(beijing weekend)
Updated: 2007-06-22 10:27

It's nice to go to a bar where the name is not abstract. For every bar like Cheers, there's ten others called something like Drip Drip Club, Bar Apparition or The Hairy War Chest. Big thumbs up then to the brains behind Guitar Bar, one of several places you can whet your whistle along that most favorite of expat hutongs, Nanluguxiang. At this fiddler's tavern the first thing you notice when you enter is that there actually are guitars all around you.

And they're not hanging up just because some interior decorator thought it a swell idea - in fact, the owners play for the patrons after dusk. Now before Hendrix or Slash fans start to salivate over visions of leather pant-clad axemen shredding the fretboard until smoke appears, you should be warned that it's more of a Spanish strumming affair. Think the kind of fiddling that may have accompanied Romeo had he chosen to serenade Juliet rather than climb the stonewall leading to her boudoir.

There is a range of standard drinks on offer, all reasonably priced and if the jangling inside is a touch too much you can lounge outside in the laneway and watch the crowds stroll by. Because of the layout of the place, you might not be able to hold down a decent conversation without competing with the performers on the tiny corner stage. If it's packed with an attentive crowd, as it was the night we popped it, you may actually get a few elbows to the ribs from other punters who are there for the music and not to hear your alcohol-aided banter.

Those after a late night snack can tuck into honest Italian fare while those who rate themselves as Mariachis just might get the chance to show-off their chops. Death metal musicians probably need not apply.

Guitar Bar

Address: 40 Nanluoguxiang