There is something to be said for those street side crappy pool tables you occasionally see  outside a small shop on the edge of Hangzhou. The beer is cheap, the tables are nearly free, and the worn out rubber, cracked slate (warped wood) and disfigured balls (gulp) means that seriously handicapped pool players like myself can compete a little with the pros. A little.

But there is also something to be said for a real pool bar. It’s warm in the winter and cool in the summer, the tables are flat and while the beer isn’t quite so cheap, it is at least cold. There are many middle of the road places that help bridge the gap between street-side and real place, and you’ll have to find those yourself. But for a real table, Colors Pool Bar is probably the best pool in Hangzhou.

Colors Pool was opened two or three years ago by a Singaporean pool champion. Dont know why he chose Hangzhou – maybe he thinks us lot have a trick (shot) or two to learn. But once here he found a great spot on three floors in a small street running north from the Hyatt hotel. It’s pretty obvious that he knows a lot more about pool than interior design: the place is nice to look at but the tables are goooood. So are the sticks.

There are two tables on each floor, when he could probably have fitted three. The furniture is haphazard, the walls dark red and the bar looks like a pill-box machine gun slit. But hey, we’re here to play pool, not diagnose the owner’s design health. And in any case, for those  waiting to play, Colors is still way more comfortable than any other pool bar in the town.

After a game or ten, you can retire to the roof. There is little outdoor seating in Hangzhou – sitting outside in Hangzhou, until recently, was not considered fitting for modern urban dwellers – and colors does this well, with a large roof terrace overlooking remnants of old Hangzhou.

Tables are about 65Y an hour so you can play 8 or 9 ball. The guys rack the tables in seconds so there isnt much of a delay between games. Beer gets big discounts if you buy by the bucket.

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