Super Bar Street will have its concrete and neon tossed in the dustbin of history in as little as two months, according to several sources, including two managers of restaurants there. While Super Bar Street does have its fans, I am not among them, nor are many other people given the light traffic I always find there. It is not so much the bars and restaurants: Shamba, for example, is a cozy spot with lacquered tables, comfy lounge chairs, and a nice deck; Tim’s Texas Roadhouse is a decent stop for a burger and a few beers; and so on. It is the atmosphere or the street itself. As I wrote more than two years ago:
Super Bar Street… ranks among the more depressing strips in Beijing, if not the planet. I’ve seen cement processing plants with as much charm as this scruffy, plant-less, concrete- and neon-lined stretch. It reminded me of a deserted and poorly refurbished fair midway. I half-expected a slightly insane, gap-toothed carnie to pop out and hawk dirty candy apples.
My opinion has not changed and I have often wondered why nothing was done to cobblestone the street, add some greenery, take advantage of that small pond, and – yes, I know this was highly unlikely – close part of it to motorized traffic, at least on weekend nights. Perhaps the location would still have been unattractive for many nightlife fans, but at least the added charm would have given it more of a fighting chance.
In any case, I headed to Super Bar Street last Friday night and will soon post notes on spots visited there as well as at Chaoyang Park West and in the Workers Stadium area.
Note: Mr Brau kind of predicted the demise in this “Beijing bar death watch” post in January. Meanwhile, on Twitter, poster Kindermusik_BJ writes that a friend who owns a restaurant on Super Bar Street says the area is set to be chai’d on June 13. Also on Twitter, Imagethief notes that this situation, in the context of the destruction of the old Sanlitun South bar street, is hardly tragic, though I would miss Bite-a-pita if it were to go. To follow this blog on Twitter, click here.
Where is Super Bar Street? Does the street have a name?
Biteapitta isn’t technically on Super Bar Street, right?
Been there lately, and it seems they try to take advantage of the small pond. there’s some new trees and people wandering around the pond.
Maybe it’s too late, or maybe they’ll destroy only the part along the pond to transform the place that could be a good start, but not enough to make it attractive I guess.
@ Joe,
That is how it is known. It is very close to Ladies Street.
Cheers, boyce
@ Jingbo,
To the best of my knowledge, it is, since it’s located inside that archway labeled “Super Bar Street.”
Cheers, boyce
@ Paul,
The pond looks much better than it did a few years ago. I’m guessing it will be incorporated into whatever project goes on the site, but who knows…
Cheers, boyce