Ron Mexico Moves to New, Larger, Angry-Neighbor-less Spot
It's dire and desperate times in Beijing right now; we're losing Más this Sunday (Apr 30), we've already lost Tiki Bungalow, and Fangjia Hutong is on the verge of getting bricked up, with the lives of some of our favorite bars hanging in the balance. On the other side of town, debauched youngsters are crying crocodile tears because Sanlitun's Dirty Bar Street is getting the same treatment, though the fate of many of the notorious strip's dives is not yet sealed.
That's why we breathed a collective sigh of relief when we found out that Ron Mexico, Yongkang Hutong's own little tiny neighborhood bar, was moving slightly south to Jiaodaokou, where they've not only got more space but also fewer hutong problems (think public toilets, noise complaints, bricks).
It was then that on April 26, the portrait of Ron Mexico was pulled from behind the bar, which gets its name from highly embarrassing allegations regarding ex quarterback Michael Vick, and marched down Andingmen Neidajie in a procession, and east onto Jiaodaokou Dongdajie towards its new home.
Located in the little alley just east of McDonald's (we can already see how these nights are going to end), the bar will stay open until the last customer standing leaves.
We can report that the new space has plenty of seating room, a bar three times as long as its previous incarnation, and of course an updated menu. While these elements are currently still being tweaked, the bar is now officially open for patronage, and should make for a fine alternative to drink away the pain that has arisen from losing a number of bars over the past few weeks.
Drink prices will be similar to the old Ron Mexico: RMB 35 for mixed drinks, RMB 25 for draft beer, RMB 30 for draft beer with frozen foam, RMB 35-45 for homemade beer, and more specialized cocktails at around RMB 50, making it one of the more affordable bars in the city, especially on the cocktail front. One aspect in which it will be vastly different to the old Ron Mexico is a much more elaborate food menu which is rolling out soon with burrito/rice bowls (RMB 65-85), salads and wraps (RMB 45), and lots of appetizers for sharing. We'll have to check these out when the kitchen opens to report back.
Although those venues lost in the last few days will never be replaced, we're glad to see that Beijing's hutong bar scene isn't currently all doom and gloom.
Images: Charles Turner, Uday Gangaraju
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