Suits, Bikes, and Art: 3 Offbeat Beijing Caffeine Havens
It's official: coffee is now mainstream in Beijing, with specialty shops serving cupfuls of fancy imported brewed beans popping up left and right throughout the city at an ever-increasing frequency. That popularity has reached such a nadir that even businesses with no other connection to coffee are readying java for browsing customers or passers-by. Below are a few places we recently discovered where we never expected to stumble upon a cup of silky-black joe.
Re (Kerry Center)
The most striking example of Beijing’s “coffee, coffee everywhere” trend is Re, where bicycle accessories are sold alongside upscale imported drip coffee. It’s a strange overlap that seems to have worked out surprisingly well, seeing as the brand expanded from its Jianwai Soho flagship store (called ReHome) to open an even bigger and swankier branch in the surely hotter real estate stop of the Kerry Center’s first floor.
Aside from a huge array of cycling paraphernalia like outfits suited for pedaling, colorful helmets, handlebars, and even a few high-end bikes themselves, the owners have also popped an impressive proverbial wheely when it comes to the coffee menu. Among the highlights: hand drip Mandheling, Kenyan, and Costa Rican coffees (RMB 48 per cup), a frothy, smooth cappuccino (RMB 38) with the perfect touch of bitterness that doesn’t overwhelm, and a now standardly priced RMB 30 Americano. In short, this new branch of Re is worth pumping your breaks for when you’re passing through the CBD and are in need of a refined pick me up.
Taptao Tailor and Café
This Sanlitun spot calls to mind JW Taylor Bar, in that it combines F&B with men’s fashion. But while JW serves cocktails along with tailored suits, Taptao serves a small but surprisingly satisfying array of coffees.
Beyond standard options like Americanos and cappuccinos (RMB 20 and RMB 28, respectively) this café-within-a-clothing-shop has a few unique options like an RMB 28 Sakura latte, which we’d never heard of, much less tried. Aside from being caffeine free, the drink was also characterized by being foamy, fruity light, and flowery, tasting almost like a strawberry milkshake but stopping short of being so sweet, making for a unique latte offering in an offbeat locale. We can't speak to the quality of the threads, but the beans at this café and shop were pretty satisfying.
READ: How Luckin Coffee is Reforming China's Coffee Culture
Joy Family Gallery
Some cafés go for a retro chic look (à la Soloist), while others try to be sleek and modern to the point of pining for futuristic vibes (we're looking at you, Bracket). The baristas at Joy Family, however, serve coffee under a very different backdrop: an art gallery. The spot is one of many to showcase paintings and other works in Shuangjing's Pingod Plaza. But it's the first place where we've sipped coffee alongside easels and wall hangings of Rick and Morty, Stewie Griffin, and other cartoon characters from assorted manga and elsewhere.
A caffeine rush among a few colorful, fun paintings isn't anything to scoff at and the venue makes for a unique and lively location for remote working. Their macchiato (RMB 38) is sugary and rich, making for a fine indulgence, while more conventional options like espressos, Americanos, cappuccinos, and lattes range from RMB 28-36.
Photos: Kyle Mullin
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