Apocalypse Now

Slick, modern Taiwanese-owned club/restaurant with a newly arrived Filipino band, XLNT (Tue-Sun). Just make sure you turn up at the right time. First half of the night is clubby dance music. Second half is Celine Dion territory. These days, they're pulling in a crowd typical of the Shanghainese and Taiwanese style: a lot of drinking, dancing and ogling the girls in the weekly beauty competition.
Daily 10am-2am. All cards. 3/F, Ya Xin Guang Chang, 401 Chang Shou Lu (6276 6855)

Babylon

Open again with a new design, as well as a new focus: live music every night from 8.30pm. Since the clubbers officially abdicated the stage a couple months ago, there's now room to bring up all kinds of musical equipment for jamming - both established bands and eager amateurs are expected to play. Later, clubbing will resume as normal with resident DJ Patrick spinning from 11.30pm till late. DJ Chris Lee returns for his usual set on Fridays and guest DJs spin on Saturday nights.
Tue-Sat 8pm-late, 180 Mao Ming Nan Lu, through the Flower Market gates (6445 2330)

California Club

Another haokan establishment from Hong Kong's Lan Kwai Fong Group rounds out the remodeling of the former Park 97 complex. Since its soft opening at the beginning of October, California Club has become the "it" spot for nightlife in post-Mao Ming Shanghai. Resident DJ Hiro spins Sun-Tue 9pm-2am. DJ Daiya spins latest imported house and funky tunes Wed, Fri & Sat. Late night grooving on weekends. Regular guest DJ Chris Lee makes an appearance on Thurs.
Sun-Wed 6pm-2am, Thur-Sat 6pm-4am. All cards. 2 Gao Lan Lu, in Fuxing Park. (6318 0785)

Caribe

Caribbean/Cuban theme carried out with tropical-style décor, particularly the tree house DJ booth suspended above the bar and the colourful murals on the walls. Music, the bar' s other big feature, comes courtesy Sonora Caliente, a seven-piece Cuban band that specialises in Salsa and Latino sounds. Tue & Thur salsa dance class from 8.30-9.30pm. When the band isn' t around, there are still around 40 Cuban cocktails by Pedro Marrero, a Cuban BBQ and a slew of Cuban cigars to keep you in that chilled-out Caribbean vibe.
Daily 6pm-2am. All cards. 878 Ju Lu Lu, by Chang Shu Lu (6249 5512)

Cateye' s Club

Cateye' s had two big Xs against it from the start: incredibly bad location (out in Gubei at the Xian Xia Tennis Centre) and a slightly less than inspiring decor. Still, they manage to pull in a loyal, mostly local (read: Gubei) crowd night after night. House bands play Jazz, blues and English pop nightly from 8pm. Later, DJs spin hip hop, house and techno from midnight to 4am. To get their name out, they' re also hosting special monthly events (this month is the Cateye' s Star Singing Competition). H/H 7-9pm, buy-one-get-one-free.
Daily 8pm-4am. All cards. 1885 Hong Qiao Lu, inside ATP Tower (6261 7779)

D.D' s

Old fave went from D.D' s to Mambo Jumbo and back to D.D' s again. Now they' re a karaoke bar with over 500 English songs from which to choose. After midnight, it turns back into the D.D' s of old with DJs playing techno music. Picked last month to play host to Derrick May.
Daily 5pm-5am. All cards. 2/F, 322 Hua Shan Lu, by Chang Shu Lu (6248 2251)

dkd

Three months post shut-down, dkd is still attempting a comeback. And they' re starting to see some of their old crowd return, at least for "secret password" night on Tuesdays, hip hop night on Wednesdays and big club events on the weekends. Owner Julian is optimistic about the future, too, with big-name DJs like Derrick May continuing dkd' s reputation for providing some of the most best music in the city.
Daily 7.30pm-late. Domestic cards. 172 Mao Ming Nan Lu, btwn Fu Xing Zhong Lu & Yong Jia Lu (6415 2688)

Galaxy

One of Shanghai' s old timers, catering at first to foreigners, then to students, and now to anyone they can manage to pull in at all. Daily 7.30pm-8.30pm, Chinese traditional Gongfu show. Fri/Sat Students’ Night (student ID required) with RMB 15 drinks including drafts and tequila.
Daily 8pm-2am. 2/F, Galaxy Hotel, 888 Zhong Shan Xi Lu (6275 2999, 6275 5888 ext 2380)

Heat & Fire

Fire Bar: A good space for live music. Singer Angel Yang performs nightly accompanied by a pianist; expect Chinese, Japanese and American ballads starting at 9.15pm. Local band Face to Face follows with pop and rock from 10.15pm-midnight. No cover or minimum charge on normal nights. Heat Disco: Tue College Student Nights, free entry for students and RMB 10 tequila shots; Thur Ladies Night, free entry and (again) RMB 10 tequila shots for ladies. DJ Jacky is joined by Italian DJ Andrea to provide the music. RMB 20 cover includes one free drink. Closed on Mondays.
Tue-Sun 8pm-2am. All cards. 6/F, Grand Gateway, 1 Hong Qiao Lu (5451 0002)

Judy' s Too

One of the longest-running clubs in town and (once again) one of the most popular. This month, DJ Burnin' Ash plays every Wednesday, promising to lace his sets with Christmas-inspired material to get people in the holiday mood. On Thursdays, DJ Paul digs deep into his record box to find his best albums from the '80s, from ABBA to ZZ Top. Fridays and Saturdays have DJs John and Gil spinning some of their newest music. Scotch and whiskey drinks RMB 30.
Daily 6pm-4am. GW & Int' l cards. 176 Mao Ming Nan Lu, btwn Fu Xing Zhong Lu & Yong Jia Lu (6473 1417)

KK Super Disco

If you live on the upper west side and don' t feel like dragging your working butt to a downtown disco, check out this one. KK offers visual stimulation to rival an evening of TV and plenty of rooms for dancing. Girls in leather mini-skirts dance on stage and DJs play the latest western and Chinese techno. Young Shanghainese crowd makes it jump even on a Wed night. Cover (includes one drink): wkdys RMB 30, wknds RMB 40.
Daily 8pm-3am. 558 Kai Xuan Lu (6212 7318)

Maya

Maze-like interior with ample seating, a small dance floor and live band alternating with the house DJ. Stated target market is the twenty-something, not-so-crazy bunch. This is a sit, see and be seen-type place. They' ve recently tried to branch out by staging rock concerts and the nationwide DJ & Club Talent Quest, but it doesn' t seem to matter. Maya is busy every night, anyway. Cover: Sun-Thur RMB 40, Fri-Sat RMB 60. From Dec 1-15, lucky draw nightly at 10.30pm for a chance to win six cans of Carlsberg beer. Sun-Mon Ladies' night.
Daily 8pm-2am. All cards. 4/F, Yunhai Bldg, 1333 Huai Hai Zhong Lu, at Bao Qing Lu & Chang Shu Lu (6415 2218)

M. Butterfly

Trendy bar aimed at the expatriate and "golden collar" Chinese crowd. If it gets busy, M. Butterfly could provide some good nights out as the recent Endless Power party has proved; if it doesn' t, the aspirational design will only underline the lack of atmosphere. Latin party every Thur, free dance lessons and free beer. Every Sat, DJ Chris Lee spins the tunes from 11pm onwards, with all-you-can-drink at RMB 78 per person.
Daily 7pm-2am. All cards. 3/F Mao Ming Da Sha, 31 Yong Jia Lu, at Mao Ming Lu (6473 0057)

Pu-J' s

The Hyatt' s glam four-in-one (Music Room, Tapas Bar, Dance Zone and KTV) entertainment center. This place is jammed nightly with the local "Golden Collar" businessmen and their girlfriends, who can get one free cocktail every night of the week. House DJ plays '70s and '80s classics in the club room nightly till the live band comes out at 9.30 to do their covers. This month, gracing the stage of the Music Room is BMG recording artist Maureen Wilson accompanied by resident pianist Hele. Fri-Sat 9.30pm-1am & weekdays 9.30pm-2am. Lucky draw every night features prizes like trips and free stays at the hotel. Fri-Sat cover RMB 100 includes a drink. Mon-Thur 7pm-1am, Fri-Sat 7pm-2am. Closed Sun. Podium Level 3, Grand Hyatt Hotel, Jin Mao Tower,
88 Shi Ji Da Dao, Pudong (5049 1234 ext 8731 or 8732)

Real Love

Managed by the people behind the Cotton Club and Maya. Twenty-something crowd sways enthusiastically to a mix of well-known rhythms on the commodious dance floor. Its focus is on the young, club-happy crowd in search of "real love," so don' t expect to find any of the yao tou crowd here. A comfortable club with friendly staff. Cover (includes one drink): RMB 30 Sun-Thur, RMB 50 Fri-Sat. Mon & Thur, free entries for ladies. Dec 1-15, lucky draw nightly at 10.30pm to win six cans of Carlsberg beer.
Daily 8.30pm-2am. All cards. 10 Heng Shan Lu (6474 6830)

Rojam

A modern, high-tech club that' s played host to Paul Oakenfold, The Orb and other massive Shanghai parties. Free hair care services on Mon Ladies' Nights and skimpy singlets on Tue Dudou Nights. Thur are "Remix in Rojam Nights," with fashion shows and make-up competitions. Fri-Sat guest DJs spin techno and house. A massive space with a good crowd early in the evening, but it' s not a place where people tend to stick around. Sun-Thur RMB 28 cover, Fri-Sat RMB 35 cover.
Daily 8.30pm-2am. All cards. 4/F, Hong Kong Plaza, 283 Huai Hai Zhong Lu (6390 7181)

Velvet Underground

A club that knows how to keep people coming back; they really have a busy week. Tue Singles' Night, 2-4-1 drinks all night and free special shots for all singles; Wed Classic Boxing Night; Thur Quiz and Race Night; Fri Tokyo Night, the newest techno and trance music presented by Japanese DJs and cheaper drinks for students; Sat-Sun English Premier League and club music. Closed Mondays.
Daily 8pm-late. No cards. 608 Jian Guo Xi Lu, at An Ting Lu (6472 3090)

Y.Ys (Yin Yang)

They’ve turned the downstairs into a makeshift movie theatre Sun-Tue and Thur nights. Traditional Chinese classical music on the same nights, as well. Upstairs café remains popular with the late night Euro crowd, but downstairs is still in a relative low period. Despite the lack of crowds, resident DJs (Shanghai' s most talented and progressive) sweat up a storm and owner Kenny remains as cool as ever. Always good for a drink or two. No cover any night.
125 Nan Chang Lu, btwn Mao Ming Lu & Rui Jin Lu (6431 2668, 6466 4098)

Young Young

Fluffy young locals bop around to dancey tunes, while the DJ throws stuffed toys out to the crowd. In keeping with the adolescent theme, they close down relatively early so everyone can go to bed. Sun-Thur RMB 29; Fri/Sat RMB 48.
Daily 8.30pm-2am. 1127 Yan An Zhong Lu (6248 4417)