The 5:19 Bar claims to serve Beijing's best value-for-money Bloody Mary. It may also hold a title in the stakes of the city's friendliest watering hole. Tucked away at the end of Super Bar St, this homely tavern is the place to go when in need of respite from the neon scene of the other joints in this strip.

It has the lived-in feel of a local pub where all the patrons know one another. On the walls is paraphernalia relating to the various sporting associations for which 5:19 serves as base. All three chapters of Beijing's Hash House Harriers meet here (the owner co-chairs the Full Moon chapter) while it also hosts two expat dart teams.

We visit during the week and are immediately greeted by a jolly patron who has clearly been holding up the bar for quite some time.

"Cheers!" he says, raising a pint glass.

"Want to have a Kamikaze with us?"

This one sounds a bit lethal, being a school night and all, so we settle on a gin and tonic (15 yuan), which is finished with a wedge of lime. Other drinks are as reasonably priced, with local beer from 10 yuan a pint, Guinness for 15 yuan a pint, and Canadian Club whisky for 25 yuan.

At this relaxed place, punters can sit on stools at the bar, sink into well-worn sofas around a big screen, or take your poison outside to wicker chairs on the patio.

The vibe at 5:19 is as no-frills as its owner, an affable Canadian, Dave McCullough. A Beijing resident of ten years, McCullough opened this place in 2005.

"Basically, the philosophy was simple - a comfy, little pub like I used to go to back home," he says.

"A place where you can just go and be yourself, stripped off all the pretentiousness, where, you know, a drink is a drink. You can be yourself and let your hair down."

McCullough says he learnt to pour a drink in order to put himself through college, and now puts those skills to good use, mixing a mean Bloody Mary.

The secret is in the fresh lime and genuine Angostura bitters, while worcestershire and Tabasco sauce, cayenne pepper and horseradish add a spicy kick.

Come on "Sunday Bloody Mary Sunday" and this tried-and-true hangover cure will set you back just 25 yuan (usually 30 yuan).

The 5:19 also serves Sunday brunch, including the meat-heavy Bloody Big Breakfast.

The pub's location in a square in sore need of rejuvenation means it lacks the crowds of Sanlitun.

The focus here is on regulars, while it has also become the after-work watering hole for a crew of American builders working on the new US Embassy, which will soon open nearby. Happy hour starts each evening at, you guessed it - 5:19pm.

Address: 26 Xingba Lu, Nuren Jie, next to PiliPili.
Tel: 010-8448-0896