When in search of the best bar to watch football in Beijing I discovered a few things. Firstly that the expats left here tend to be embassy and high-end toffs, secondly that the Scottish Premier League is fixed and lastly that Paddy O’Shea’s is the best place for live football.
As an Irish bar of sorts it is also one of the few places where you can actually watch Scottish League, rugby and even Gaelic football matches. Being the best in Beijing is not though necessarily a synonym for good. China and Beijing particularly are very different places these days.
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What the Paddy O’Shea’s?
Irish bars in places like China are basically McDonald’s. Guinness sends them all the crap to decorate with so long as they sell Guinness. This creates usually a copy and paste bar that you have seen all through China and well the world. It is overpriced and it is shit. We go there though because it is a known evil.
Paddy O’Shea’s though has actually been around for years and survived the absolute massacre that was Covid-era Beijing. While countless expat bars, dive bars and random little booze holes vanished, Paddy’s somehow kept going. Part of this is because it has carved out a niche as the sports pub in Beijing. If there is football on, rugby on, or frankly anything involving men shouting at screens while drinking imported beer then Paddy’s is usually showing it.
It also helps that unlike many newer “Irish pubs” in Asia it actually feels vaguely lived in. There is wear and tear, old sports memorabilia, too many televisions and that sticky pub vibe that tells you thousands of pints have been spilled here over the years.
Food and Drink at Paddy O’Shea’s
Expensive western slop mimicking that of back home, but with some fusion Chinese dishes thrown in for good measure. Great, but expensive drinks list by China standards. Still, if you are craving pub grub while watching football then this is pretty much the deal in Beijing these days.
Sample items
Irish Poutine 爱尔兰肉汁薯条
55 RMB / around $7.50
An absolute banger. Basically chips and gravy, but with a whole heap of melted cheese on top. Proper beer snack food, messy and exactly what you want in an Irish bar.
Steak Frites 牛排薯条
120 RMB / around $16.50
Decent steak served with fries and a cognac sauce. Standard expat pub plate, nothing fancy, but does the job when you want something solid with your pint.
Full Irish Breakfast 全套爱尔兰早餐
118 RMB / roughly $16
One of the few fully confirmed prices online and honestly not terrible by modern Beijing expat standards. Comes with the usual fry up suspects and enough grease to remind you of home.
Guinness 健力士黑啤
50 RMB / around $7
Pretty much the benchmark pint in any fake Irish pub globally and Paddy’s is no exception. Expensive by Chinese standards, but standard for imported booze in Beijing.
Stella Artois 贝克啤酒
35 RMB / around $5
Cheaper than Guinness and usually the choice of lads pretending they are “just having a quiet one”.
Best Bar to Watch Football in Beijing
OK, so I will go further than just best bar in Beijing for football and say this is a proper pub with entertainment. In fact they have music, comedians and all sorts during the week. Football wise they have all EPL games and a bunch of other leagues. This includes Rugby Union and even the Scottish League. I came to watch Celtic vs Hearts and it was jam packed.
There are basically three main rooms, one with the bar in and all with a selection of tables, bar stools and both big and small TVs. There is also a smaller upstairs section. I would say there were 150 plus people there and it all kind of worked out. Basically even when it is busy there is always a screen to watch and multiple screens if games are head to head. That it was full for a Hearts match shows just how much this is the place for the remaining expats of Beijing.
The Paddy O’Shea’s Vibe
While sitting at the bar I heard two guys next to me shuffle up. In Eton style English one said “Yah I think this is Hibs”. I turned and said “It’s Hearts” to which he replied “D’yah”. He then explained to his partner how he was not really a football man but did “play rugger for the embassy before”.
Yet Beijing used to be a place where you could get fucked up with teachers and chancers trying their luck in the capital of China. Now it is full of posh assholes. I mean it is not the posh guys fault they are the only ones left, but at least they got diluted in the past.
Still, if you want somewhere lively to watch football, drink imported beer and pretend Beijing still has a bit of old expat chaos left in it then Paddy’s does the job.
Click to read about Heaven Supermarket.
Where is the Best Bar to Watch Football in Beijing?
Paddy O’Shea’s is within walking distance of Guijie (簋街) or “Ghost Street”, one of the most overrated places to get street food in Beijing.
Address:
28 Dongzhimenwai Dajie, Chaoyang District, Beijing, China
Nearest Subway:
Dongzhimen Station Exit D
Lines 2 and 13 plus Airport Express
Distance from key Beijing locations
Forbidden City
About 7km
Roughly 25 minutes by taxi
Sanlitun
About 2km
10 minutes by taxi or around 25 minutes walking
Beijing Capital Airport
Around 30 minutes via Airport Express to Dongzhimen
Guijie (Ghost Street)
Around 5 minutes walking distance
Social Media
WeChat Official Account: PaddyOSheasBJ