Cafes
Cafe Java
Expat couple from the UK opened this cafe in 2009. Excellent coffee and home-made food at a great price. Favourite dishes include Mexican Wraps, Chilli, Bagels of all kinds, Pancakes & Waffles with sweet or savoury toppings. Also a great place to meet other foreign residents or expats in Xining. Free wifi.
Green House Cafe
Great little cafe opened up by an American expat in Xining. Relaxed atmosphere, good wifi, and, some say, the best coffee in the city. They have deserts and sandwiches as well.
The city is littered with small coffee shops, especially around the newer apartment complexes that are being developed. See below for some of the better ones.
AmdoCafe
This coffee shop, which also offers AmdoCraft Tibetan Handicraft products, provides a relaxed, quiet atmosphere in which to sip and sample real, fresh-brewed coffee, or sup on steaming pastries, cakes, and cookies. The coffee is some of the most inexpensive real coffee in the area. Free WIFI.
Bars
A number of bars are located at the end of the city's main snack street. These tiny places each have only a dozen tables, and all offer extensive drink specials. Beer starts at ¥6 for a Tsingtao, but expensive imported liquor is also available. There is usually no cover charge.
Qilin Bay Bar Strip
A complex of bars by the riverside, built around an atrium. You can't see them from the road, but just below the bridge you will see a number of cars parked, with steps down into the park. About a half dozen or so small bars.
Culture Street Bar Strip
A large complex with about two dozen bars over three different floors with an open center atrium. You can choose between more relaxed lounge bars, live music venues, or one or two bars that have dance floors on the ground floor.
SOHO
SOHO is Xining's most popular nightclub, usually busy past 2am most nights. Lots of tables and a bar, but there is no dancing. Music is mostly live. SOHO is a nightclub franchise in China, but this one apparently is an "unofficial club."