Xingfucun's Hidden Yu Bar Lives on as Mexican Dive Dr. Cactus

Yu Bar, we hardly know ye. Opened in November 2014 hidden in plain sight a hotel courtyard in Xingfucun, Yu has now evolved into Dr Cactus, a Mexican restaurant and alehouse that made its debut in January 2016.

People living close by might hardly notice its new name, as it has the same Mexican menu that was offered here under the previous management, who had snapped up a former chef from Luga's (which is ironic because that used to be Luga's modus operandi).

The inside layout hasn’t changed at all, a set-up the previous owner was quite proud of: wooden tables and dim lights, with a TV hanging on the wall playing sports. Yu Bar’s owner was so proud of the design, saying, “We got the idea of concept from Great Leap Brewing, we just want to be the same as them.” How original.

Continuing that theme of creativity, the new owner decided that, without any brewing background or experience, to go ahead and rent a place and ordered some brewing facilities to brew. The only thing missing was the dusty, abandoned van at the entrance of the alley, with a big arrow and sign saying “Walking 50 meters down this alley is Yu Bar [sic]." All the fuwuyuans seem new, though.

So how is the place? The chicken fajita (RMB 70) was sizzling when served, and came with four tortillas and generous portions of sour cream, guacamole, and salsa.

The salad was big (although the avocado was missing) while the margarita (RMB 50), recommended by many reviewers on Dianping was a little sweet, and the bartender was stingy on his booze pours (at least for my rather heavy taste).

“Our best-selling beers are Tsingtao and Kirin because the people who stay in the hostel next door only like cheap beers,” the former owner said last year. They've now removed the fridge that was filled with imported craft beers, with bar offerings reduced to several cocktails and a limited beer selection. Aside from Tsingtao (RMB 20), they offer Corona, Budweiser, Stella, Tiger, La Chouffe, Erdinger, Chimay, and several Belgian beers. It also appears that the new owner’s dream came true: they now sell their own Dr. Cactus beer. A taste let us know that they're going for something like a wheat beer. It's a little better than Tsingtao, but still not attractive enough for me to go for a whole pint. 

Unlike when it was filled with backpackers from the neighboring hostel earlier in its life, it’s now hard to find a vacant table outside at 7.30pm on a normal weekday evening, those seats occupied by people who work nearby. They also do delivery for neighboring areas, like Xingfu Ercun, Seasons Park, and Dongzhimen.

Dr. Cactus 仙人掌博士墨西哥餐吧
1 Gongti Beilu (next to Sanlitun Youth Hostel, north of Yongli Building) (5602 7007)
朝阳区工体北路1号院华通新饭店青年旅舍院内

More stories by this author here.

Email: tracywang@thebeijinger.com
Twitter: @flyingfigure
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An odd review. Disdain for the owner's lack of creativity. Claiming that what looks to be a lugas sized portion of guacamole, salsa, and sour cream to be generous...