1921 Cultural Industry Park Is Andingmen’s Own Lifestyle Enclave

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A new lifestyle hub dubbed 1921 Cultural Industry Park recently opened in Andingmen, tucked behind DaliDali on Huayuan Hutong just south of the Second Ring Road. It’s a chic little enclave reminiscent of a mini-Longfusi, playing host to a number of new restaurants as well as a new branch of Page One Bookstore. For folks living in the greater Andingmen/Gulou/Beiluogu area looking for some quality eats and drinks without having to venture too far, 1921 Cultural Industry Park’s offerings are basically no more and no less than what a discerning Beijinger needs for a relaxing weekend afternoon or a night out with friends.

Page One

The new Page One is basically the first floor of the old Page One, complete with art and design books, cookbooks, and other lifestyle non-fiction

While it’s wonderful to have a bookstore in this neck of the woods, Andingmen’s Page One is basically the first floor of the Sanlitun location – i.e. plenty of art and design titles, cookbooks, and other lifestyle non-fiction – with no English literature section to speak of. Having said that, according to shop manager Teresa Qin, the Sanlitun branch will be reopening sometime next month, and with it, the international lit section that capital bookworms have come to rely on for their fiction fix. Interestingly, Qin noted that the Taikooli space will also be rendered much smaller, relegated to roughly the size of the café on the second floor. Nevertheless, she added that if there seems to be a demand for international fiction in Andingmen, she’ll happily meet that demand.

There's no definitive brunch menu yet, but the photos on Dianping definitely got our tummies grumbling

Aside from its book section, Andingmen’s Page One does still boast a second floor, however, this one comes in the form of a beautiful terrace well-suited to remote work or brunch with the gang. In fact, there’s a pretty impressive brunch menu that seemingly includes French toast with fresh berries, something akin to eggs Benedict with ham, chicken and waffles, and more. I say seemingly because given that the cafe is still in soft opening, there’s no definitive menu to go off of, but that hasn’t stopped the Dianping crowd from posting plenty of delectable photos of what we can only assume are trial dishes. At any rate, Qin tells the Beijinger that the brunch menu, along with the rest of the shop including the terrace and downstairs outdoor seating will open very shortly.

Wild Kite

Most of the beers come courtesy of the Land Down Under

In terms of restaurants, there’s a Western brewpub called Wild Kite that could give the city’s craft beer stalwarts a run for their money. The menu features a selection of burgers that range from classic to fancy (read, foie gras and lobster at RMB 88 and 108, respectively) as well as a very delicious falafel burger for the vegetarian crowd (RMB 48). Other entrees include charcoal-grilled platters such as brisket, pork ribs, or cajun chicken (RMB 108, 98, 78) and of course, the ubiquitous grilled veggies (RMB 58). Meanwhile, there’s a ton of sides such as nachos (RMB 58), a grazing board of truffle salami, Italian parma ham, brie cheese, mustard, mixed pickles, and rye bread for RMB 138, fish and chips (RMB 58), poutine, plenty of pickled goodies, and a whole lot more.

At RMB 48, the falafel burger is one of Beijing's more reasonably priced veggie burgers

But like any brewpub worth its suds, Wild Kite will be equally – if not more – known for its incredible beer selection. There’s a whopping 22 brews on tap from three Australian breweries – Hop Nation, Deeds, and Dainton – as well as Trip Smith out of Guiyang, and Japan’s Hokkaido Brewing.

The outdoor seating is a bit sterile, but winter's around the corner so whatever.

While Wild Kite’s interior is cute enough (there are in fact, plenty of wild kites on the ceiling) its outside seating area feels a bit too US suburban mall. However, if you can look past the sterile plastic tables and chairs, everything else at Wild Kite is delightful.

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OH Orange Hour

Venture a little past Wild Kite and you’ll reach OH, aka Orange Hour, a wine bar with coffee and self-described “simple snacks.” Those simple snacks include four platters – olive (RMB 68), salami (RMB 98), cheese (RMB 98), and ham (RMB 68) – as well as a potted duck or goose liver and bread, priced at RMB 58 and RMB 98, respectively. We’re yet to pay OH a visit, so can’t speak to the price of any of the wines, but hey, who doesn’t love a good wine bar?

1921 Cultural Industry Park

Huayuan East Hutong (off Andingmen West Street), Dongcheng District.
东城区安定门西大街

Images: Drew Pittock, Dianping

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