Datong is not a nightlife city. It’s a place where temples close at 4 p.m., malls shut down before sunset, and the only thing open after dark is the occasional convenience store selling lukewarm yogurt drinks. So when Justin Martell of Pioneer Media (MediaPioneers.net) and I set out for a night on the town, our expectations were somewhere between grim and non-existent.
And then we saw it — a glowing cartoon deer in a beer hat. A beacon of hope. 福鹿家 – Lucky Deer House.
This wasn’t a bar in the traditional sense. It was a tiny beer taproom franchise, squeezed between two closed noodle shops. Inside: no music, no décor, and just three absurdly small stools. Hobbit chairs, we called them. The kind of furniture you’d find in a kindergarten timeout corner, not the so-called best bar in Datong.
But it was. It absolutely was.
The Beer Was… Actually Amazing?
We were offered free samples — as advertised on a sign proudly declaring 免费试喝 (free tasting). It was dangerously drinkable. Peach wheat, lychee lager, and a classic draft that tasted like it had actually been brewed this century.
Impressed and mildly bewildered, we did the math: a sign inside said 买三送一 — buy three, get one free. Done. We ordered four.
And that’s when things took a turn.
1.5kg of Beer, No Cups, No Regrets
Our beer did not come in pints. It came in a 1.5kg plastic bag. With a handle. Like a tactical hydration pack filled with booze. It felt less like a casual drink and more like a mission. We took it to the street like medieval wanderers, slapping the side of the bag as we poured foamy splashes into paper cups that quickly fell apart.
We weren’t just drinking beer. We were living Datong’s nightlife — all of it, apparently.
The Best Bar in a City With No Bars
Lucky Deer House isn’t just a one-off — it’s part of a growing chain of beer taprooms across China. The name means Lucky Deer House, and the brand is clearly aimed at a younger crowd: cute cartoon mascot, fruity beer flavours, QR codes everywhere, and even a franchise hotline for anyone wanting to open their own deer-themed beer den. It’s cheap, casual, and dangerously efficient. Sadly we could though find no other information about the Lucky Deer franchise, not that we were going to start one you understand.
There’s even local delivery — the sign proudly lists a phone number for takeaway orders. Because of course Datong’s best bar also doubles as a beer-based logistics hub.
A Night Out in Datong, Such As It Is
With our beer bag half-drained, we tried to find literally anything else to do. We wandered for over an hour. Past shuttered arcades, locked malls, and at least three suspiciously dark hotpot joints (brothels?
Eventually we found a bar called Live House, or something similar which provided Soju and friends to help with our beered out bellies.
Either way, friends were made, perhaps they might not last, but hey we gave it a try.
Address of Lucky Deer House 福鹿家
It’s likely situated in a central area of Datong, possibly within a commercial district or near popular pedestrian zones….
Thats all we got, oh except the phone number;
(86) 152-3524-4246
Final Thoughts from the Street Food Guy
If you’re expecting karaoke bars and rooftop clubs, Datong is not your place. But if you want to sit on a hobbit chair, drink 1.5 kilos of fresh peach beer out of a sack, and walk the dark streets in search of meaning — Lucky Deer House 福鹿家 has you covered.
And if you want more Datong chaos, check out my adventures hunting for Datong street food right here, including much of our antics!
This might not be nightlife. But in Datong, it’s about as close as you’ll get.
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