As you walk through Wuyangcun on a humid South China afternoon, you may crave a place to sit and contemplate your work and life, fueled by caffeine and sugar or, perhaps, craft beer. Either way, the Wuyangcun area has you covered with a selection of awesome new cafes and beer bars. Below, we introduce four of our favorites.
Cakecho
Cakecho’s main draw is its ring-shaped desserts. Made with a cake base, flavorsome filling, creamy mousse topping and sweet crust, these delicious treats are a sight to behold – decorated to the point of being almost too pretty to eat. The ‘unicorn’ mousse came complete with a meringue mane, a glittery sugar horn and sleepy-looking eyelashes drawn in chocolate. The pineapple mousse was crusted with yellow sugar and speckled with chocolate, while green chocolate ‘leaves’ capped off the garnish extravaganza.
Taste-wise, the former had a touch of grapefruit flavor, while the latter was filled with pineapple jam. Unless you have an overwhelming craving for cream, though, the flavors are nothing to write home about. At RMB32 each, they are not exactly cheap either, especially for their small size. However, taste is secondary; you buy the mousses mainly for their Instagram-ready appearance, or to satisfy a date in search of cute desserts after a nice dinner.
Price: RMB60
Who’s going: fans of all things pink and cute; food photo fanatics
Good for: mousses, cakes, colored latte drinks
Nearest metro: Wuyangcun (Exit A), 10 minutes
Read our full review here. See listing for Cakecho.
Douta Unmanned (Bottle) Shop
While technically billed as a ‘shop,’ Douta arguably shares more in common with a bottle shop than the name (which harbors no mention of alcohol) lets on. Alcohol is clearly the main draw here and the owners evidently know that: having aimed the establishment’s towering, robot-like beer vending machine towards the road. Whoever the shadowy, beer-loving character is that owns Douta, they’re clearly betting the shop’s glowing white lights and alluring beer selection will lure in aimless passersby.
Located in Wuyang Xincun, Douta Unmanned Shop boasts a decent range of alcohol, although it lags considerably behind JSL’s famous bottle shop when it comes to selection. Here is a sample of the boozy elixirs that were available when we popped in: Jiang Xiaobai baiju, Rio alcopops (alas, no yogurt-vodka blend), Hoegaarden, Stella Artois, Duvel, Kronenbourg 1664 and even Chicago-based craft beer highflier Goose Island.
Price: RMB17-25 (per beer)
Who’s going: urban wanderers, bottle shop bros
Good for: unsupervised drinking
Nearest Metro: Wuyangcun (Exit A), 10 minutes
Read our full review here. See listing for Douta Unmanned (Bottle) Shop.
Nokpi Collection
Nokpi Collection, like any cafe worth its salt, serves up your typical selection of caffeinated drinks (think espressos, Americanos, mochas and flat whites), priced between RMB18-30. For those who have an early flight to catch the next day and could do without the caffeine, there is also a selection of non-caffeinated hot drinks on offer.
The mark of a good cafe is its cappuccino (RMB26), and at Nokpi Collection, the barista knows what he is doing. Often, we could not detect where the delicate foam ended and where the curative elixir of wakefulness underneath began, although the coffee itself is less robust than the original Italian version. Meanwhile, the interestingly named Gothic latte (RMB26) consisted of black sesame and peanut, sans caffeine, and was reminiscent of a Cantonese sesame-paste dessert. Despite being an unappetizing shade of grey, it was very smooth. For both drinks, only a highly meticulous barista would be able to steam milk to produce such a consistency.
Price: RMB25
Who’s going: coffee lovers, tortured artists
Good for: relaxed vibes, chrome cups, caffeine kicks
Nearest metro: Wuyangcun (Exit A), 8 minutes
Read our full review here. See listing for Nokpi Collection.
Rozz-Tox
While technically not a new bar – Rozz-Tox was previously located on the fourth floor of celebrated Haizhu art space Loft345 – the Wuyangcun location is new, as is the addition of Rozz-Tox’s own craft beer label, Good Manners. Six of the bar’s 24 taps are currently earmarked for the brand's signature brews, although only five were in stock during our recent visit.
Eighteen other craft beers and ciders (and Asahi, randomly) round out Rozz-Tox's selection. Of the rest, we'd like to plug the standout Suan Ge Pi, brewed by Beijing-based brewery Jing-A. Sour, fruity and unapologetically tart, this drink is a must-try for Middle Kingdom craft aficionados.
Price: RMB55-85 per pint
Who's going: DJs, artsy types, beer buffs
Good for: dope beats, hoppy elixirs
Nearest metro: Wuyangcun (Exit A), 5 minutes
Read our full review here. See listing for Rozz-Tox.
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