Veteran Italian Café Aperitivo Calls It Quits in Sanlitun Soho

Though the Aperitivo team put up a noble fight, the veteran Italian café quietly ended its decade-plus run last week. A recent visit to their Sanlitun Soho location saw its doors barricaded, and no staff members inside (though the furniture and bar had yet to be stripped away). One of their staff did confirm later, via WeChat, that the business is closed, though they declined to explain why.

Fans of the veteran establishment had high hopes that it could endure at Sanlitun Soho. After all, the café had to abandon its original Tongli Studio-adjacent digs in 2017, one of the many casualties of the capital’s business-busting gentrification campaign. Sanlitun Soho seemed comparatively stable, and the new digs seemed spiffier (albeit a bit smaller).

Aperitivo's demise is even more regrettable given their efforts to buck the effects of the ongoing Great Brickening. In doing so, they joined the ranks of other relocated businesses like Bungalow Tiki, Moxi Moxi, Rager Pie, and Vineyard Café, all of which have also since bitten the dust.

READ: The Tenacious Beijing Venues That Survived and Reopened After the Brickening

Prior to all the recent Brickening turmoil, Aperitivo had a steady run on what was once known as Dirty Bar Street. It was actually seen as one of the few respectable businesses on the strip (neighboring numerous bars with names like "Pure Girl"). As Beijing lifestyle blogger Jim Boyce put it when the café left its original location for the Soho: "The venues across the street from Tongli Studio and Aperitivo were bricked up... But while they tended to be on the seedy side, Aperitivo had long offered a spacious deck (protected by a barricade of plants), decent alcohol and, as noted by more than a few female friends, spotless bathrooms. In fact, few things put owner [Stefano] Fin into a rage more than if someone messed with his toilets."

Beijing’s restaurant scene has certainly come a long way since then, with nice bathrooms, of course, no longer being a rarity. Regardless, those familiar with Aperitivo can’t deny its impact over the years, and will surely be sad to see another Beijing F&B mainstay fade away.

READ: Yugong Yishan Officially Closes After 11 Years of Groundbreaking Gigs

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Email: kylemullin@truerun.com
Twitter: @MulKyle

Photos: Kyle Mullin