3 Little Pigs
Opening a shop in the hutongs is the 2018 equivalent of building your house out of straw. And yet Andy Horowitz is undeterred by the lesson of his shop’s eponymous fable. In a small spot just south of Zhangzi Zhonglu, Beijing’s premier sausage maker now serves burgers and sausage bagels to anyone brave enough to venture inside the Second Ring – and those who dare are greatly rewarded. 3 Little Pigs is small, but it marks a big upgrade for Andy’s Craft Sausage – the new spot is Andy’s first sit-down restaurant and bar. For American-style meat lovers, 3 Little Pigs is the holy grail. Seemingly everything comes with a topping of Andy’s bacon, and what doesn’t comes with a side of pork rinds.
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The Cheesecake Factory
The Cheesecake Factory has opened its first branch in Beijing. This is highly exciting news for Americans... and it's probably not all that exciting for everyone else. Everything at the Cheesecake Factory Beijing is exactly how it would be at a Cheesecake Factory in America: That is, this is no mere factory for cheesecakes. This is a fortress of upscale family dining, dangerously addictive carbohydrates and oddly baroque decor. Portions are massive. ‘Plates’ are platters, which is very American, but also, very Chinese – what in America is an absurd single serving can be translated here as ‘family style.’
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TRIBE (Wangfujing)
TRIBE’s newest outpost couldn’t be sexier – its sleek glass confines are visible from four floors below, at the entrance of hot new mall WF Central. It’s more grab-and-go-focused than some other TRIBE branches – but not so grab-and-go-focused that there isn’t a bar, heyooo.
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Hulu
No, we don’t mean the at-home Netflix-adjacent streaming service. We mean TRB's new restaurant in Taikoo Li. Hulu is kind of like Element Fresh, but its food is better and – amazingly – cheaper. It will likely come as a shock to longtime TRB fans that items on Hulu’s menu start at RMB20. For the price of a latte at Starbucks, you can have Spanish croquettes with Iberico pork. For the price of McDonald’s value meal, you can get foie gras on toast. And for the price of a cocktail in a Sanlitun bar, you can get both of these things – and have them served to you by TRB’s renowned hospitality. The restaurant has been consistently packed every time we’ve walked by (expect to wait).
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Coops
Beijing’s newest purveyor of cutesy pastries is Coops, in Sanlitun SOHO – though their baked goods are both hefty and adorable at the same time. Unlike many other Beijing bakeries, which are heavy on aesthetic and light on taste, Coops’ chocolate cakes are seriously chocolatey. Aesthetic comes in the form of cardboard eyes sticking out from the icing, so don’t worry – you’ll still get your picture.
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Moleskine Café
The global brand has opened up a cafe within its shop in – you guessed it – Taikoo Li. Moleskine sells pricey, minimalist notebooks and journals. Because everyone knows writers have a lot of money to blow. In Beijing's new Moleskine Café, items include breakfast sets, a range of open-face sandwiches, Southeast Asia-inspired salads, cocktails, single-origin coffees and teas. We especially love the chicken and green mango salad (RMB55).
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Deal Beer
Deal Beer has opened in the former space of Vagabond, on Jiaodaokou Beiertiao. A craft beer bar in the hutongs – how refreshing! Many of its beers are unlabeled, but ask, and staffers will guide you on your craft beer adventure.
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Mellower Coffee
Mellower first debuted in Shanghai, prompting a deluge of posts on Instagram and WeChat. The cafe was packed on weekends – and also, cloudy. That’s thanks to Mellower’s bizarre, yet delightful coffee creation: the Sweet Little Rain (RMB58). Despite its cuteness, Mellower is a place for serious coffee. Mellower also specializes in beans from Yunnan, worth a try if you’ve never had China’s homegrown coffee. Since its founding, however, Mellower has branched into increasingly bizarre drink options, each of them equally delightful. Its Ice Rose Fresh Cream Lungo (yes, 'Lungo,' RMB58) features pink Himalayan salt, and Mellower even serves ‘sparkling’ coffee with lemon.
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Straight Spirit
Central Park’s new whiskey ‘shop’ is more like a whiskey den – its slim space kitted out with vintage furniture and tables, its lighting low, despite its shopping center setting. Stop in to buy a bottle for your house, and you just might find yourself spending hours sipping here instead. Straight Spirit stocks an excellent range of whiskeys, which you can buy by the bottle at retail prices (read: cheaper than in an actual bar).
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Dongwai Xiaogun
Ever fancied a good cry over lunch? Dongwai Xiaogun packs both eye-watering levels of heat and a menu full of bargain Sichuan dishes. For the real tear jerker, go with the chuanchuanxiang, skewers dipped in spicy broth.
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