G/F, 208 Hollywood Road, Sheung Wan. Tel: 2549 0208. One of the most talked-about new additions to the Hollywood Road nightlife scene is a former meat storage warehouse transformed into a slice of New York cool by a team who were named the best young designers of 2004 by Wallpaper. Recommended: the extensive wine and cocktail list.

Berliner German Bar and Restaurant

Shop G01B, D Deck, Discovery Bay. Tel: 2987 8203. This relaxed spot with a seaview and spacious outdoor seating has a welcoming atmosphere. The large selection of German beers is no surprise but they are joined on the list by several cocktails and schnapps, all good matches with the hearty German fare. Recommended: Guinness-like Fishers Hell (half a litre, HK$60).

Butler

5/F Mody House, 30 Mody Road, TST. Tel: 2724 3828. A Tokyo-style drinking den favoured by Japanese customers, the bar is intimate and staffed by bartenders who can make cocktails that match your mood. Its reverentially served liquors include a huge whisky list. Recommended: the 10-year original cask-aged Laphroaig (HK$80).

Club @28

28/F Crowne Plaza Hotel, 8 Leighton Road, Causeway Bay. Tel: 3980 3300. This rooftop bar is sleek, stylish and far from understated. Inside it's bright and glitzy, with a circular bar and glass windows on either side, one of which leads to the venue's real gem - a wood-decked terrace. Recommended: the J-Cube cocktail, made with vodka and crushed strawberries.

4 Dada Bar and Lounge

2/F The Luxe Manor, 39 Kimberley Road, Tsim Sha Tsui. Tel: 3763 8778. Bold leather couches and dim lighting make for a swanky and impressive destination in Tsim Sha Tsui. Recommended: the eponymous Dada cocktail includes pomegranate, light rum and lime, with a touch of spearmint.

Flutes

27 Elgin Street, SoHo, Central. Tel: 2810 0005. This unpretentious SoHo bar has an extensive drinks list that includes many champagnes, wines and cocktails. Recommended: the Domaine Magellan Merlot 2007 (HK$70).

Goldfinch Restaurant

13-15, G/F Lan Fong Road, Causeway Bay. Tel: 2577 7981. Made internationally famous by its role in a Wong Kar-wai film, it has been serving Hong Kong-style diner classics since 1962. It has kept its charms and provision of privacy in comfortable booths for all that time. Recommended: any of the classic cocktails at HK$39 each.

Habitat Lounge

29/F, QRE Plaza, 202 Queen's Road East, Wan Chai. Tel: 2907 0888. Habitat Lounge tries (too) hard to please but can be a romantic spot for a date. More than 100 cocktails are served, many of them fresh and fruity. Recommended: Richito (HK$70), made with light rum, lychee liqueur and Yakult.

Hyde

2-3/F Lyndhurst Tower, 1 Lyndhurst Terrace, Central. Tel: 2522 2608. Spread over two floors, this New York-loft-style venue incorporates a lounge, club and terraces spread over 12,000 sq ft. Classy but unpretentious. Recommended: the vintage Macallan whisky.

Inn Side Out

Sunning Plaza, 10 Hysan Avenue, Causeway Bay. Tel: 2895 2900. The peanut husk-strewn floor and throngs of regulars make for a relaxed atmosphere in a crowded beer hall with an extensive outdoor seating area. Come for a wide range of great, relatively cheap beer and great drinking food to match. Recommended: Trappist Westmalle Tripel Belgian beer (HK$42).

LATITUDE 22? G/F, 40 Staunton Street, Central. Tel: 2522 8329. Unstylish but somehow inviting and cozy in atmosphere, the bar offers a fairly standard mix of cocktails, beers and wines. The wine list has a few misses but some notable hits, such as a Louis Latour chardonnay and a McGuigan Shiraz. Beer drinkers will enjoy the Kronenbourg Blanc. Recommended: the Brazilian caipirinha, made with real cachaca (HK$58).

Le Boudoir

B/F, 65 Wyndham St, Central Tel: 2530 3870. This atmospheric basement bar modelled on 19th-century Parisian salons is dark and lovely, with one of the best cocktail menus in town. Recommended: the Unconventional martini (HK$95), blending gin, lemon juice, mint and kaffir lime syrup.

Lily

6/F LKF Tower, 33 Wyndham St, Central. Tel: 2810 6166 This slice of old-school cool comes courtesy of the people who brought us Volar and Halo. Recommended: the Elderflower Paloma, combining tequila, lime, grapefruit and soda water infused with elderflower.

4 The Living Room

6/F W Hotel, Kowloon Station. Tel: 3717 2222. It's easy to kick back and feel right at home in this sprawling, beautifully designed bar complete with board games and bookcases - just help yourself. Recommended: the awesome lychee martinis.

Mamoz

27-28/F Cubus, 1 Hoi Ping Rd, Causeway Bay. Tel: 2890 3182. Occupying about 5,000 sq ft in Cubus, Mamoz offers a panoramic view of the area, as well as glimpses of Victoria Harbour. Recommended: the Southside Fizz (HK$88), a combination of Tanqueray No Ten, fresh lime, mint and soda.

Ozone

118/F Ritz-Carlton Hong Kong, International Commerce Centre, 1 Austin Road West, Kowloon. Tel: 2263 2263. The highest bar in the world doesn't disappoint with its bird's-eye view of the city. Prices here are as steep as the venue, but then you're paying for that view. Recommended: wines are the main attraction, with a choice of several by the glass (HK$90-HK$170) and scores of reds and whites by the bottle.

Tazmania Ballroom

1/F LKF Tower, 33 Wyndham Street, Central. Tel: 2801 5009. The coolest, sleekest pool hall in Hong Kong, this lounge bar is straight out of Hoxton. Recommended: the 'F*** Me Up', a cocktail with a serious alcohol kick, including amaretto, Malibu and vodka.