How Hong Kong’s ‘first’ speakeasy bar 001 bounced to Tai Kwun: the pioneering nightlife institution is reborn in a new home, but still promises to ‘make the classics great again’
Of all ironies, it is not at all difficult to find a speakeasy on any given night out in Hong Kong. Trudge up Aberdeen Street in Central and you’ll eventually see the signage for The Old Man. The Envoy happily hands you a key if you ask about Room 309. The green phone booth of Please Don’t Tell stands in stark contrast to the rouge hues of MO Bar.
Social media has, over the last decade, eliminated some of the difficulty of accessing speakeasies, but the thrill of going through a hidden door to discover a cosy, insulated, Prohibition-inspired space to imbibe an “illicit” stiff drink is still strong.
So when the concept that started it all announced its return, almost a year and a half after shuttering, we rejoiced. As 001 reopens its doors in Tai Kwun, it’s hard not to look back and remember how far the city’s after-hours scene has developed since the venue’s initial opening in 2010.
“It was easier to be a speakeasy in 2010,” remembers managing partner Jameson Ang. “There was no social media and camera phones were not as good as they are now. Back then the only place to get a good cocktail was a hotel bar. People were used to getting a drink even if it meant standing outside [à la Lan Kwai Fong]. So having a cocktail in a wet market was something people were sceptical of.”
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Despite those hesitations, 001 became a key spot for over a decade on Graham Street. “We’ve had customers come in already during the first week of reopening, that we knew from 10 years ago,” says co-managing partner Ming Cheung. “I think opening a bar after Covid-19 is not easy. We weren’t 100 per cent confident, but we needed to give it a try.”
When 001 first shuttered in April 2022, it was uncertain if the speakeasy would return in the same form. Or at all. Ang and Cheung’s priority was to keep the bar hidden, but where and what it would hide behind was up for debate. Location was paramount – locations like Oolaa’s former digs on Stanley Street and a large space on Wyndham Street were not as discreet as the owner’s craved, but were considered for their size.
“We contemplated having a shop up front and the bar hidden behind,” says Ang, referring to 001’s then-active whisky shop, or something more radical. “One thing we considered,” adds Cheung, “was to run a takeaway restaurant selling siu mai, fish balls, cart noodles or even Hainan chicken – something casual and not fancy.”
Eventually, the Oolaa address was split up for Bar Leone, and the space on Wyndham Street is now occupied by Singular Concepts’ izakaya Yurakucho. Around the same time the 001 team received these bits of news, Tai Kwun offered them the former XYZ gym space.
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Moving in was not without obstacles. The space was smaller and not the single large room it once was, so 001 remains a bar-only venue. From more than six months the team worked tirelessly to get designs approved for the high-profile space, going all the way up Tai Kwun’s management. However, after five months of work, pressure and expense, Ang and Cheung have been overwhelmed by the community response. Across Soho, neighbouring bars have reached out with a helping hand, supporting with extra stock and guest shifts. “It’s like making friends when you move into a new neighbourhood, which is really heartwarming,” says Cheung.
The lingering question now is how 001 will position itself in a much-evolved mixology landscape. The relaunched menu features a mix of new concoctions and classics. Gone are the spirit-heavy Negroni pours (once around 45ml gin, rather than the typical 30ml), though signatures like the Earl Grey Marteani have remained unchanged. Most items are new concoctions such as the savoury What We Do in the Shadows, comprising Islay and blended Scotch whisky with kombu, miso and matcha.
“We advocate to ‘make classics great again’. Some of our sweet and savoury drinks would not have worked [in 2010], but now palates have mellowed down. Most people are now into [molecular mixology], which I totally support,” adds Ang. “Clients are more discerning now, they know what’s good, they know what a proper classic is. I think with Covid-19, ‘hometenders’ got to practice and experience classics at home. Now, it gives us a little more pressure to step up standards and quality.”
For Ang, a key part of those standards were the finishing touches; the team is awaiting approval to shut out the lights in the lobby area so that only the doorbell (and fire escape signage) is visible. He was hesitant even to open before the right curtains arrived – necessary, he says, to complement the ornate ceiling, bar counter and booths that evoke the old space’s spirit.
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It may have been a high-wire act for Ang and Cheung to get the much-loved name back in the marketplace, but it’s clear that the team won’t be relaxing the pace now their goal is achieved – updating the menu to help new guests and old friends alike feel at home. “We had a lady message us [during the soft opening] who asked if she could come in for an old fashioned,” Ang mused. “They have that sense of familiarity – it’s not like they can’t make it or get it anywhere else. Things change over the years, but it’s really special that after more than 10 years they’re still our guests.”
- From Room 309 to Hemingway-inspired The Old Man and Mandarin Oriental’s Please Don’t Tell, not-so-secret speakeasy bars are no longer a novelty on Hong Kong’s after-hours scene
- But before all that there was 001, which after shuttering its Graham Street bar during the pandemic, has now revealed a new address in the tourist hotspot of Tai Kwun – so is the secret finally out?