More of a bar than a restaurant, but decent food, very friendly service

Joined: Jan 10, 2005
Posts: 1662
Review of
3

Given the number of great reviews on the site, had to check this place out. I tried going for lunch a few weeks back (and realized I hadn't read the "fine print" -- they are only open on evenings (even on the weekends).

I was a bit surprised as it's really more of a bar than a restaurant -- the menu is more than 3/4 drinks, and the food is a bit hard to find among the drinks.

We tried soup, salad, a burrito, some sopesitos and a plate of nachos.

The salad was great, nice lush greens with sesame and what appeared to be feta cheese. The soup was the standout -- a soup with thin noodles in a rich broth with fresh cilantro. The burrito was a bit confusing as it wasn't what I was expecting -- it was fried, more like a chimichanga. Sopesitos were a bit bland for my tastes.

I was kind of expecting some salsa to come into play during the meal, but none was served.

Prices were on the high side (the bill for 2 adults and one child came to ~400).

Cuban beer is a nice touch (have not seen these brands elsewhere in Beijing)

I visited before the band started (not a big fan of ear-shattering music during dinner) so if you'd like to avoid the same, go early (they open at 6).

Service, by the way, was excellent -- lots of friendly English-speaking, attentive and competent staff.