosting) home baked cinnamon rolls wrapped up for a few days' supply at only 6RMB each (0.60 Euro).
Two locations:
No. 117 Ke Hua Bei Lu,
Chengdu. Sichuan China
(Nearby Sichuan University west gate)
Phone: 86 + 28 + 85227965
No. 12 Tong Zi Lin Dong Lu,
Chengdu. Sichuan China
(Near South Section 3, 2nd Ring Road)
Phone: 86 + 28 + 85180903
The well-established Shamrock (Irish) Bar is something of a landmark meeting place for Chengdu expats and locals. Up to 150 people per night roll up for music and fun on a Friday or Saturday evening. There is a free pool table, as well as live international sport (such as Aussie Rules, cricket, rugby, and soccer) televised on several screens throughout the bar area. The beer garden out front provides an excellent alternative for those who wish to generally chat.
Every Day: 10.00am – 3.00am
BAR FOOD SPECIALTY:
Pub grub includes the popular Shamrock burger and chips. Add lettuce, tomato, cheese, egg and / or bacon to your own liking. There is no shortage of ketchup (tomato sauce) to otherwise smother hot potato chips, wedges or onion rings. This can be washed down with a variety of local and imported beverages including Irish draught Guinness beer.
REGULAR EVENTS:
Thursday Solo singer
Friday DJ dance
Saturday Live bands
Sunday Solo singer
No.15 Renmin Nan Lu, Section 4,
Chengdu.Sichuan Province.China
(Around corner from USA consulate)
Tel: 86+28+85236158
Email: shamrockinchengdu@gmail.com
Website: www.shamrockinchengdu.com
Shamrock Chengdu Forums:
www.wocca.zoomshare.com/6.html
Home base of the GoWest Club (free membership) - launched by western China's pioneering magazine for culture and nature. Cafe Del Mar's elegant and tasteful decor provides a friendly and affordable place for expats, tourists and local white-collars to interact and better understand Chinese culture through creative, literary, recreational and social activities.
Delightful indoor and outdoor areas with attentive English-speaking staff. Customers are welcome to add to the already international menu (e.g. American, Australian, British, Chinese, French, Indian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, and Spanish).
Situated at 2nd Floor Jinjiang Library Building No # 45 Hendingzi Street (Corner Jinxing Road) Chengdu. Sichuan Province. People's Republic China - Enter via front or rear of library building
WEBSITE:
www.cafedelmarchengdu.zoomshare.com
EMAIL: cafedelmarchengdu@gmail.com
PHONE: 86+28+86663593 (Ask for Amy)
Four-star, central, very clean, business rooms (£40) have free internet access. Restaurant does weird western food if you can't face Chinese for the 17th night in a row. I had fish fingers and chips with a blob of jam and my partner had mushrooms on toast with a little pool of lemon curd. Gorgeous.
No.55, Section 2, Ren Min Nan Ave, Chengdu, Sichuan 610016.
If you fancy a change from the spicy Sichuan food you should try The Mutt's Pizza. Open 24hrs. The best pizzas in Chengdu and cheap too!
Check out the menu at www.synotrip.com/themuttsnuts; tel: 13060062221
Many of these are not noted for their singing quartets, or even any evidence of a pair of scissors. Worth knowing that plenty of them have back rooms for a little more (less?) than your average 'short, back and sides'.
If you go to a hairdresser's that actually does cut your hair, chances are you will get your hair washed, your scalp massaged very nicely and a decent haircut. If it's 30 rmb for a bloke's haircut and wash, all in, then that's pricy. It's a bit of luxury, but allow about an hour. Otherwise, pay 3 to 5 rmb at a cheap (genuine barber) place on the street, and it will be much quicker.
All over town
Not quite the reason to go to Chengdu, but should be useful. Nearly all toilets are 'squatties' so be prepared for some calf-stretching stability exercises. Slightly pricier restaurants have neat packets of tissue paper which you should nab whenever you eat there. Even cheaper restaurants have toilet paper available, so grab a bit if you are out. You never know when a touch of the Chengdu-doo-doo will hit you and you will be glad of your forethought.
For public loos (plenty of these on streets, by the river) you normally pay 2 jiao (0.2 rmb) to use them. Some are good, many are less than fragrant. Be prepared for them to be more public than you might be used to. Mens' and womens' are usually marked with picture symbols.
All over town - Chengdu is well endowed with toilets.
A couple of RMB/yuan for entrance to the gallery up the stairs. Art book shop downstairs, and art supplies on sale in the lobby. Occasional visits from international artists/exhibitors.
From TianFu Square, standing at the base of the Mao statue, facing Mao, turn left (west) and after a stroll of just over 500 metres, you will see the gallery on your right.
Not that many places have pavements you would eat your dinner off, but Chengdu's public walkways still have their unfair share of phlegm, dirt etc, plus the results of cute kiddies, held in the air by their parents, having a pee on the street - public toilets cost money. No big deal really, just could be worth remembering.
Chengdu has thousands of these, from the shabby, almost slum-like backstreet establishments, some of which show DVDs to entertain clients, to the ultra-posh teahouses, where BMW keys and smart rectangular-lensed specs are de rigeur.
Hang out where locals chill. In most of them, it's unlikely you'll be left alone if you don't want to be.
All over Chengdu. Da Ci Temple has a nice teahouse. www.randomstuff.biz has a description and map.
Classic Sichuan (and Chongqing, where hot pot is even spicier) food. Large bowl of soup/sauce in the middle of the table, perched on a gas hob/burner. Most often the metal bowl has a barrier vertically across the middle, so that a red, spicier soup is in one half, and a white, less spicy soup is in the other. Fans of the spicy half and the less spicy half can dine together, and of course you can mix and match.
Your group orders food, which is brought to you so you can decide what to put into the bubbling soup. Sliced pork and beef, vegetables, doufu, and mushrooms are all standard fare, and you can also get kidneys, liver and many other body parts for the soup. A very sociable way of eating.
Some places do a 'buffet' deal where you pay one price per person (rather than paying for the food you order), and you stroll up to the buffet table to get the food bits - good for your first hot pot, and this overcomes ordering problems. The buffet deals are pricier, but usually include beer and red wine and soft drinks.
Hot pot (huo guo) restaurants are on almost every vaguely lively street. One town we were in had seven hot pot restaurants.
More detailed guide on www.randomstuff.biz in the Eat section of Chengdu.
This is a great place. The bedrooms are spartan but clean. The place has a rather wide-open feel to it, unlike most clautrophobic hostels. The best part is the food: Sim's has the best food of any hostel I've been to, and it's cheap (8-15 yuan) with big portions. Also, there is often cheap barbecued food on the street outside.
No.42 Xizhushi st. Chengdu - in the northern part of Chengdu, next to Wenshu Yuan Buddhist Temple (which I also recommend). By taxi it's about 8-10 minutes away from the Chairman Mao statue/city centre;
tel: +86 288 691 4422;
email: simscozygh@yahoo.co.jp;
www.gogosc.com/house_en.htm
Recently restored, the temple of mercy/compassion is little visited by tourists, despite being in the centre of Chengdu. Aside from its main purpose, this temple has a very lively yet relaxing teahouse (various teas, average price 5-8 Rb) and there’s a folklore museum. Some outstanding statues/carvings. 3 Rmb to get in. Open 9am to 6pm.
Da Ci Si Lu 23 hao (10-15 mins walk from Crowne Plaza/Holiday Inn);
www.randomstuff.biz
Peter's is the ultimate American Dream; a village boy with no foreseeable future moves to the big city and makes it big with his own restaurant chain.
The restaurant features a mix of Tex-Mex and Chinese food, the best milkshakes on the Asian continent, a comfortable atmosphere and free wi-fi if you happen to be carrying your laptop.
The original Peter's:
117 Ke Hua Bei Lu;
tel: +86 028 85227965
The Newbie:
12 Tong Zi Lin Dong Lu;
tel: +86 028 85180903
Only 10km North of downtown Chengdu, Giant Pandas can be found eating, sleeping or at play. The Centre works to educate the public and provide a research base for scientists across the globe. The Centre also houses the red panda. Both can be held for approximately 100 Yuan. The entry fee is 50 Yuan.
The easiest way to get there is to find a taxi and point to the symbol for the Panda Centre on the tourist maps found at the airport, bus and train stations.
The Shamrock, or Shrock to locals, is an Irish pub owned by an Aussie and sought out by anyone looking for a great English breakfast, good pizza, football, rugby, cricket and a place to dance all night. It is a bit of home in the middle of China.
www.shamrockinchengdu.com No. 15, 4th section, Ren min nan lu (right around the corner from the American Consulate)
I found this pretty machine in one Chengdu cafe bar named Feeling4seasons Cafe. They provide very very nice espresso, cappuccino and latte..with italian LAVAZZA. Very nice service and price...I love it....
They provide free wireless internet service, you can check your mail or web, and f you have a notebook you can use wireless easily, if your notebook doesn't support WiFi, don't worry about it, they can provide you with a wireless card to use free.
Enjoy your cafe travel in chengdu....
Feeling4seasons cafe
Orient Times Mall 2F, Xia Dongda Street, Chengdu.
www.f4scafe.cn
Tel: 028 6620 8848
Send your feedback or queries to been.there@guardian.co.uk
Search Been there
Your tips about Chengdu