Ping Pong Gintonería

Nice place, dope music, gin was good but ridiculously awful services — so not impressed.
Good for people who love gin because they only serve gins but other cocktails; and of course only if you can be very patient for the long wait before you can order (not sure if it could be successfully delivered) and last but not the least, the unbearable attitude of the waitress.

Even though I’ve lived 3 blocks away from Ping Pong for the past 2 years, and enjoy having awesome cocktails in Soho /​LKF, I never stopped by Ping Pong till earlier this week. I’m a gin drinker so it made sense to give them place a shot.
To be fair, I’m not really a G&T kinda gal. Wait, but I thought you just said you’re a gin drinker… Yes, that’s correct, I am a gin drinker, but I am not a tonic drinker. I got the only thing on the menu that did not include tonic (even thou it still tasted like there was tonic? It’s probably me just going crazy since it should be ginger beer instead of tonic) — Gin & Ginger (UK) with East Imperial Ginger Beer and Cucumber Peel.
If you’re a G&T lover, you’d probably love this place. For me, the Gin & Ginger cocktail was just-​ok. It was nothing special. For $ 130, I rather go to Origin or Quinary, bars that can create some good, mean, cocktails. The space is quite large and unique. It was completely empty when I got there, at 6:15 PM, then there were two more groups around 7 PM — 1 birthday party table and another party of 3. Guess I came on a quiet night!

We had the best time at Pingpong129.
If you are a Gin Tonic lover you will be more than happy with their drinks list. For all the rest this bar is just TOP and so is Juan the manger!!!

Remodeled from an old ping pong hall, this new speakeasy-​type bar, that specializes in gin, is a great addition to a slow gentrifying neighborhood.
The red door welcomes you to a long concrete staircase, which leads you to an open seating area filled with tables, couches, and lounging chairs. The long bar on one side of the wall features a vast selection of gin. The décor is eclectic, with a wall of pictures of female breasts, the standing lamps are made out of old ping pong baskets, and the red lighting adds to the mysterious quality of the venue.
The menu lists the gin they carry and different tonics. There are also a few selections of other spirits if you’re not into gin. They also have a kitchen that serves light bar snacks if you need to a little something to absorb some of the delicious gin.
Great spot to relax and lounge with a few drinks in hand.

Environment was awesome! They still kept the name of the place too. It was actually a ping pong hall back in the day and they revamped it into a bar. The décor was good. Seating was a little weird because there aren’t any booths. There were just chairs and ee are no reservations.
Drinks are in the pricier side. Their beer was good but also on the steep side.
I’ll go here again if it was a big group.

Been here twice 2 – 3 weeks ago. As at early September 2014 they had a total of 14 G&Ts on the menu, out of which the «Tanqueray No.10, Fever-​Tree Tonic, grapefruit twist» (HKD130) is my favourite so far.
Also had their ham croquettes before, which were crispy on the outside (thanks to the use of panko breadcrumbs I guess?) but more like a well-​seasoned cream-​flavoured roux on the inside, with neither visible traces of cured ham nor the «umami» flavour one would have expected therefrom.
This is probably the best place to go for post-​dinner drinks in the whole of Western District.

I think I have now discovered the coolest bar in Hong Kong. It is a gin joint in Sai Ying Pun at Second Street 129, that has been converted from a former table tennis hall, hence the bar name Ping Pong.
They have an extensive selection of gins, ranging from organic farmer’s gins from the UK, through to Japanese gin (well according to the menu it is Japanese, but is in fact French — naughty, naughty). The cheapest gins (supermarket brands) start at HKD80, the most «exclusive» will set you back HKD250.
As one would expect, the bar staff are connoisseurs of gin and are more than happy to recommend according to your own preferences. Each of the gins has been expertly paired to their own tonic and fruit twist, who would have that thought so much of a G&T relied on the choice of the T? The final wonderful flourish is the hand carved ice. Hacked out of house brick sized blocks, you will have a super cool (see what I did there?) purified iceberg chilling your gin to perfection.
The bar also serves a small selection of delicious Spanish tapas dishes. These include such delights as patatas bravas, which rather than the standard potatoes rolled in tomato sauce, were a deconstructed version of crispy baked baby potato with a tomato purée icing, extremely moreish ham and cheese croquettes, and anchovies, pure unadulterated anchovies — yummers!
The atmosphere is a cool modern chic, but feels encompassing rather than exclusive. The venue has high ceilings, an industrial unfinished charm, and some eye-​opening art that the chaps will probably rather enjoy.
Just a note about finding the place, it’s hard! The entrance is an unmarked red door at 129 Second Street. Once through the door, you have to trot down a set of dark concrete steps, but don’t be intimidated, just head on down and you will be dazzled as the room opens up infront of you. Bring on the gin!