Hamish Wyatt/ Shanghai Daily News

It's ten o'clock on a Friday night, you want a big night but you are a little strapped for cash. Locals and expats are quickly learning that this problem can be easily solved in one word. Mural.

Mural is a cavern like, underground bar at 697 Yongjia Road. On Fridays, Mural holds a night officially called "Put Your Soul on The Table" however, most people affectionately refer to it as "The hundred yuan night."

From ten until two on Friday night, punters are treated to an open bar for only 100 yuan (US$12.35). Complete with a tequila/margarita, bar Mural presents a fun and economical night out, albeit slightly messy.

Yet, Mural has more going for it than just dangerously good value. Considering how cheap the night is, the crowd, decor and music are exceptional.

Mural is a good looking bar that is apparently themed on ancient China. There are a number of mock, Buddhist relics and some strange cave like enclaves that, after a few drinks, a bound to spur some conversation about drinking with the Flintstones.

Yet the design is likely to be wasted on the huge Friday crowd, due to the fact that an enormous number of sweaty patrons cover every inch of available space, making the walls all but invisible.

The crowd can get irritatingly large, but then again, one expects to make some concessions for such a good deal.

Waiting at the bar for your free drinks can get mildly annoying, but the good atmosphere usually smothers these concerns.

The patrons are as jovial as one would expect people getting free drinks to be, and although some drinkers can get amusingly inebriated, violence and attitude are no problem. Most of the clientele are happy to just dance around on a pair of very unsteady feet.

Friday's music is another plus for the night. A solid lineup of remixed jazz and soul music is played along with some break beats as the night progresses.

On any weeknight,  average drink prices at Mural are around the 40 yuan mark.