Beijing Bar Review: Mimi e Coco
By Noelle Mateer
If you often drink on Fangjia Hutong, you probably like drinking from bottles. Cellar Door has bottles. El Nido has bottles. Fang Bar doesn’t really have bottles, but whatever – that’s two out of three and you get our point. “Bottle shops are the purview of Fangjia Hutong” is a sentence we wrote back in June in this very magazine. And so it’s fitting, then, that Mimi e Coco serves its drinks in bottles.
Yet this is where its similarities with hutong beer refrigerator bars end.
Mimi e Coco, the latest project from the crew at popular pizza spot Ramo, is a haven of slick design and even slicker beats tucked just off Fangjia and fully soundproofed for your partying pleasure.
And we mean fully soundproofed.
Enter via a tiny hutong tributary into the first room, a glorified white cube, and enjoy the arctic A/C blast as you press on walls to figure out which one’s the door. (Spoiler: it’s straight ahead.)
This sound-wave trapping antechamber is merely the first hint that Mimi is not your typical hutong joint. Quirky design elements are everywhere, from the plushy seat pillows to the arty labels on the custom bottles, which contain a selection of house-made coolers and cocktails mixed daily.
We enjoy the refreshing and bitter Arancia Rossa (RMB55, but for Campari fans only – the taste of bitter orange is strong). The Citrus Iced Tea (RMB40) is a fun twist on the Long Island using Earl Grey, and the Suan Mei Tang (RMB40) reminds us of the sugary plum juice often served at Sichuan restaurants. For beer lovers, a selection of not-oft-seen brands awaits in refrigerator No. 2, which includes Italian craft brews. Brewdog’s Punk IPA is on tap (RMB50 a pint).
Mimi shares many traits with Ramo, including bright colors, booze and a vibe one might term ‘partyish.’ But Mimi is different from her older sister, a point she really hammers home with the wifi password “nomorepizza.” The snacks on hand are decidedly not crust-tomato-cheese, although our pocket sandwiches are held together by pizza-dough bread. Our favorite, the Mexican (RMB40), features a moist black-bean patty topped with avocado and (best yet!) French fries. With the bread and dips (RMB35), you can dip long sticks of chewy pizza crust into homemade pesto or bleu cheese dip. (These render “nomorepizza” a somewhat misleading wifi password, but we’ll cut Mimi a break here.)
The snacks, however, are merely the sobering bites necessary to keep you drinking longer – and drink here long we shall, given the prices and charming atmosphere. Sure, the bottle gimmick isn’t necessary. But, strictly speaking, dope interiors aren’t necessary. A vinyl DJ booth isn’t necessary. Calming forest-green wall color isn’t necessary. But we appreciate them all the same.
Mon-Fri: 6pm-1am, Sat: 3pm-late, Sun: 3-10pm (kitchen closes at 11pm) , 64 Fangjia Hutong, Dongcheng 东城区方家胡同64号 (8401 6288)
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