Blue Marlin(Near XingHai Square)

SUZHOU SCENE SPOTLIGHT

For more than two decades, Blue Marlin has welcomed people with a simple promise: “Your Home Away From Home.” It’s a slogan that captures the role the venue has played in Suzhou’s international community since the original Blue Marlin first opened in 1999.

The SIP location followed in 2003, making it one of the area’s earliest bars. At a time when there were relatively few places for Suzhou’s international community to meet, Blue Marlin quickly became a popular meeting place for expats and internationally minded locals.

Over the years, Blue Marlin has evolved alongside SIP, expanding, downsizing and changing shape several times. Long-term residents may remember different versions of the venue, each representing a different era in Suzhou’s international community.

Traditionally a bar first and restaurant second, today the food is just as much of a reason to visit. The menu covers great-value Western favourites including burgers, steaks, pizzas and pub classics, alongside fusion dishes such as Mapo Tofu Pasta and Kung Pao Chicken Pizza.

Blue Marlin also brews its own craft beer on site, while live sport is shown throughout the week and an outdoor terrace offers space for a meal or drink.

Blue Marlin may look different from the place long-term residents remember, but its spirit hasn’t changed. Whether you’ve lived in Suzhou for twenty years or have only just arrived, it remains a place for good food, good beer, friendly service and a genuine home away from home.