Category Archives: Cheers

From Turpan to Tongli Studio: Winding down on a Wednesday in the capital…

Photos to come… What restaurants and bars would I visit after leaving Turpan, a three-hour drive from Xinjiang’s capital of Urumqi, early in the morning and arriving in Beijing early…

Sips and bites: Cheers, Side Saddle, Cafe Europa, Xiu, Room, and more

- Side Saddle (map): Home of one of my favorite late-night snacks, the giant DIY burrito, this place now offers three tacos or nachos that can be filled or topped…

Sips and bites: Stone Boat, Klubb Rouge, Pepe’s, Union, Kiosk II, Fubar, and more

Some happenings from the past week or so. As always, click the word “map” beside each venue to get its map, or to get its address sent to your phone…

Friday fun: 12SQM, Salud, Bed, Cheers, and more

I met MH and friend last night in Nanluoguxiang about 11 PM. Here are the spots at which we stopped and sipped: 12 SQM: Billed as Beijing’s smallest bar, this…

Top five watering holes: Paul Adkins, researcher

Part 4 of a series on where Beijing residents enjoy a beverage (or two). This round is with beverage quality control expert Paul Adkins. First an honourable mention to Havana…

Cheers: An interview with Leo

The artists known only as “the band” (Photo: E. Tea) I sat down with Leo, the man behind Cheers, the bar inside Tongli that somehow brings together pool, nude paintings,…

Trouble in Tongli

“Due to reasons beyond our control we will be closed tonight. We hope to be open again tomorrow. Sorry for any inconvenience.” This is becoming a mantra for Bar Blu,…

In the Eddie O zone

Last Friday, Eddie O explained to me that an issue of my newsletter without a reference to him is pretty much an injustice against humanity. Sort of like a doughnut…

Saturday night with Sir Campbell

After a lull in The Land Down Under, wine guru Sir Campbell Thompson is back in Beijing for good. I met him on Saturday night for a lengthy tour of…

Yes, sounds delicious, but I don’t feel like corn-fed songbirds today

A marathon session with our company’s annual report last week has the “YES, we’ve seen progress, BUT the following needs to happen” attitude oozing from my pores. In that vein,…

Notes from the weekend that was…

Sequoia Cafe in Sanlitun offers the most imaginative, enjoyable and affordable wine tastings in Beijing. Period. Last Friday, I tried seven Austrian and German wines, munched on appetizers and chatted with…

Readers’ Writes I: Don, Olli, Eddie and Jason

Welcome to Readers’ Writes week, starring the collective wisdom of 17 fellow bar-goers who answered my survey about their favorite Beijing drinking holes and the city’s general nightlife scene. They…