Heima Bar

Just outside Shanghai lies a curious fusion of Chinese and Nordic culture, the HEIMa Bar.

The name of the bar is a play on the Icelandic words Heima and Heim, which mean home and world, respectively. Its owners say their aim was to blend cultures, a process that both enlivens the cultures and staves off stagnation. The bar serves imported Scandinavian beers and popular non-Scandinavian offerings. The drinkery also serves coffee, liquors, and mixed drinks, many of which are the bar’s in-house concoctions.  Its decor consists of traditional Chinese embellishments with Scandinavian flair. The bar plays host to events throughout the year, including a Halloween bash and a music festival. 

The bar also serves great, or at least very interesting, food. A unique mix between the nordic kitchen and shanghainese cuisine. Some highlights: Liqourice beer boiled pork knuckle, mushroom filled dumpling with nordic berries on the side (tastier than it sounds!), and dried cod spring roll salad. They have a lot of different beer but the most unique option when it comes to drinks is the traditional viking tea made of strawberry leaves. At night when the place gets rowdier the staff puts on their homemade Viking Helmets with large horns.