Shanghai Incoming!: A Guide to Southern F&B Bigwigs Who Have Set Their Sights on Beijing

In recent months a slew of Shanghaiers have made their way up to China’s capital so as to open new F&B ventures or branches of their own preexisting brands. For local foodies who grumble about Beijing’s lack of options and quality when compared to the Pearl of the Orient’s more storied Western dining scene, this trend has certainly whet their appetites. Feast on all the delicious details below.

Arch Bar
Arch Bar’s nookish ambiance and difficult-to-find Zhangzizhong Lu address both help to evoke the bohemian spirit of Beijing’s hutongs. Yet a splash of swanky Shanghai pizzazz is also thrown in the mix thanks to bartender Gan Zeqiang. Having honed his craft at renowned Shanghai bar Union Trading, Gan’s pedigree is evident not only in the quality and creativity of the drinks at Arch, but also the prices. Prime example: the RMB 125 Somewhere in Time, made with truffle oil fat-washed bourbon and cognac.
Daily 7pm-2am. 3 Zhangzizhong Lu, Ping’an Jie, Dongcheng District (6333 6188)
东城区张自忠路3号段祺瑞执政府内

Red Rose
Matthew Ona’s contributions to Shanghai’s dining scene are noteworthy for their quality and their range. From the spiffy Nanjing Road terrace haunt The Shook! to semi-upscale bistro Roof 325 or the down-home fare like chicken, waffles, and pastrami sandwiches at the now-closed Truck Stop Grill, he seems to have all bases covered. This year, the Culinary Institute of America-trained chef readied his first menu in Beijing at revamped Red Rose (an old-time Sanlitun Xinjiang restaurant bloomed anew as a gastropub). It hews closer to Truck Stop than Roof 325, with those beloved pastrami sandwiches, mac ‘n’ cheese, and brick oven pizzas.
Daily 11.30am-2.30pm and 5.30pm-2am. Inside 7 Xingfu Yicun (opposite Workers’ Stadium North Gate), Chaoyang District (6415 5741)
工人体育场北门对面幸福一村7巷内

Boxing Cat
This Shanghai craft beer heavyweight hit hard with its new Beijing location, opened in September. Aside from irresistible brews like the zesty El Presidente Mexican lager and the Thrilla in Manila sour, we’re perhaps more impressed by Liquid Laundry and Cobra Lilly chef Simon Sunwoo’s sumptuous flatbreads and other casual eats.
Sun-Thu 11.30am-1am, Fri-Sat 11.30am-2am. Rm 109, Jinshang Shouceng, 20 Xinyuanli Xili, Chaoyang District (6461 6737)
朝阳区新源里西里20号楼金尚首层109

El Barrio
Arguably the most well-known name on this list, chef Eduardo Vargas helped launch the menu at this colorful new Nali Patio Latin restaurant owned by the Bottega team. Having built his rep with popular Peruvian Shanghai haunts like Azul Tapas Lounge and Colca, Vargas’ El Barrio menu is of the Mexican bent, elevating seemingly simple tacos with curveball fillings like chargrilled wagyu flank steak. Sure, a new chef will journey all the way from Mexico to take the reins after the soft opening, but Vargas’ renowned Midas touch made El Barrio golden from the get-go.
Daily 5.30pm-2am. 2/F, Nali Patio, 81 Sanlitun Bei Lu, Chaoyang District (6416 1716)
朝阳区朝阳区三里屯北路81号那里花园2楼

Seesaw Coffee
With more than a dozen branches in its native Shanghai, this popular coffee chain has made the leap to Beijing with a location in Wangfujing’s WF Central Mall. It has impressed Beijing bean fiends with its shiny modern decor and rare coffee options like the alluringly acidic Jamaican Blue Mountain (RMB 58 per glass).
Daily 10am-10pm. 322B, 3/F, WF Central, 269 Wangfujing Jie, Dongcheng District (6526 2330)
东城区王府井大街269号王府中环东座三楼322B

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Email: kylemullin@truerun.com
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Photos: Uni You, Courtesy of the businesses, Tom Arnstein