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’
- 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?
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.”
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.”
