New Beijing Bars & Restaurants: October 2017
BigSmall Coffee
BigSmall Coffee has a thing for hutongs – even if hutongs don’t have a thing for BigSmall. (Its original location, on Xiang’er Hutong, was recently bricked amid district renovations.) BigSmall has returned with a new shop in an undertrafficked hutong near the Forbidden City, and we couldn’t be happier – BigSmall is one of the few cafes that tastes as good as our Instagrams look, and also one of the few whose tea is as good as its coffee. (Try the honeybush latte, RMB25.)
16 Shatan Hutong, Dongcheng 东城区沙滩后街16号
Heaven Supermarket
The original has not closed. This means there are two Heaven Supermarkets right next to each other (and then another five minutes away, on Gongti Xilu). Heaven 3.0, however, is the only one with a dance floor. Are we scratching our heads? Yes. Are we complaining? No.
B1, Bldg 3, 12 Xindong Lu, Chaoyang 朝阳区新东路12号3号楼地下一层
Hey Tea
Hey Tea is a Guangdong-based milk tea chain making headlines and long lines. Images of the shops’ storefronts went viral for their consistently winding queues, filled with customers willing to wait hours for their zhishi jinfeng chawang (cheese-topped tea). The capital’s first branch of Hey Tea debuted in Taikoo Li South last month, and as expected, lines snaked around the building. Maybe we’re delirious after waiting so long, but we’re tempted to say this was all worth the mafan. (Seriously though, bring comfortable shoes.)
S6-11a, Bldg 6, 19 Sanlitun Lu Chaoyang 朝阳区 三里屯路19号院6号楼S6-11a单元
Cannon's
Cannon's is Beijing’s latest and greatest burger joint on Xingfucun Zhonglu, and not only does owner Will Cannon come from America – he comes from the South, which is America on steroids. He has crafted his own mind-bogglingly delicious take on American fast-food – at American fast-food prices. For as low as RMB32 a pop, Cannon’s thin, greasy patties burst with flavor, squeezed between fresh house-made buns and slathered lovingly with cheese. Read our full review here.
55 Xingfucun Zhonglu, Chaoyang 朝阳区幸福村中路55号
Sheng Yong Xing
Sheng Yong Xing isn’t new. But it is new to those downtown. The Peking duck restaurant quietly debuted its first joint within the Third Ring Road earlier this summer.Sheng Yong Xing is among the very best Peking duck restaurants in the city. Yep, right there alongside Siji Minfu and Da Dong. It is neither too expensive, nor too cheap. A full duck here goes for RMB198, and it’s among the best in Beijing, which has the best Peking duck in the world…
5 Xindong Lu, Chaoyang 朝阳区新东路甲5号 (6464 0968)
Bei 27 Hao
It’s a big claim to say somewhere has The Best Lanzhou Noodles in Beijing, we know. But the following is a fact we can’t deny: Bei 27 Hao serves our favorite hand-pulled noodles in the city. Formerly a hole-in–the-wall in Sanlitun North with an average wait of 30 minutes, Bei 27 Hao is now a slightly larger restaurant in Sanlitun North... with an average wait of 30 minutes. Its new space features one long table for communal dining, and a short-and-sweet menu of Lanzhou favorites: minced noodles with black fungus and soft tofu, chewy niangpi with sesame paste and, for dessert, sticky glutinous rice and eggs. It’s so good, it’s worth the wait – which, by the way, will be 30 minutes.
1/F, Nali Patio, 81 Sanlitun Lu, Chaoyang 朝阳区三里屯路81号那里花园1层 (8418 5849)
Combal by Tiago
Just like its older sister Tiago Home Kitchen, Combal by Tiago has a Mediterranean focus and an upper-mid-range dining atmosphere. Combal elegantly integrates cuisines both Western and Eastern. While our go-to is a sous-vide Australian filet (RMB218), we also enjoy a Japanese-style egg yolk sabayon with grapefruit nitrogen foam (RMB68). The rest of the menu features the stars of the imported-ingredient world: Spanish prawns, Italian truffles, New Zealand scampi, Australias Angus.
127-129 L1 Tower C, Cofco Plaza, 8 Jianguomen Jie, Dongcheng 东城区建国门内大街8号中粮广场C座一层127-129单元 (6528 2280)
Home Thai
As if the name didn't tip you off, Home Thai serves up Thai classics. Think papaya salad, curried prawns, mango sticky rice and Thai tea. This is Taikoo Li South, so prepare to wait. But the curries are pretty bomb so it's worth the wait.
S2-32, 3/F Taikoo Li South, 19 Sanlitun Lu, Chaoyang 朝阳区三里屯北路19号三里 屯太古里南区3层S2-32 (8435 3631)
Little Susu
Little Susu offers a selection of Vietnamese classics – pho, fish, curry and lunchtime banh mis. They also have some killer cocktails and a great view of the CCTV Headquarters.
NL5014, 5/F China World Mall, 1 Jianguomen Wai Dajie, Chaoyang 朝阳区建国门外大街1号国贸商城北区5层NL5014 (8599 7757)
Nina
Nina is the lovechild of two Fangjia Hutong refugees, popular French hangout Jiao Bar and Italian pop-up Cartoccio, who aren’t letting the bricking of their beloved former ’tong stop them from serving European food and drinks at laudable prices. Nina marries Jiao’s wine and spritzes with Cartoccio’s Italian street food, and the menu offers plenty of options including mini pizzas (RMB55-60) and RMB30 spritzes during happy hour.
66 Beiluoguxiang, Dongcheng 东城区北锣鼓巷66号
Two Tablespoons
Is the peak 2000s dessert – the cupcake – making a comeback? Maybe, if Two Tablespoons has anything to do with it. Offering classic flavors, like red velvet and tiramisu, and Asian-inspired flavors, like black sesame and red bean, the Dongzhimen cupcake shop is a real treat. And one you can feel OK-ish about eating at, thanks to a lighter cake mix and frosting (but don’t worry guys, it’s still dessert).
1/F, Tower A, East Gate Plaza, 9 Dongzhong Jie, Dongcheng 东城区东中街9号东环广场A座1层
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