New in the Neighborhood: More Openings in Sanlitun

Craving freshness? For Beijingers, there's always something New in the Neighborhood.

Remember when everyone was going crazy for whiskey? Well, it turns out that was a fad, and Beijing's drinkers have turned back to ol' reliable: beer. That's why the owner of whiskey bar Her in Xingfucun – despite being stuck back in the US – had the bar converted into Salt Lake Inn, synonymous with his other venue in Wudaokou and named after the owner's hometown of Salt Lake City. 

The Xinjiang Honeydew goes down smooth while thoroughly capturing the essence of the fruit

Four of the seven are IPA's, and both that we tried were distinct in flavor yet wholly downable. But we were most impressed with the fine balance of the sweet-but-not-too-sweet Xinjiang Honeydew Ale – something that's not easy to achieve for fruit brews.

There's also a wide variety of burgers on the chalkboard menu, ranging from RMB 40-98, and things get a little, shall we say... creative. Keep an eye out on our video review series of the city's latest burgers to find out more about their beefers next week.

Truckin’ for Tacos at Taco Go

After a short-lived cocktail bar called Naozi failed to survive the pandemic, Burge’s Bisto & Bar has moved into its space, doing away with the vaporwave-ified traditional Chinese décor and bringing in a more modern bistro vibe – but those who took fancy the drinks at Naozi are in luck because they’ve kept the same bartender.

Beyond the beverages, of course, there are a few dishes of note, namely the cheese pan with toasted bread (RMB 88), the pork ribs (RMB 288), the roast chicken (RMB 180), and the beef on cornbread tapas (RMB 55).

Bubble up at Pupu Lili

Last week, we covered Wafuri, the latest croffle shop at the southeast corner of Nali Patio. Now it’s got a new next-door neighbor, Pupu Pili, who is latching onto the rebellion against milk tea in favor of soda-mixed fruit teas. Ranging from RMB 32-38, their teas include the Proust Moment (Jasmine tea with green grape), the Burgandy Red (frozen grape with strawberry and coconut milk), and the Till Dawn (Lychee and grape jasmine tea), among several others.

Images: Joey Knotts, Dianping