Queenie's Opens Massive New Outlet Near U-Town Mall
Yonghegong regulars are sure to be familiar with Queenie's Sandwiches & Bar, the sandwich shop and bar that has outlasted many of its bricked-up neighbors to become a surprisingly resilient Dongcheng survivor. Fans of that spot are about to have their notions of it drastically shifted, however, given that Queenie’s (aka QS, which you’re sure to recognize from its dotted light logo) owners Wang "Jim" Zheng and his wife Queenie move towards expanding the late-night sandwich shop to chain status. The first step to doughy Beijing domination is their recently opened Chaowai Nanjie location, across the road from U-Town mall.
The new location has about twice the seating of the original
Aside from landing in the drastically different, untapped locale, this second branch boasts a far broader floor space with almost double the seating of the original Café de la Poste-adjacent spot, an expanded beer fridge and bar, as well as a better-equipped kitchen. Those latter two points are especially important because they have allowed cocktail and pub grub hotshot Adam Gottschalk of Ron Mexico fame to move in and work his F&B magic.
Gottschalk and Wang have been long-time friends, initially meeting as colleagues when Gottschalk worked as the national business development manager for a spirits distribution company in China. Prior to that, Wang, a Beijing native, had worked at the Kempinski Hotel for five years as a baker, a job he snagged after studying pastry and breadmaking at a trade school. It’s those skills that Gottschalk wants to help the Queenie’s founder better make use of, espousing Wang as one of the very best bakers in Beijing.
The new joint's bar is adorned with the same sign that many in Yonghegong will be familiar with
“I want more people to realize that Wang makes all the bread fresh in-house at Queenie’s,” Gottschalk (who says he amicably sold his stake at Ron Mexico to focus on this new venture). While that grub can often go overlooked because the Yonghegong QS is better known as a party spot than a restaurant, Wang and Gottschalk seek to change that, with the latter saying: “I want to help them channel the focus a bit, to highlight the freshly baked bread and a huge beer selection. They already have an incredible product, and I want to help make it more focused and better known.”
Those skills helped Wang become Gottschalk's “favorite proprietor’s proprietor” in the hutongs, as he hosted neighboring business owners and even supplied Ron Mexico with bread for their sandwiches early on. Wang – a warm and gregarious host who was quick to belt out big belly laughs during our interview – is confident that that momentum will continue at the new Chaoyangmen subway station-adjacent location, saying: “I don't know of any Beijing bar that owns a bakery, and our neighbors in the old place had nowhere to buy high-quality homemade bread – so we slowly gained a good reputation that way.”
QS's bacon burger is good enough to give any of neighboring U-Town's burgers a run for their money
During our visit, we also tried QS's hunger-quelling wares, including their new line of burgers (all priced at an incredible RMB 35). The barbecue bacon, which boasts a juicy Australian beef patty, generously thick and salty bacon chunks, crispy fried onions, and a rich layer of melted cheddar.
There are also pizzas, the entire range of sandwiches found at the original location, as well as Wang‘s Kempinski-esque pastries and coffee on the menu. Those latter options will help make this new spot a café during the day in order to maximize the space.
Wang and Gottschalk’s enthusiasm for this new project is clear in both the product and the way they describe their plans for the space, with Wang expressing hopes to open an even bigger third location before long. Though they already have their hands full with this sizable new joint, the potential for this dynamic duo to bring the bright QS logo far and wide is already apparent. First, we look forward to seeing what they can bring to Chaoyangmen.
Queenie's Sandwiches & Bar (Chaowai)
Daily, 24-hours. Chaowaimen Apartment C3, Chaowai Nanjie, Chaoyang District (across the street from the back of U-Town)
朝阳区朝外南街朝外们公寓C座底商（朝外们大厦东侧）
Photos: Kyle Mullin, Adam Gottschalk
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