The Original Rug is Back... And It's Better Than Ever

By Noelle Mateer

When it comes to Beijing brunchstitutions, The Rug is up there. (So up there, readers voted it their favorite in town at our That's Beijing 2017 Golden Fork Awards).

The original Rug debuted its popular bagels and lattes just south of Chaoyang Park in winter 2011. Since then, it’s had a wild few years. It’s expanded into Sanlitun, Courtyard Four no less, with a multi-story complex so pretty, it ought to be featured in a design mag. It’s launched another concept – Chat Room – which serves the same fun, creative cuisine in a more fast-casual setting (Chaoyang Joy City). But most importantly, The Rug garnered legions of fans, a veritable army of lunch and dinner and tea and coffee lovers, a fandom that was devastated when, last year, the original location shut.

Temporarily, that is. Ladies and gentlemen: the original Rug is back.      

After a lengthy renovation, The Rug’s Chaoyang Park location has reopened, and the new space is just as sleek and eye-catching as we’d hoped. It has the air of a modern bistro – tables of both business lunchers and casual dates chatting over shared plates and coffees, large windows letting the Beijing sun stream in. This is a place people linger, where customers take time with their meals to enjoy each other’s company. This is all a long-winded way of saying: Hey, The Rug’s got good vibes.

But perhaps the customers most excited about this relaunch are the ones not paying at all: the kiddos. Because the coolest part of the new Rug is the children’s play area – an entire room that’s essentially a paradise for kids. Featuring a mini-playground, toys and even nets and poles to climb on, this is every child’s dream. (And, TBH, it makes us wish we were kids again.)

As for adult entertainment, there is, of course, The Rug’s delectable new menu. We sample the eggs Benedict, which are perched atop bagels for a heartier twist, and the new pumpkin soup, which features – get this – popcorn floating on top (it adds a nice crunch). As for drinks, the beetroot latte (yes, beetroot) is a fun spin on 2018’s vegetable of the moment, and of course, comes with The Rug’s incredible latter art.

A beautiful terrace rounds out all the splendor, but it is, of course, unusable at the moment. But hey – good fodder for daydreaming of Springtime.

4, Lishui Jiayuan, Chaoyang Gongyuan South Lu (opposite Chaoyang Park South Gate) 朝阳区朝阳公园南路丽水嘉园4号楼(朝阳公园南门对面) (1316 174 2511)

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