The Den: Still Crazy After All These Years
Beijing bars have come and gone: Berena’s Bistro, Studio No. 5, Jam House, The Rickshaw. But one pillar of the city’s nightlife remains, as it has since its doors first opened in 1997: The Den.
The Den is like a museum of fin de siècle, after-hours Beijing. Every minute of every hour that The Den has been open seems to occupy the place, either on a tablecloth, a slightly bent chair leg, a scratch on the floor. Some staff, like head server Lisa appear to have been there throughout.
Perched at the corner of Gongti Beilu and Gongti Donglu, it has even outlasted the neighboring City Hotel, the temporary residence that wouldn’t die, about to be reborn as a Kempinski hotel. The China View building that The Den now faces? Yeah, that was a parking lot when The Den opened.
There was a time when The Den’s second floor wasn’t a sedate sports-viewing area; it was a wild and notorious late-night disco. The approach of the Olympics put an end to that, but the space is still there and it’s a nice place to watch a game or match, especially during special events like the Olympics or the World Cup.
The Den has always offered its customers two things: convenience and reliability. Its location just off the main Sanlitun strip, a strip that has changed and moved at least twice, but has remained equidistant from The Den, makes an easy first stop, last stop, or way station for a night out. The bar is always open, the kitchen is always open, and the full menu is always available.
Although some of Beijing’s most dedicated night owls may not know that The Den is also operates during daylight hours, it is its more traditional offerings that have solidified its reputation over the years. A reliable brunch and a full English breakfast still attract a regular following, even if there’s the risk that some of the place’s patrons remain there from the night before. It also has one of Beijing’s best happy hours: not only are drinks buy-one-get-one-free from 5-10pm, but so is any pizza on their menu. Sure, there’s better pizza in Beijing (according to the Beijinger readers, just a short walk away at Gung Ho!), but at that price, with half-priced drinks to match?
My fave has always been the nasi goreng, Indonesia fried rice. For RMB 60, it’s a big plate of fried rice topped with a sunny-side up fried egg, two beef satay, two chicken satay, peanut sauce, and shrimp chips. It’s a great lunch or early dinner, especially on a cold day. A time capsule of late 1990s Beijing, we hope The Den remains where it is for years to come. In 2022, Beijing will hopefully celebrate two things: the hosting of the Winter Olympics, and the 25th anniversary of The Den. We think both are pretty likely.
More stories by this author here.
Email: stevenschwankert@thebeijinger.com
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Photo: the Beijinger archive