By evening the streets around the old walled city fill with people heading out to eat, and the riverside strip along Jiangbin Road starts to hum as bars and clubs open their doors. Further inland, in Xialü, small bars and Western kitchens draw a mixed crowd of locals and foreign residents.
Wenzhou's nightlife is spread across a handful of distinct areas rather than concentrated in one quarter. It suits people who are happy to move between a riverside club strip, a low-key bar street and a residential neighbourhood with a foreign community, and who do not mind that English is not widely spoken outside certain bars and universities.
Where to go out in Wenzhou
1. European City
A cluster of venues with a foreign-facing character. La Luna, at the corner of Yongnan Road and Jiangbin West Road, serves a foreign menu including burgers, fries and nachos, has English-speaking staff, opens at 20:00, and hosts occasional karaoke or live music; it offers a discount card for foreign teachers, for which you should bring a copy of your contract or foreign expert papers. Odessa, in the centre of the city downstairs by the bowling alley, is split into a restaurant with a foreign menu and a bar, and sits beside archery, billiards and bowling facilities.
This area suits a night that starts with food and stays in one or two places rather than moving around.
2. Xialü Waterfront
Despite the name there is no water and no front; this is the residential area where most foreigners live, and bars have grown up around it. Venues named in the sources include Blue Moon Bar on Shuang Long Lu, a small foreigner-friendly place with customer-controlled music and Western food; Cowboy Bar 1 on Chunhui Road where it meets Shuanglong Road; L.V. on Shuanglong Road, a popular Chinese bar for DJs and live music; Blue Shell on North Lane off Wendi Road; Stephanos, an Italian bar; and My Friend Bar on Chunhui Road opposite Cowboy Bar 1.
It suits a casual, neighbourly night out with a mix of Chinese and foreign patrons.
3. Jiangbin Road (The River)
This is where the biggest clubs, bars and restaurants in town are found. The main strip is on Wangjiang Road, though taxi drivers treat the whole area as Jiangbin Road. Named venues include Bund 18 on Wangjiang East Road, which normally gets going around 10PM, and Luna Bar on Wangjiang Road, a Chinese bar that has been renovated and often has live music.
It suits a late, loud night, and is the area to choose if you want scale rather than quiet.
4. Shuomen Old Street
Set back from Jiangbin Road off Jiefang Road, this is a hip part of town where new bars open frequently alongside small shops and board game bars. Named venues include Hello K.T. at the far end of the street; Cowboy Bar 3 at number 81, quieter than its siblings and with a small indoor stream in the back area; My Bar, a quarter of the way down, dark and quiet with a movie room upstairs; 1682 at number 117, a bar and club with a lounge layout and space for dancing; and 419 Bar at number 66, a tea house and bar that hosts an English Corner on Thursday nights at 7PM.
It suits people who prefer to wander between small, varied places in one evening.
5. Renmin Road
The main road of the city hosts a few massive clubs, but it is not the place for a quiet or cheap drink. Named venues include .99 on Renmin West Road, opposite Jiushan Road, a huge club and bar with wooden palatial decor and correspondingly high prices, and U-Party, also on Renmin West Road opposite Jiushan Road, a large established club with DJs and dancers that is less expensive than .99 and works well for a group sharing a whiskey and iced tea combo.
It suits a big-group night when the aim is a large club rather than conversation.
6. Pool halls
Pool halls are dotted around Wenzhou, ranging from free to around ¥30 per hour. They are a straightforward option for an early or low-key part of an evening.
7. Double Deer Beer
The locally brewed Double Deer Beer, known in Chinese as Shuan1 Lu4, is sold on the streets for around ¥2–2.5, and the bottle cap may hide a free beer or a ¥1 refund. A more expensive premium light version also exists. The Double Deer brewery itself is not a nightlife venue: visitors have reported being able to look around the factory for a short time before being asked to leave.
How a night out unfolds
The sources give few fixed times. La Luna opens at 20:00, Bund 18 normally kicks off around 10PM, and Hello K.T. stays open in the evening until the patrons leave. The English Corner at 419 Bar runs on Thursday nights at 7PM. Beyond these, plan on eating first and going out afterwards, with the riverside and Renmin Road clubs carrying the night latest.
Festivals and events worth timing a trip around
- National Day and the National Day Golden Week holiday, early October
- Double Ninth Festival, October
- Christmas Day, December
- New Year's Day, January
- Spring Festival Eve and Chinese New Year, February
Frequently asked questions
Where do foreigners tend to go out?
Xialü is the area where most foreigners live, and several bars there are foreigner-friendly. European City also draws a foreign crowd, and La Luna is described as a favourite of the foreign community.
Do I need to speak Chinese to go out?
Outside universities, colleges and certain bars it is difficult to find English speakers, so some Chinese is useful. Wenzhounhua, the local dialect, sounds very different from standard Chinese.
Which area is best for live music and DJs?
L.V. in Xialü is popular for DJs and live music, Luna Bar on Wangjiang Road often has live music, and U-Party on Renmin West Road has DJs and dancers.
Can I get Western food on a night out?
Yes. La Luna and Odessa in European City serve foreign menus, and Blue Moon Bar in Xialü also has burgers, fries and other Western items.
Decide which of these areas fits the evening you want, check the timing of any festival dates, and plan your route before you head out.