For centuries, Tianjin was an important northern port city — the main gateway to Beijing, about 120 kilometers away. By 1900, it was a shipping hub and popular colonial playground, and it was home to the Chinese emperor Puyi in the 1920s and 1930s.

But in the middle of the 20th century, when the Communist Party came to power, the city became an afterthought, overshadowed by the country’s nearby capital.

Today, Tianjin—China’s third largest city with a population of more than 10 million, according to Encyclopaedia Britannica—is a classic Chinese boomtown. Dozens of international companies have their China headquarters here, and while the city retains a gritty edge, signs of growth are everywhere.

Let’s be honest: You’re not going to find the same nightlife options here as in Beijing or Shanghai. After all, Tianjin is still finding its place in the new China. But it’s having a lot of fun in the process.

A wander through the colonial concessions is the best way to start a night in Tianjin. The city spent the early 20th century under foreign influence, and in the 1.3-square-kilometer European Concession called Wudadao (“Five Big Avenues”) just south of the city center, more than 2,000 villas remain. Some have been restored into bars, restaurants and shops.

Tucked down a side street in the concession’s former English section is Chateau 35. The restaurant, an Australian-Chinese partnership, was the first of its kind in Tianjin—a sophisticated, moderately priced wine bar and bistro offering tapas, steaks and more, with an extensive collection of wines from Australia, the New World and France. It’s proudly not five-star and exudes a vibe of accessibility.

“When I first got here you only had five-star options. Now, you’ve got places like this, you’ve got the Italian area, French restaurants, Thai restaurants. The local people are aware of foreign cuisines, and they’re willing to try them,” says London-raised David Hong, the 37-year-old manager of Chateau 35.

Wudadao is also home to a dinner and drinks option often recommended by the city’s expats: YY Beer House. This Thai restaurant with a wide selection of foreign beers is crammed into a basement space off Guangdong Lu, in Wudadao, and offers standard Thai fare—green curry, pineapple chicken—that holds its own.

Dinner spots in the Italian Concession, located outside of the Wudadao district on the opposite side of the Hai River near the train station, have not withstood the onslaught of modernization. The grand architecture and cobblestone streets remain, but bland cafés and restaurants surround Marco Polo Square. Trattoria Italiana is the exception. An Italian chef prepares excellent wood-fired pizzas, pastas and even a Kobe steak dinner (968 yuan for two; about US$147) for those with deeper pockets.

Until recently, decent nightlife options in Tianjin were limited to hotels, and the city still has a number of good cocktail bars in the premier hotels. Across the river from the train station is the Astor Hotel, opened in 1863 and restored last year. The lobby opens to the expansive Victorian Lounge, where on one particular evening, a jazz band played for a crowd of two. With its colonial mystique and attention to detail, the Astor feels like a movie set. Toward the back, O’Hara’s English Pub, with brick walls and velvet- and leather-upholstered chairs, is a gem with a large selection of fine whiskey.

Other good nightspot bets include the Raffles’ 50th-floor Cityspace Rooftop Bar, which offers a 360-degree view of the surrounding sprawl; and Mi Zu Bar, in the Nikko hotel, which has a good menu of Japanese shochu and sake, whiskey and cigars.

These days, more nightlife options have opened away from hotels, and although the once raucous Jiuba Jie (Bar Street) recently met with a wrecking ball, new establishments are popping up. Tianjin’s young expat crowd has migrated to Helen’s Café, a lively bar especially popular in the summer, and Alibaba’s, a Tianjin exchange-student staple offering cheap vodka. The city’s best nonhotel cocktail bar is Pepper, a Korean-inspired joint that’s home to a decent gin martini.

Sitong is Tianjin’s most popular nightclub, packed with young Chinese and expats alike, sipping bottles of Tsingtao and dancing to a Filipino band. Le Nest — complete with Russian go-go dancers, laser lighting and heavy techno (don’t say you weren’t warned) — is another popular option.

The boozy Paulaner Brauhaus Richmond Restaurant and Bar, home to an almost exclusively Chinese crowd, is in the Wudadao district, just around the corner from YY Beer House. The wait staff wears Bavarian outfits, but Bavaria this is not. A live band blasts Chinese pop tunes and the German beer and food options are complemented by fruit platters and popcorn, washed down with whiskey and ice tea.

For after-hours eating, Dong Fang Zhi Zhu is Tianjin’s best option, with dim sum and other Chinese fare. Here, cold bottles of beer go down until the wee hours of the morning, consumed by a young and rowdy clientele representing a city ready to step out of Beijing’s shadow.