Mifan or Mafan: Luckin Coffee Forbidden City

Luckin did not hide its ambition to dominate the Chinese coffee market. The Chinese unicorn has now unveiled its most prestigious location to date – inside the Forbidden City. The new mini shop is somewhat subdued (the company had to ditch the signature blue here to blend with the architecture) and you won’t find anything more than Luckin’s basic selection of drinks and snacks, but there’s much more to it than meets the eye. Since Starbucks was evicted from the Forbidden City back in 2007 amid a massive protest, the attraction was thought to be off-limits for ambassadors of capitalism like large international corporations, though Luckin (a company recently valued at USD1 billion) opened its new location without much fuss. Times have changed, we guess.

[Cover image via Dazhong Dianping]

See a listing for Luckin Coffee (Forbidden City) and read more Mifan/Mafan restaurant reviews