3 Surprisingly Good Milk Tea Shops Pop Up in Sanlitun Soho
Whoever coined the phrase “all the tea in China” never dreamt of the current strange trend in Beijing’s food and beverage scene: one where cheese teas, milk teas, and other flavorful grab-‘em-and-go drinks have become ubiquitous enough to all but eclipse the leafy, more conventional alternative. And yet, as popular as many of these shops have become with locals, quite a few laowai feel left out, either because a number of these increasingly omnipresent shops often have nary a word of English on the menu, or because even the most culturally adjusted foreigners may have yet to develop a taste for the more divisive cheese-topped varieties of some of these teas.
But fear not, dear curious but hesitant would-be tea connoisseur: a trio of recently opened tea shops in Sanlitun Soho each serves up milky, sugary thirst quenchers that are surprisingly palatable for the uninitiated among us. Here’s a rundown:
The Alley (Sanlitun)
The newly opened Sanlitun Soho branch of this chain lives up to its name in at least one respect: it’s a narrow and nooky shop on the ground floor of the Soho’s Building 3, with only six seats for patrons. Its half-hearted alleyway vibe is furthered by the bricks behind the cashier and milk tea hardware, and the dimly lit and stuffy spot all but implores you to order you milk tea to go.
The somewhat shoddy atmosphere belies the quality of teas on offer, which aren’t half bad. English translations and a focus on brown sugar-infused drinks instead of an emphasis on cheese and strong flavors like durian mean that these teas are satisfying without being overly sweet. We especially enjoyed the brown sugar black tea latte (RMB 22), which rather than cloying had a softly bitter aftertaste that balanced out the sugar. Bonus points should also go to the staff member who used a culinary torch (pictured above) to melt the brown sugar on the top of our drink – an eye-opening bit of presentation usually reserved for fancy cocktail lounges.
Other promising options include a milk foam peach oolong tea (RMB 20) and The Alley tapioca milk milk tea (RMB 17), though whoever translated one item as “potted plant milk tea” should really put their glass of the sweet stuff down because clearly the sugar has gone to their heads.
The Alley (Sanlitun)
Daily 10am-10pm. F/1, 131, Bldg 3, Sanlitun Soho, Chaoyang District (187 0153 8721)
朝阳区工人体育场北路8号三里屯SOHO3号商场131号
Answer Tea
Situated next to The Alley, Answer Tea is even dingier than its neighbor, with a wooden wall on the far side covered in rippling uneven chunks slathered with placards proclaiming inspirational slogans like "make a change" and "go forward" in Chinese and English, and little else to distinguish it from the other dank, nondescript rooms in this stubbornly unkempt Soho. The menu also contains no trace of English or pinyin, though a few photos give the Mandarin illiterate an indication of the key ingredients like lime or pomegranate. And yet just like Alley, Answer Tea’s offerings surpassed our initial (admittedly low) expectations, despite the bare-bones setting:
Our tall glass of 750ml tea set us back a reasonable RMB 25, and its chunk of lime and other citrusy notes were refreshing on a hot afternoon, reminding us a bit of the offerings at Chinese sweet tea chain Gong Cha. And while those fruity elements might seemingly set Answer Tea apart from its cheesy counterparts, the layer of dairy included on the top of each drink on the menu snugly slotted it in with this year’s tea trend.
And yet we found Answer Tea’s slab of milk up top subtly satisfying, a creamy counterpoint to the fruity elements below that should clash but instead somehow work. Pro tip: don't shake – like you do with dirty milk tea – to mix the elements. Instead, let the dairy layer seep down into the rest of the drink.
Answer Tea (Sanlitun)
Daily 10am-10pm. F/1, 133, Bldg 3, Sanlitun Soho, Chaoyang District
朝阳区工人体育场北路8号三里屯SOHO3号商场133号
Sawa&Dika
Anyone craving a taste of the oh-so-hospitable southeast nation’s wares could certainly do worse than this little Sanlitun Soho shop, whose name is stylized after that country's greeting. Its Thai milk teas set themselves apart from the Chinese counterparts in a few ways. For one, the strong red bean flavor of the fittingly named RMB 24 red Thai milk tea stops just short of being overpowering, while simultaneously offering up an exotic and distinctive trip for your taste buds. It’s not as generously portioned as Answer Tea’s cups, but to be frank, it's so rich and unique for our uninitiated palates that the 500ml on cup was just enough to fill our belly without overdoing it.
Enjoying our first cup of these creative teas as much as we did, we'll be back to try the other wares at Sawa&Dika like the green and pink Thai milk teas (RMB 24 and 28, respectively), and the curiously named Lemon In Hundreds of Sweet Fruit (RMB 18), at least until the next time we have a chance to head Thailand-ways to try the real deal.
Sawa&Dika
Daily 10am-10pm. F/2, 2115, Bldg 2, Sanlitun Soho, Chaoyang District (139 1165 3544)
朝阳区工人体育场北路三里屯SOHO2号商场一层2115
Need milk tea right now? Here are six of our favorite delivered varieties.
Photos: Kyle Mullin
