Start off in Style
3 min readAlthough not immediately apparent based on most people’s first impressions of Hangzhou-which typically involve a walk around the sometimes crowded West Lake’s banks-Hangzhou has a number of havens for the hip and cooler-than-thou hangouts to enjoy，if you’re so inclined.In that sense，Hangzhou is still something of a well-kept secret to the majority of travelers，but it can only be a matter of time before the proverbial beans are spilled and the town becomes an East China version of Portland，Oregon.
Until then，however，if it’s craft ale you’re into，there are a few places in town that brew their own.The most centrally located of these is Cheerday，a plush new watering hole that boasts some seriously impressive beer pumps and a spacious，well-positioned location near to both West Lake and Hangzhou Metro’s Longxiangqiao Station（Line 1）.
Serious about great beer and good grub，Cheerday manager Tony ensures that the food anddrink served are of the highest quality，and the menu’s German sausage platter is，quite frankly，to die for.Specializing in seafood as well as succulent Bavarian cuts，Cheerday’s menu is designed to taste great in tandem with its home brewed beers and ales that flow like amber nectar from the bar’s giant brass kegs.
If it’s a dizzying array of imported hipster beers you’re after，then look no further than Aishang Beer.From Anchor Beer from San Francisco to chocolate-flavored stout from West Yorkshire，this place is a veritable booze heaven.Showcasingover 200 beers imported from around the globe and with two locations across the city，Aishang is not really a bar，more of a one-stop-beer-shop with ample seating for customers to sit and sip their favorite tipple whilst discussing such brewers’topics as the importance of finding the right hop-to-water ratio when brewing at home and the resurgence of micro-brewing in South America.
If people-watching is more your game，then a trip to Wulin Road’s trendy cafe-and-restaurant hotspot Queen’s Park is certainly worth an hour or two of your time.Here you can sip beer from Me Too Cafe’s outdoor seating terrace whilst getting an eyeful of the hip young things that saunter between the square’s high-end mix of restaurants，bars，florists，boutiques，and hair salons.Also located on Queen’s Park is a huge branch of Maan Coffee，a chain coffeehouse that specializes in coffee，waffles，assorted sandwiches，and delicious deserts.Housed in what is effectively a giant glass box bolstered by some steel and rustic looking redbrick，this bright and airy cafe also has a nice，leafy outside seating area where more caffeine-fuelled people watching can be enjoyed.
Burgers have become a gastronomic highlight these days，and if you find yourself hankering for a hamburger in Hangzhou then there is really only one option:Slim’s New York Steak&Burger.Decked out like a classy NYC sports bar，complete with vintage Baseball jerseys，Manhattan skyline vignettes，bulky wooden tables，and comfortable chairs，Slim’s serves the most mouthwatering，juicy burgers in town.Thereis also a variety of other delicious Midwestern，honest-to-goodness fare-hotdogs，gut-busting salads，chicken wings，and other tasty morsels.Ideally located across from West Lake and boasting indoor and outdoor seating，pool table，foosball table，and large TV screens showing American sports，Slim’s is the real deal.
