I joined a small gathering on Thursday night to sample wines and snacks at Enoteca (map). The Beijing branch of a Shanghai-based wine bar chain, it opened more than a year ago and is doing some fine-tuning. I earlier mentioned Stella is now available, thus making Enoteca a draw for groups that have a person or two who prefer beer to wine. A few more items I learned about on Thursday:
- Any wine by the glass is two for one from 4 PM to 7 PM, Monday to Friday.
- A flight of three wines with three appetizers is RMB88. (Note: These are not full pours, but smaller ones used to compare the wines.)
- After a half-off food deal during August, Enoteca has settled its prices at RMB40 for paninis (five choices), RMB45 for salads (seven choices), and RMB60 for pastas (five choices). Set lunch menus, available from 11 AM to 4 PM and inclusive of a soft drink, range from RMB57 to RMB72.
- The place has live jazz from 8 PM to 11 PM on Thursdays.
The comfortable design and seating at Enoteca have never been an issue. And given the weather, sitting on the deck is pleasant, especially when you have a view of The Mother of All Monitors.
The “happy hour” on wines by the glass is great to hear about, I’d never understood why they didn’t initiate it sooner, but its good that they have. The spot’s location makes it conducive for those at Kerry and Guomao to come past for a drink after work, but with all the other happy hours in the area (namely Centro), it was never worth it, now its sure to get more consideration.