Moongate Lounge

"It should come as no surprise that the bar nestled above Michelin-starred Mister Jiu’s has its own high-octane cocktail menu mixing technique and specialty ingredients with flair. The bar opened in 2019 with a roster of drinks from bar guys Danny Louie and Alex Kulick, and these days, the bar continues to rotate in seasonal cocktails, such as the current Clear and Bright, which mixes duck fat-washed rye, with single malt, apricot, and lapsang souchong tea. If the bar isn’t already reserved for a private event — which happens often, so be sure to check the bar’s website ahead of time — order a drink and either settle into a velvet-lined booth or head to the windows for a view of Grant Street’s lanterns and, if you’re lucky, a peek of the Bay Bridge down Commercial Street. — Dianne de Guzman" - Andrew Calisterio

"The back half of Moongate Lounge also serves as its private dining room dubbed Double Happiness, and with it comes gorgeous overhead views of Grant Avenue with its gently swaying lanterns. Book a family-style three-course dinner with dessert — with Mister Jiu’s legendary roast duck available as an option, if desired. For more information, head to misterjius.com/events." - Dianne de Guzman, Eater Staff

"If you really want to impress your date, go to Moongate Lounge in Chinatown. The room is one of the prettiest in the city with tall, velvet booths and a giant neon skylight, and the drinks are incredible. Each cocktail is made from ingredients like burnt corn husks and brown rice powder, and even if your job requires wrangling alligators, these cocktails will be the most interesting thing you talk about tonight. The bar is first-come, first-served, so you can drop in whenever, but there are somehow always reservations available for seats in the lounge area - snagging one of those will make a last-second scramble look like something that took a lot of planning." - taylor abrams, will kamensky

"You want a cocktail and you have Miranda Priestly-levels of taste. Head to Chinatown’s Moongate Lounge. The spot above Mister Jiu’s is straight up sexy, looking like a Bond lair, but with an illuminated bar, red velvet everywhere, and elegant lotus chandeliers. It’s all very swank, but a night here tends to add up. So dig in, vibe under the fluorescent blue and pink lights next to someone who’s probably cooler than you, and drink a frothy cocktail inspired by the Chinese lunar calendar. The glowing skylight beckons." - julia chen 1, ricky rodriguez, patrick wong, lani conway

"You want a cocktail and you have Miranda Priestly-levels of taste. Head to Chinatown’s Moongate Lounge. The spot above Mister Jiu’s is straight up sexy, looking like a Bond lair, but with an illuminated bar, red velvet everywhere, and elegant lotus chandeliers. It’s all very swank, but a night here tends to add up. So dig in, vibe under the fluorescent blue and pink lights next to someone who’s probably cooler than you, and drink a frothy cocktail inspired by the Chinese lunar calendar. The glowing skylight beckons. photo credit: Carly Hackbarth photo credit: Carly Hackbarth photo credit: Carly Hackbarth" - Lani Conway