EAT: Goodbye Dareen and a Change of Space for El Gran Bocado

Last week saw the closure of venerable Sanlitun café/restaurant Dareen Coffee, which fell victim to the area's increasing rent prices. We'll miss the excellent hummus and falafel at this under-rated spot.

On the other side of Sanlitun, El Gran Bocado have closed their Xingfucun Zhonglu space and moved over to 74 Wudaoying Hutong, in the same space as Sand Pebbles (the two restaurants share the same owner). Thankfully the greater Sanlitun area is not short of Tex-Mex options, especially with the opening of Fiesta Tex-Mex on Xindong Lu.

Speaking of Tex-Mex, Tuesday is Cinco de Mayo and several places around town are celebrating in the international spirit of the holiday: with lots of tequila. For something a little bit different, head to Juice by Melissa's Dongzhimen store where for RMB 150 you can pretend to be healthy while drinking free-flow margaritas with organic agave syrup, and organic guacamole dip. Other Cinco de Mayo events of note include Boozy Bingo at Homeplate and a performance by Moonglow Burlesque at Q Mex. Feliz Cinco de Mayo!

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Photo: Ken