The Bridge
Overlooking the classy (ahem) part of Lockhart Road, this Wan Chai institution has been serving up drinks 24/7 now for more than seven years. Even if the shutters might be down (and no one can ever be sure what’s going on behind them), the Bridge never closes, being the ever-reliable force whenever (and we mean, whenever) you’re in need of a beer, cheap and hearty bar food, and some classic tunes from generations past. Sure, it’s not exactly classy, but that’s the whole point. You know you love it… 97 Lockhart Rd, Wan Chai, 2865 5586, H/H noon-10pm.

Ned Kelly's Last Stand
Named in honour of Australia’s legendary convict cum bushranger, this pub is a Hong Kong institution. The bar itself is filled with slightly tacky Australiana, but the reason that tourists and locals alike continue to flock here is the Dixieland jazz /comedy show of Colin Aitchison and the China Coast Jazzmen. Nightly, Aitchison and the band perform their finely tuned show, taking the piss out of members of the band and the audience, and encouraging raucous singing along from the crowd. Before you know it, you’ll be joining in, singing “Mong Kok Mong Kok” to the tune of a Frank Sinatra classic. 11A Ashley Rd, Tsim Sha Tsui, 2376 0562. H/H 11.30am-9pm.

The Priory
Alas, the infamous dentist chair is no longer around. Fortunately however, just a couple of metres inside The Priory’s doors stands erect one of the stranger things you’ll see on Wyndham Street – that pole. Of course, fuelled by the drinks from this laid-back, unpretentious bar, the pole sees some action, with members of both genders occasionally mustering up the courage to spin themselves into a frenzy. Luckily for them, in a place called The Priory, pole dancing isn’t one of the seven deadly sins (remember pole-dancing is now a legitimate form of exercise). And for that we’re all, at least just a little, thankful. 75 Wyndham Street, Central, 2522 2628, H/H Mon-Fri 5pm-8pm.

Find your watering hole:
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See also:
Blasts from the past