Why are there no decent cafes in Sanlitun? I'm not talking about places that serve decent coffee or sandwiches - Bocata and Panino Teca do alright on both of those, Village Cafe is alright if pricey for what i've found to be varying quality, and Le Petit Gourmand is fine, though better if you're especially fond of eating lunch in a library. I mean a real cafe atmosphere, where you can sit around and feel comfortable doing whatever you're doing - eating with friends, talking, reading, using your laptop, whatever. Panino Teca and Bocata feel a bit cold - when you're done eating, you feel you should leave. I suppose that makes sense for business, but so does an atmosphere that invites people to come in repeatedly. Le Petit Gourmand comes closest, but I find it a bit dark and gloomy with all the shelves.

Pekotan isn't quite the answer, but one of these in Sanlitun wouldn't go amiss. It's on a strip of great cafes on the east side of Central Park, and for my money it's the best of the bunch. First of all, they bake everything from baguettes to pastries - there's a chalkboard telling you what's ready at what time of day. It feels real. They make sandwiches, pizzas, burgers and a load of salad-y items like marinated olives and pasta salads that you can pick and choose from. They sell cheese and ham and other imported products.

A lot of it comes down to the bakery and the fact that everything feels freshly prepared and a bit artisany. On the downside, the seating is all high stools and tables - it doesn't quite hit the mark in terms of coziness. But a great job - there should be more places like this in Beijing.