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Nobody nails the weekend’s can’t-miss nightlife like Night+Day. But what if you’re feeling feisty mid-week? Forget about quiet evenings curled up with your Kindle—we’re giving you prime picks for Weeknight Fun around the world. Hump day will never be the same!
Best Weeknight Fun in....
Best Weeknight Fun
Shanghai
Enoteca II 58 Taicang Lu, by Jinan Lu (close to Xintiandi), 021.5306.3400
The Draw: Wednesday in Shanghai is traditionally binge time. Those whose stomachs are as sizeable as their bank accounts are a shaky throng to the free-flow deals at Club Bonbon and Zapata’s. On the other side of the French Concession, meanwhile, is the second edition of popular wine bar Enoteca, which places the budget-friendly merrymaking in an altogether classier setting, with live gypsy jazz and prices that, while attractive, are unlikely to encourage a total loss of dignity. The Scene: A place for casual lounging in cozy, convivial surroundings. Wines are sold only by the bottle, and the simple finger-food menu is big on those classic wine accompaniments—tapas and cheese. Popular with smart professionals and small groups of friends. Hot Tip: Enoteca’s sexed-up classification system labels light-bodied reds as “playful and evocative,” medium reds as “sensualist,” and rich, heavy reds as “hedonist.”
Nougatine Three on the Bund, 3 Zhong Shan Dong Yi Lu, 4th Fl., 021.6321.7733 jean-georges.com
The Draw: Half-price Champagne cocktails and 2-for-1 bottles of Perrier Jouet on Shanghai’s premier drinking and dining strip, the Bund. The Scene: Nougatine sets the rarefied colonial tone for the entire restaurant with a veritable ambassador’s reception of fixtures: pony-hair and elephant-skin club chairs, tall table lamps, and long velvet curtains. The crowds rarely swarm as they do at neighbor Laris (on its own ‘half-price Thursdays’), but there’s no doubting the caliber of the clientele. The Scene: The beauty of ERA is that, unlike some of the other stage “spectaculars,” the show doesn’t feel touristy or gimmicky—despite playing to a crowd of mostly domestic tourists. Everything about it is fresh, from the innovative Cirque du Soleil choreography to the hi-tech auditorium in which it is staged. Even the more predictable Chinese circus tricks—contortion, magic, hoop-jumping, and balancing feats—are given a beautiful, modern arrangement. The icing on the cake is a pair of the quite staggering, death-defying acts that end either half of the show. Hot Tip: If you’re finding the cut-price champers too tickly, try the fusion libation, the “nitrotini.” The liquid nitrogen component keeps the drink fearsomely cold. If it hadn’t been created by an award-winning chef, you’d be tempted to a say it was an upmarket 7–11 slurpee.
MOCA 231 Nanjing West Rd., 3rd Fl., People’s Park, 021.6327.9900 mocashanghai.org
The Draw: One of the few hubs of high culture open late on a regular basis. You’ll have until 10pm to peruse the eclectic displays at this scenically located gallery. The Scene: Taking residence in the former greenhouse of People’s Park, MOCA’s métier is fun, youthful and eccentric exhibitions, with a particular bent towards multimedia and video. A sweeping glass ramp guides visitors onto a mezzanine, a safe distance from the puzzling installation that’s likely to be lurking at ground level. The third floor eatery, Art Lab, proves a great place to soak up the greenery of surrounding People’s Park. Hot Tip: Art Lab may represent a picturesque perch, but it’s rarely that lively. If you’re planning to make a night of it, make the short walk to People’s Park neighbor Barbarossa, a perennially popular North African-themed lounge.
