Cohiba Topless Bar – Guangzhou

A couple of weekends ago we ended up in Pan Yu, a district about 30 minutes out of GZ. It was after we had spent the afternoon in Chime Long Paradise, so we had worked up quite an appetite. We could not decide what to dig in to so Tony came up with a plan, he called up a friend and got the address of a restaurant called COHIBA. We must have been on the outskirts of Pan Yu as well because we ended up on some pretty dark back toads with only mountains in the distance. It was actually quaite a beautiful setting. With the use of the GPS we found our way to the obscure restaurant. We had to walk up a dirt track from the large parking lot to a well lit structure positioned beside a small lake.

All along the way the track was littered with signs declaring that Cohiba has gone topless! My pulse already began to race. What fun it would be to actually find a topless nudey bar in Guangzhou. Who gives a shit if it is 30 minutes out of the city? I would try and come here as often as I could. Unfortunatly the management was just making use of a clever play on words; they had actually only just installed a retractable roof. Lah dee fuckin dah!

The restaurant was really dark so I could not take any quality pictures. At fist it seemed like any pub restaurant with a lively atmosphere, loud music, and wooden furniture laid out acroos a large room. There was also a large bar in the back which we got a seat pretty close to. The walls of the resataurant were also quite sturdy and loaded with pictures and other decoration. ON one side of the room there was also a small stage where there was a live band performing some top 20 tunes. One element that also stood out was the trees in the middle of the dining area. It gave the room a very lush vibe. As I was walking to the table something just felt weird but I could not tell what it was. Then I looked up and there was no roof! Now it sounds really strange but the feeling of standing in a complete room with no roof is kind of awkward at first. I mean it just does not feel right. But you get used to it pretty fast, and it was a cool night so the effect was actually quite awesome. You are able to enjoy the bar while looking up every once in a while to see the stars.

The menu at Cohiba is pretty extensive with an exceptionally wide variety of steaks. They also have a great set of cocktails and shooters up for grabs. On the menu there is a note next to the Char Grilled Rib Eye that says, ‘Strongly Recommended by the Chef’. How could you not take a comment like that seriously? 4 of us on the table took his recommendation quite seriously and ordered the Rib Eye. I had never had a Rib Eye cut before.

There was also a pretty decent selection of starters on the menu. I liked the rustic décor of the premises and the management seems to have played well into that theme by throwing up specials on chalk boards in various positions around the bar. I must say as hungry patron, they were extremely appetizing.

While waiting for our food we engaged in some tomfoolery. And drank a few buckets of chilled Corona beers. Tony happened to know the owner of the joint, a Chinese-American guy who was in very, very high spirits that evening. It is good thing in fact that the establishment had no roof because he was in such high spirits. I ventured outside and looked around the property. Out back they had a large yard with a beach volleyball court set up, with sand and everything. They also had some sort of military obstacle course that looked quite fun. This would actually be a great place to have a day time party. So Tony convinced the owner to close the roof and show us, it did not take much convincing actually because he was quite proud of the set up. And it was awesome how the whole place was covered in about 2 minutes, very cool. But then it got hot.

After about 20 minutes some loud music came on, I think it was the mission impossible theme. Smoke machines went to work filling the air with thick fog and green laser beams cut across the room. It was loud and very dramatic. Slowly the roof began to open again. It was fucking awesome! But this happened about 2 more time while were there that Sunday night. It could have gotten old, but NO! It was awesome every fucking time. Finally we got our food which took a little bit of time and the steak was great. I ordered medium well and it was a little closer to medium rare but it was delicious. Not the best cut I have had in my life but the serving was huge and the meat very tender. All the dishes looked great really and we were all starving.

The COHIBA Bar and Restaurant is located on Jinshan Road in Panyu, Guangzhou. I write about a lot of places but I rarely ever say that one must visit there, but in the case of Cohiba, you MUST check it out. The atmosphere there is great and the drive out there is worth it. I am not sure how easy it is to catch a cab out there to come back but if you can afford it even renting a car for the night would be worth your while. The Filipino band is off the chain and they play some great classics. The crowd all love to dance and just let loose. You can call COHIBA BAR at 020-34713733. And I forgot to mention that they are having some big anniversary this weekend with a Brazilian Salsa night and an outdoor BBQ. If you are in the area you might want to check it out.