At first glimpse, the milieu appears mish-mashed, but the mix of band posters, alcohol advertisements and traditional statues that adorn the walls represent the three themes of this bar: drinking, dancing and divinity.

A lakeside seating area furnished with overstuffed suede sofas offers patrons a place to plop down, kick back and watch boats drift to and from a nearby dock. After 10pm on weekends, they can move inside to a stage-side seat to clap along with the live and lively flamenco and Latin music performances.

The stage features a modest but mood-setting lighting system and a crisp-sounding speaker set-up. Movers and shakers can sashay their way to a small space in front of the stage that sometimes serves as a dance floor, while those who want to sit it out can catch the show from the plump sofas, wicker chairs and hardwood stools that line the stage.

A dimly lit couch-filled room on the far side of the stage offers a more intimate setting for conversation and seems to be the only space where traditional Eastern dcor doesn't cohabitate with generic Western-style tavern ornamentation. Those who don't want to get too far away from the alcohol can snag a stool in the bar room, where they can belly up to the bar or kick it at the foosball table.

Boozers who like to mix it up can customize their drink orders by matching the type of alcohol they deem most potent with the mixer they consider most potable for 20 yuan a glass. The less inventive can select from Bouddha's list of house specialty drinks, which have names that come straight from the men's locker room. Local brews cost 20 yuan while imported beers are 35 yuan a bottle.

Bouddha Bar might not be the best place to find enlightenment in Beijing, but after meditating over several beverages at this temple of tipple, things do become a bit more Zen.

Bouddha Bar
Opening time:Daily 2pm-2am.
Address: 16 Yinding Qiao, Houhai, Xicheng District.
Tel:010-6615-5746., 16