New Tiki Bar Bora Bora Emerges as a Rum Oasis in an Untapped, East End Neighborhood

As you make your way to Bora Bora, you’ll feel like a deep jungle adventurer – even before you sip on its coconut cupfuls of pina coladas and totem-head glasses brimming with other cocktails that don’t skimp on rum, all while basking in the surrounding tropical décor. That’s because the quirky new Bora Bora tiki bar is located in the Heart Of Darkness that is the mystic, uncharted territory east of Beijing’s CBD.

All kidding aside (as we Chaoyang and Dongcheng-centric Beijingers are wont to do in such situations), the owner’s decision to open this bar near Joy City mall is unconventional but savvy. After all, there are plenty of customers that dine at that huge Shilipu-adjacent mall looking for a night cap after their meal, which was not an option in this bar-deficient area until now. Yes, the area does appear to be slowly building some buzz, thanks to the opening of Chaplin’s third and most ambitious project in the area (their preceding two venues being big hits in the Sanlitun area). Bora Bora’s owners are also members of the Chaplin team, and while this tiny new Tiki bar has a different concept than those elegantly retro venues, it boasts similar professionalism.

The drinks are made with dozens of types of plantation rum, one of the widest varieties we’ve seen in Beijing. And, like their well established Tiki competitors at the famed (and multi-award winning) Bungalow in Jiaodaokou, the cocktails are extremely potent and served in fun, jungle-themed glasses. What’s more: the Bora Bora team use fun ice carvers to cut their cubes into totem face shapes that are similar to their glasses. However, their Jiaodaokou competitors have Bora Bora beat in terms of Tiki décor, overall vibe and, of course, location.

Nevertheless, Bora Bora is a welcome addition to an emerging neighborhood. And we were very much smitten with the cocktails we tried. A standout was the refreshingly zesty RMB 80 Rum Runner, made with Bora Bora No. 3 rum, Crème de Cassis, Banana Liqueur, and squirts of lemon, pineapple, and orange juices. The fruitier RMB 70 Blue Hawaii was also a hit, thanks to its Blue Courage Curaçao liqueur, pineapple and lime juice, and Bora Bora No. 1 rum. You can also sample a number of their rums straight, everything from top shelf varities like Plantation XO and Ron Zacapa 23 (RMB 110 and 90 per glass, respectively), to lower grade types like Sailor Jerry's and Bacardi Oakheart Spiced (RMB 50 and 45 per glass, respectively).

We left feeling more than tipsy and ready for even more exploring. While there’s a new whiskey bar on the same strip (that we plan to revisit and review soon), along with the nearby Chaplin, there’s still not much else to help Bora Bora draw in those barflies that are settled in Sanlitun, the hutongs, and other hotspots. Still, the neighborhood’s locals will be more than eager to have a bar of this quality in their neck of the woods, and to see more joints of its caliber open soon, possibly turning this former outlier into Beijing’s new must-try area.    

Bora Bora
Daily, 6pm-late. 102, 3/F, 29 Qingnianlu
青年路29号院3号楼102

Photos courtesy of Bora Bora, Kyle Mullin