Beijing Boyce

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Four years ago this week, way back when I weighed 30 pounds less, could get by on three hours sleep, and had a Beijing bars e-newsletter instead of a blog, I wrote a piece called “Something about Sanlitun“. This was ~18 months after the end of south bar street and I stated that “Sanlitun has emerged stronger and more diverse than ever“. As evidence, I cited 20 bars, restaurants, and clubs, including a few not strictly in Sanlitun but easily accessible from the area. Given how often people cite the high turnover rate of bars and restaurants, I thought it would be interesting to see how many of those places are still going.

“1. The Tree — Arguably the best pizza in town, nicely washed down with Belgian beer.”

Four years later, still a pizza favorite, still serving Belgian brew….

“2. Cheers — A simple and unpretentious bar with an excellent happy hour (10-kuai Qingdao drafts before 10 PM) and live Xinjiang music.”

Although Leo, The Bearded One, left about a year ago, this place remains pretty much the same, save for switching the bar and the stage.

“3. Top Club / Bar Blu — Comfy rooftop decks up top and dance floors down below.”

Bar Blu is still going, though I find it far seedier now than in 2006, while Top Club turned into Kokomo; different name, same people involved.

“4. Le Petit Gourmand — Kick back, have a beer and read a few books.”

Still going, though the presence of Biteapitta downstairs and absence of a manager (unless they recently hired one) means business is down.

“5. Alameda — A Brazilian barbecue joint picked by that’s Beijing and City Weekend readers as the city’s best restaurant.”

Still going, with a redesign.

“6. The Bookworm — Kick back again, this time glass of wine in hand, and read some more books in the high-ceilinged downstairs or on the rooftop garden.”

Still going, with even more books (and whiskey choices) on the shelves.

“7. Browns — Good pub grub, good draft beer selection, good place to lose your inhibitions and do some bar top dancing.”

Gone. Some people will say because of its size but I blame poor management and marketing (lowlight: turtle races held Sunday nights on a ping pong table with lanes built on top). This place was based on Carnegie’s in Taipei, which is still going. As should be Browns. It went on to become Revelations, then Pink Loft, and is now empty.

“8. Modern Nomads — Enjoy throat singing while sipping the best (er, only) Chingis martinis in town.”

Gone. Fun place but, at least at that time, Beijing had a quite limited demand for throat singing. This spot is now Nanjie.

“9. Beer Mania — An excellent combination of mostly Belgian beers and quality cocktails (Mojito, Long Island) in a laid-back atmosphere.”

Still going, and has since added a deck.

“10. Q Bar — The most consistent high-quality cocktails in town and a spacious deck to boot.”

Still going, and that spacious deck is now about three times bigger.

“Throw in other northern spots such as Saddle (good burritos) [Now Luga's, with pretty much the same concept, though with a history that would require a post of its own], Apertivo (good people watching) [still going] and Jazz-Ya (good Long Islands) [ditto], southern ones such as Salsa Caribe [ditto, with new design], Banana Leaf [ditto] and Phil’s Pub (good 10-kuai Gin Tonics) [forced out due to construction; now just north of Ritan Park], nearby establishments such as The Pavillion [still standing], Alfa [still going] and Yugong Yishan [forced out due to construction]…

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Four years on, 14 of 20 places continue to operate in the same space and under the same name, though there have been some ownership changes. Of the remainder, two have new names but remain in the same space and have either the same concept or same management (Luga’s and Kokomo) while two were forced to close (Yugong Yishan and Phil’s). Only two places are gone due to poor performance (Browns and Modern Nomads).

Does this say something about Beijing having a low rate of bar and restaurant failures? No. Instead, it says something about the power of Sanlitun as a bar and restaurant center. These places staked an early claim, and in most cases grabbed a niche, in an area that seemed destined for strong and steady growth in terms of customers, revenue, and restaurant and bar openings. And four years on, most of them remain as part of a scene that is more diverse than ever.