At first glance, this dimly lit and well-furnished restaurant and bar looks like a lounge, but 1000+ aspires to much more.
With a full menu, nightly poker games and themed parties, they’re seeking a hip and affluent clientele. The cocktails are mostly classics, but with a few surprises. The ... Read More
Irrepressible entrepreneur Chad Lager is gamely attempting a mission impossible with his latest consulting venture, seeking to redeem one of the bars on the notoriously tacky Sanlitun North strip. For The Little Easy he’s conjured a New Orleans theme with a cosy brick-lined interior, a zydeco playlist and Mardi ... Read More
A visit to this hutong café/bar is not far off from drinking in your friend’s courtyard home. The converted siheyuan is well furnished with wicker furniture around a gorgeous outdoor courtyard, making The Other Place a nice quiet spot for a late-night drink. Inside, sit on plush couches ... Read More
Shunyi’s center at Pinnacle Plaza has recently been graced by this new restaurant and bar. This is a quintessential English pub, with pub food served all day. There are five big screens and bar stools downstairs, with a pool table, foosball and booths upstairs. Best of all, there’s ... Read More
There really are no frills at this hutong joint. There’s no Wi-Fi and no fancy décor. What Mr. Beer does have, though, is dirt-cheap prices. The racks at this supermarket, tended by the always-cheery Mr. Huang, are stocked with an extensive selection of imported stouts, ales and lagers, all ... Read More
We thought Twilight was the only worthwhile bar in Jianwai SOHO. We were wrong. This Japanese-style whiskey bar is hidden in an apartment on the 23rd floor in the west area. When you do find it, you’re welcomed into an inviting bar with soft lighting, black wood paneling and ... Read More
Neighbor to Temple and Jam, this new bar is easy to miss above a motorcycle dealership. Confusion carries into the branding: posters proclaim iBeer, cards say Eje Beer Club, but Chinese punters call it Zhou—Chinese for “axis.” Beyond the Spanish name, it carries Belgian beer, plays reggae music and ... Read More
This new Mongolian music bar has some drawbacks—hard-to-find location in the basement of Sanlitun SOHO behind Moment Café, and fluorescent light streaming in from the hallway—but overall it’s a nice, chilled-out place. The menu is simple: baijiu, beer (¥25-35) and Mongolian horse milk alcohol (¥25-188) and the ... Read More
The Wudaokou original of this bastion of cheap beer (and pizza) makes sense given its location. But in a Gongti back-alley, it’s just a place to get drunk for next to nothing. The famously inexpensive Tsingtao draft (¥5) is still cheap, but for the moment tastes stale. They also ... Read More
Take a Chinese-owned venue with white walls and tacky furniture, add the creative expertise of Chad Lager and then add Kenn Bernel as manager, and you get a Belgian-themed bar that’s more than just Chimay and (Belgian) fries. They’ve already got a wall of comfy leather booths, a ... Read More
Unless you reserve a theme in advance, rooms at this new Sanlitun SOHO KTV offering feel like most others in Beijing. Weekend 12-6am in a small room sets you back ¥368 for the night, or ¥168/hr. They had run out of the Absolut special on our visit; we had ... Read More
The bar at Terra has been reliable before now, but its transformation into a rum bar makes it a destination unto itself. It carries a wide selection of international rums, with Trois Rivières (¥48) from Martinique and Mount Gay XO (¥98) from Barbados, as well as an ever-changing selection of ... Read More
Weather is no longer an obstacle to Migas’ success as a party space with The Bar, downstairs from their infamous rooftop. The Bar is tucked behind the restaurant, which on opening night turned into a smoky chill-out room. The Bar itself feels third world chic, decked out in found objects ... Read More
The basement space at this Shuangjing bar is lovely: plush sofas and chairs, tall ceilings, a mosaic-tiled bar, intimate lighting and a pleasant light jazz soundtrack. However, their drinks need a lot of work. A whiskey sour (RMB55) tasted like lemon juice and a dash of whiskey and lacked the ... Read More
This hutong café-bar has the charm of a hidden vacation retreat, nestled serenely amid the residential homes off Chaodou Hutong. With comfortable couches, plush pillows and soft lighting, Offside encourages lounging. Cocktails and most teas and coffees are ¥28-¥38, but the real appeal is the decent wine list (¥300- ... Read More
Hidden behind a car park next to BTV, this bar is worth the trek. Enticing single malts line the wall behind the dark wood and cork bar, so settle into a leather chair and decide how to spend your dough. Whiskeys range from a mere ¥60 to ¥30,000+ for ... Read More
Siif Hotel Bar is artistic and quaint, everything a cozy bar should be—except that it doesn’t really do booze. A visit on a Thursday evening saw the place empty save the manager, and the whiskey-based specialty cocktail If… (¥40) was delivered from the Siif bar two doors down ... Read More
Wudaokou isn’t known for classy establishments, but new nightclub Wu is set to change that. Once you descend the stairs from street level into the low, red-hued lighting, you’re greeted with a long bar, coat check and dark wood tables. The space is a concrete S-shape which winds ... Read More
Most offerings at Jianwai SOHO have a thrown-together feeling. But Shala, hidden in the west complex, has all the details to make a cozy cafe/bar. With throw cushions galore, and a birdcage and jazz for ambiance, it feels like a friend’s living room. The Japanese owner doesn’t ... Read More
Vics has scaled up with V+ in the old Klubb Rouge space. They’ve replaced cavernous emptiness with maze-like coziness: nooks, lofts, gorgeous lighting and Worker’s Stadium views. Mirrors on the ceiling and big feathered fronds put it in the same league as LAN Club and Spark, but V ... Read More
Located in a hutong alongside several hostels, Bu Zhi Dao marries Qing-chic furnishing with Mexican-inspired drinks. The menu is currently limited to liquor (¥25-40), beer (¥25-30) and a small, intriguing selection of blended cocktails made with rum or tequila (¥45). We can see the frozen margarita-esque drinks being popular during ... Read More
Frost was already popular for their mani/pedis, but when they moved down the road, they wanted to get into the bar business, too. It seems an odd combo, and the persistent acetone smell confirms it, but what it lacks in scent it makes up for in reliability. They have ... Read More
This new nightclub in Guanghua SOHO is not a place for the sophisticated drinker. They have a selection of serviceable cocktails (¥50/60), but the cornerstone of their establishment is their bottle service. The music from the DJ decks is a danceable party mix with something for everyone. The decoration ... Read More
This hutong gem was scarcely even in soft opening territory on our first visit, but will launch by the time you read this. Spartan furnishings are compensated for by the siheyuan setting. The main room boasts a long, pale wood bar. Owner Jeff Ji apprenticed at Apothecary and Glen, so ... Read More
The Sanlitun SOHO bars have so far failed to impress, and this recent addition is no exception. The Chinese-only menu doesn’t list cocktails, just size and cost (¥50-90), and the beer and wine are overpriced. This clearly wasn’t a venture born of passion for the industry. Where Titanium ... Read More
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Middle 8th: The New Sanlitun Village Location Has Creative Zest
By JPDM
I tried the new Middle 8 location last night. We tried to make a reservation... >>