Located near Sinan Mansions is Antique Garden, a cafe-bar that has been around since 2006. It’s a quirky destination filled with curio trinkets and a unique cocktail bar setting on second floor.
It recently gave its bar a few updates, and now serves a modest food menu in addition to its drink offerings with live cello performances on selected nights.
About Antique Garden
Located on Sinan Lu, Antique Garden is housed in a historical building that was commissioned by the public counsel and completed in 1914 in dedication to French musician Massenet.
It’s a beautiful red-bricked Spanish-style villa with a lofted second floor. And, true to its name, it has a quaint garden around back. (The garden is only open during the day to limit noise complaints.)
The ground floor is crowded with antiques and all forms of curio: a battered looking piano, a marble Bodhisattva statue, trinkets from the past, and furniture collectables in miniature.
Food & Drinks
The bar is on second floor loft.
It’s a cozy, dimly lit space with a few quirky accents spilled over from the ground floor. A long bar runs to the left and seating is akin to a living room space with heavyset wooden furniture and comfortable banquets.
It is certainly a unique locale. There’s also a small terrace with a table for two on the second floor.
The bar is a favored destination for a quiet drink and intimate catchups. If you’re looking for a bar with bites that’s off the beaten path, Antique Garden might be the spot for a low-key night out.
As for food, the menu features a mix of Asian and Western snacks and entrees. It’s a wide range of modest dishes from sour fish soup to cold cuts to roasted chicken.
It’s simple fare, and sufficient enough to appease patrons that intend to stay on through the night.
There were a few enjoyable highlights, including the curry pork ribs, seasoned with a house curry rub and served with wholegrain mustard, and the spicy bullfrog, stewed in a spicy broth of chilies and numbing peppercorns.
The Pickled Chinese Cabbage Sour Fish was also memorable, and the sour-tangy soup packed a good amount of heat.
As for drinks, the signature cocktails are on the pricier side, starting from ¥128.
Classic cocktails are friendlier on the wallet and start from ¥98. They also do a few wines by the glass from ¥65, and bottles from ¥285.
Antique Garden also hosts dinner shows, whereby a cellist performs through the early evening session. The cello performances run every Wednesday and Friday from 7pm to 9pm this October. It is ticketed, priced at ¥30 per person.
If live music isn’t your thing, the ground floor is also always open during the evening for food and drinks.
Plus, Antique Garden also has shisha, four options available from ¥388 to ¥688.
Antique Garden
Address: 44 Sinan Lu 思南路44号
Tel: 53821055
Hours: Daily, 6pm to 2am
