Last Call for The Den? Iconic Beijing Bar to Close Indefinitely Monday

[Update 11/3 6:27am: An 11th hour deal negotiated yesterday afternoon has given The Den a new lease in life ... At least for now. See our update here ]

Sanlitun's iconic bar The Den, operating in the same spot since 1997, will close indefinitely Monday, with its future uncertain.

In a Sunday WeChat post to a Beijing Devils Rugby group shared with the Beijinger, Beijing Devils Chairman Zach Fanders wrote "Sad news ... The Den is closing. No one is completely sure for how long. I spoke to [long-time head waitress] Lisa and it will close tomorrow. Decisions will be made in the new year, maybe come back as is, renovate, return as something different, sell, or keep closed, etc. If available, head to The Den for a final drink."

The Devils have long used The Den as their home bar, most recently to watch Saturday night's Rugby World Cup finals.

The Den's continuous operation, most of it for 24 hours (except for Spring Festival and some occasional cleaning) was exceptional in a city and especially in a neighborhood that has seen momentous change since its doors opened in October 1997. Even the City Hotel – one of the few landmarks always well known to Beijing taxi drivers – is now into its third year of renovation after decades across from the northeast corner of the Workers' Stadium.

The Den maintained a loyal customer base with simple promotions, with one of Beijing's longest happy hours, 5-10pm, and with pizzas half-price during that same period. On weekends, it was one of the first independent restaurants to offer brunch, and in later years, maintained a full menu all day and all night. It was a regular spot for late-night sports, late-night drinking, and late-night carousing. During the 2008 Beijing Olympics, the Danish Olympic team took the place over, with its sign actually changing to "The DenMark" for the duration.

Less than a year ago, we noted The Den's longevity in our Old School column:

"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." Read the whole column here.

It was just two weeks ago that we first encountered rumors that The Den might be headed for the end, but a ride-by confirmed that business was operating as usual. Reports of its death may have been slightly exaggerated, but sadly, now seem to have at least some temporary truth.

The Den joins The World of Suzie Wong, which closed very quietly in September, as some of yesteryear's top bars that have recently closed their doors. A continuing expansion of competition and a slowing economy may both be playing a role in the changing of Beijing's bar scene.

Photo: Steven Schwankert/the Beijinger