Best Live Music: You can head-bang to local rock music with Shanghai’s indie kids at the small, dark, and smoky Yuyintang.

Best Location: Tucked inside People’s Park and surrounded by a lily pond, cocktail bar Barbarossa is an oasis of calm.

Best People-Watching: Check out the crowds of swanky party-goers at Shanghai’s legendary Bar Rouge.

Most Low-Key: Japanese cocktail bar Constellation 3 is a relaxed alternative to the thumping downtown clubs.

Most Glamorous: Glamour Bar is glamorous in name and nature; it’s a sophisticated yet artsy bar that attracts Shanghai’s most beautiful people.

Best Theme: Rhumerie Bounty is a pirate lover’s dream, with its seafaring relics decorating the walls, barrel stools, and home-brewed rums that come in individual bottles.

Longest Parties: Located inside an old bomb hideout, down-and-dirty The Shelter offers an alternative to the downtown clubs with its all-night parties.

Best Place to Club like a Local: G Plus, frequented by wealthy Shanghailanders, is a buzzing frenzy of strobe lights, LED screens, whiskey-with-green-teas, and dancing.

Best Glass of Wine: Head to Dr. Wine for a stellar glass of wine and French snacks in a cozy yet elegant atmosphere.