UPSTAIRS / 樓上
HONG KONG EN / 粵
A newsletter for people who already live here

Upstairs

Someone should have told you sooner.

A twice-weekly guide to the Hong Kong you haven't found yet. 5 things. That's it.

We will never say hidden gem. If it's in a top-10 list, it's not in Upstairs.

Twice a week, 5 things actually worth leaving the flat for. The bar up the industrial lift. The basement livehouse. The back-lane coffee window. Upstairs, downstairs, wherever the obvious stuff isn't. Chosen by people who go, not an algorithm chasing clicks. If nothing's good, we say so and keep it short.

What we cover / 內容
Sound
Live music that isn't a cover band in Wan Chai. Listening bars, DJ nights above noodle shops, local releases.
Taste
Restaurants that don't have a PR agency. The six-seat counter that opened Tuesday. The supper club with no Instagram.
Make
Galleries you reach by goods lift. Zine launches, film screenings, small theatre, bookshop events.
Move
Hikes that aren't Dragon's Back. Rooftop screenings, Sunday leagues, walks led by people who know things.
Trade
Vintage drops, night markets, small-business launches, freelancer meetups that aren't LinkedIn in disguise.

Two emails a week. Both worth opening.

Every issue: 5 picks. One hook, three main ones, a couple of quick hits, one longer profile, and one genuine deal. 800 words, tops. Read it in the lift or on the stairs.

THE SETUP · TUE 07:30 plan your week
THE DROP · FRI 12:30 tonight, this weekend, don't think too hard
THE DROPFRI · SAMPLE · 樓上

The Main 3

1. A cassette label from Kwun Tong is throwing a listening night in a former mahjong parlour. Third floor, doors 8pm. Cash bar, obviously.

Quick Hits

  • Natural wine pop-up, Tai Ping Shan, Sat only
  • Rooftop kung fu film screening, Kowloon City
  • Ceramics open studio, Fo Tan, ends Sunday

The Deal

Say "upstairs" at the counter. First pour free until 9.

下次見. Take the stairs. 樓上

A demo, not a real issue. The real ones name names.

The waitlist is a staircase. Climb it.

Only the first 500 get issue 001. Everyone else waits. Every friend you bring moves you 10 spots closer to the door, and each tier is a floor of the building.