After months of pandemic-related restrictions and operational roadblocks, Hong Kong’s bar scene is making a comeback, with numerous new openings and the highly anticipated return of an industry favourite. Get your RAT tests ready, because here are four new bars to visit right now. After closing unexpectedly in February 2022, gastropub Second Draft (H01, Fashion Walk, 9 Kingston Street, Causeway Bay) has re-emerged in its sophomore iteration with a new look and location in Causeway Bay’s Fashion Walk retail and entertainment area. The second draft of Second Draft recalls many familiar details of the Tai Hang original , with a muted green colour scheme that takes inspiration from the Star Ferry colour palette. Design agency AKA Officina, also behind the look of previous craft beer projects TAP and Young Master’s Singapore taproom, has reimagined the space with distinctive details such as green glass mosaic tiles on the bar and walls that are reminiscent of Hong Kong’s MTR station interiors, as well as terrazzo flooring and wooden slat booths. It was important for co-founder Rohit Dugar that regulars would immediately feel like they are in Second Draft – a testament to the community that was built when the gastropub was in Tai Hang. “Doing it justice in the right way, having everything come together, felt like a daunting task,” he says of the time it took to find the right space. “But somehow, after some time, everything just came together.” Avoiding the complexity of finding a completely new space and renovating from scratch, the team were fortunate to collaborate with chef May Chow to take over a large chunk of the existing modern Chinese restaurant Little Bao Diner . “It was kind of like going back to our original partnership,” Dugar says, alluding to Chow’s involvement in setting up the culinary side of the original Second Draft back in 2016. “In many ways, there are a lot of synergies because we’re more evening-led, and [Little Bao Diner] is a bit more lunch-led.” Elsewhere, bar industry veterans are showing renewed confidence in the scene and launching new ventures. Along with a proliferation of new wine bars, we’re seeing a number of specialist and hyper-focused venues that aim to set themselves apart from the generalist cocktail bar. One intriguing proposition is Bianco & Rosso (29 Gough Street, Central), recently opened to the delight of vermouth enthusiasts. Billed as Hong Kong’s first bar dedicated to the fortified wine, its menu offers an in-depth exploration of the drink’s complex aromas and flavours. The cocktail selection makes ample use of these qualities, with creations such as the More Blood and Sand (Mancino Rosso, scotch, cherry liqueur, and Grand Marnier foam), the B&R Americano (Campari, Mancino Rosso, vanilla, chocolate bitters and pilsner) as well as vermouth spritzers. The project was a “no-brainer”, according to co-founder Tiana Ludhani, who said that partnering with mixologist and vermouth enthusiast Luca Andrei was “the epitome of a passion project”. Asia’s 50 Best Bars ranked: Hong Kong’s Coa tops list for second year “We all have been stuck in Hong Kong for so long; our goal was to transport guests to another world, to forget the pandemic,” she says, and Bianco & Rosso’s old-timey Italian aperitivo aesthetic delivers on this front. Further along in Soho is another escapist watering hole by the name of CNY Bar ( 12/F, FOCO, 48 Cochrane Street, Central), a venture by Samuel Kwok, previously of Finds, Quinary and MetaBev. Its rather esoteric name has nothing to do with Lunar New Year – it’s shorthand for “ chau nam yan ”, or “stinky gentleman” – a tongue-in-cheek reference to the stereotypically masculine vices that are all available: high-end sound systems, hard liquor and cigars. Kwok describes the place as a “speakeasy audiophile bar”, which is clear the moment you enter, with giant speakers flanking a back bar filled with premium whiskies. Another recent opening is Sam Fancy (3-4/F, The Plaza, 21 D’Aguilar Street, Central), an ambitious multilevel venue consisting of three distinct spaces: Lanai Lounge, Association, and The Merchant, where guests can expect modern cocktails with pan-Asian flavours. “I thought it would be a place where people could have a unique experience, to forget the reality that for many of us, we haven’t been able to travel and leave Hong Kong for three years,” says founder Jonathan Ching. “Perhaps what people needed was a little touch of escapism in the middle of town and, maybe for some people, the comforts of home.” The curious name is a play on the Cantonese pronunciation of San Francisco, which alludes to the concept behind the Chinese-leaning flavour profiles of the drinks – which may include ingredients such as the Chinese liquor baijiu , five-spice powder, gentian and other herbs. The Asian immigrant story is reflected in other cocktails on the list, including Las Americas, which features the now world-famous Sriracha hot sauce created by David Tran when he arrived in Los Angeles from Vietnam more than 30 years ago. It’s a far cry from the tumbleweed days of early 2022 when bars were forced to close across the city, and Ludhani for one is confident that the momentum will continue. “Hong Kong is resilient. We truly believe this, no doubt in our minds,” she says. “We are investing in Hong Kong, in the industry and together we will continue to rise from the ashes. “We are already working on our next concepts. It’s like an addiction – once you start you can’t stop.”