A Different Story: 1F Is First-Rate

This pub is a canny extension of its elder sibling, 2F. Bigger, more rugged and with more strings to its bow, it’s the Serena to 2F’s Venus.

With a promising whiskey selection and huge roster of draft and bottled beers (Harbin RMB 15, Guinness RMB 50), 1F excels where 2F has never really bothered. That also applies to the food – the burgers, salads, steaks and nachos all hit the spot, averaging RMB 30-55.

2F regulars won’t be alienated, though. Ah Jian – a contender for Beijing’s top bartender in the Beijinger’s 2010 Bar & Club Awards – still spends most of his time mixing drinks in 2F, but cocktails (from RMB 35) aren’t neglected downstairs. Highlights include a lengthy martini list, two types of sangria for summer drinking on the terrace, honey mandarin mojitos, and the Cherry Chocolate Freeze, a deadly vanilla ice cream shooter. Happy hour is 5-9pm, making 1F an ideal venue for starting the night.

Tongli’s resurgence has been one of the stories of 2010, and this is another milestone. Sanlitun’s backstreets are still riddled with bargain basement bars ripping us off with blatantly fake alcohol, but 1F is one more step in the right direction. Place your bets now on how long it’ll be before we’re writing about 3F.

Good for: Beer connoisseurs, after-work drinks
Also try: Nearby the Tree, Amilal

1F
Sun-Thu 10am-2am, Fri-Sat 10am-4am. 1/F, Tongli Studio (southwest of 3.3 Shopping Mall), Sanlitun Houjie, Chaoyang District (6413 0587)
朝阳区三里屯后街同里1层3.3购物中心南

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