Evening in Zhangjiagang settles along the Yangtze, and the centre of gravity for a night out is the Walking Street shopping district and the streets around it, where bars, restaurants and karaoke venues sit within a short walk or taxi ride of one another. Taxis are the usual way to move between them, and drivers know the main foreigner-oriented bars by name.
The city's nightlife is small and social rather than sprawling. The sources describe a handful of bars that cater to foreigners, alongside restaurants that double as drinking spots and a karaoke bar. It suits visitors who want an easy, low-key evening: a meal, a few drinks, conversation with locals practising English, and a club or lounge if they want to stay out later. If you are looking for a large clubbing district, this is not that kind of city.
Where to go out in Zhangjiagang
1. The Walking Street district and its bars
The Walking Street shopping district is the anchor of an evening out. Malone's Bar sits just west of it and is described as by far the most popular place for foreigners to drink and network; the bar staff speak enough English to get by, and locals who stop in to practise English often help translate. The bar girls will order jiaozi from a nearby shop, which is useful because that shop speaks no English. Most taxi drivers understand the name.
This area suits a first night in town or anyone wanting company without planning ahead. Note that Paramount is described as being behind Malone's, three floors up, with rainbow neons on the staircase.
2. The cluster around Cheers Bar
Cheers Bar, also known as Lucy's, is described as more relaxed with nicer furnishings and staff who speak better English, but it sits far from most of the other bars. The easiest way to reach it is to ask a taxi driver for the swimming pool (you yong chi); standing at the pool's front doors and turning around puts you facing the biggest neon sign nearby. Excellent Bar is next door, a karaoke bar of the open-room kind rather than private rooms, with higher drink prices, staff who do not speak much English, and an extensive selection of English songs.
This cluster suits a quieter start to the evening or a karaoke session, provided you are willing to travel to it.
3. Yangshe Dongjie
Yangshe Dongjie, reached from Old Street (Yangshe Lao Jie) by heading towards Shazhou Lu on Yuanlin Lu and turning right into the street just before the ICBC, is a street with more than one option. House Bar & Kitchen is described as a chill, casual place to meet locals and foreigners, with good pizza, a selection of foreign beers and hot beverages, and staff with good spoken English; it was formerly Hug Bar at Yangshe Laojie and reopened at a different location.
Echo's Cafe & Pub sits on the second floor at the corner as soon as you turn into the street, and is described as an artsy, pet-friendly place popular with both locals and foreigners, with outdoor seating in summer, English, European and Chinese music and films, and no food of its own, though you can order from nearby places including House Bar. It is a good fit for a relaxed beer after work that can get livelier later.
4. Restaurant-bars for a slower evening
Some of the best drinking happens in restaurants. Bistro Champ de Ble is described as the only place in town to get a pint of draft beer, with Japanese Asahi on tap, and is also described as elegant yet affordable, with excellent food, English-speaking waitresses, parties and live musicians. It is suggested as a good choice if you are bringing a date.
This kind of venue suits an evening built around a meal and wine rather than a bar crawl.
5. Clubs and lounges
For a later, louder night, Paramount is described as featuring smoke machines, laser effects, loud music, dancers and friendly staff, can be on the expensive side, and is called one of the best bar-clubs in town. Night Jasmine Lounge is described as the newest bar in town at the time of writing, with a chill atmosphere and good beer, serving draft Hofbräuhaus, a German beer brewed in Jiangyin; from the west end of the Walking Street, head north a couple of blocks and it is on the west side of the road.
These suit anyone wanting music and a later finish. The sources also note there are many other bars in town, some catering to specific tastes and others quite forgettable.
How a night out unfolds
The sources do not set out a detailed timetable for eating and going out in Zhangjiagang. What they do show is that bars function as after-work places: Echo's Cafe & Pub is listed as open from 16:00 to 02:00 daily, and is described as cosy and chilled out early but livelier later into the evening. Plan on drinks starting in the late afternoon or early evening and running past midnight, with taxis the practical way to move between areas.
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
Do I need to speak Chinese to go out in Zhangjiagang?
Not everywhere. The sources note that staff at Malone's speak enough English to get by, that Cheers Bar staff speak better English, and that House Bar & Kitchen and Bistro Champ de Ble have English-speaking staff. At Excellent Bar the staff do not speak much English, though the song selection is in English.
How do I get to the bars?
By taxi, mostly. Most taxi drivers understand "Malone's Bar", and for Cheers Bar the reliable instruction is to ask for the swimming pool (you yong chi) and look across the street from its front doors.
Can I get food while drinking?
Yes. Malone's bar staff will order jiaozi from a nearby shop, House Bar & Kitchen serves pizza and food on site and delivered, and Echo's Cafe & Pub serves no food but lets you order from nearby places, including the neighbouring House Bar.
Is there anywhere to go for karaoke?
Excellent Bar, next door to Cheers Bar, is a karaoke bar using the open-room approach rather than private karaoke rooms, with an extensive selection of English songs and higher drink prices than other places.
Decide whether you want the Walking Street area or the Yangshe Dongjie side of town, then plan your evening around a meal, a few bars and a taxi home.