To find Laowai bar, swing by dumpling shop Blnd Tger in Chinatown. Ask for #7 and a freezer door opens to a luxe art deco–inspired space shimmering in gold and malachite. Browse bar manager Alex Black’s gorgeously illustrated menu of 12 cocktails and the fascinating stories that inspired them. Sip some baijiu — Laowai has Canada’s largest selection of the Chinese grain spirit. Order some dumplings and be swept away by the sheer romance of 1930s-era Shanghai.

TRY: The funky, grainy fermented ferocity of baijiuPhotography by: Josh Neufeld