Chaoyang Beilu's Wine Daily Will Beckon Winos Back Day After Day

Beijing is not a merciful city for wine-drinkers. Indeed, the great grape is grossly outnumbered by beer bars and cocktail bars, making reasonably priced wine bars feel like a comparative drop in the bucket. That's why we were highly enticed by the recent opening of Wine Daily, a new wine bar that invigorates Chaoyang Beilu’s wine scene.

The wine bar's whites and reds start from RMB 168 a bottle (or RMB 35 a glass), while sparkling wines ranging from RMB 68 to RMB 298 a bottle. We started off with a glass of The Maison de Grand Esprit L'être Magique Roséwe. Hailing from Provence, France, it was elegant with cherry and raspberry flavors, along with a deliciously smooth palate that made it perfect for a summer evening while watching the sunset on Chaoyang Lu.

From there, we turned to the menu of classic and wine infused cocktails (RMB 58-78). Their signature Daily Wine cocktail (RMB 78) featured whiskey, Amaretto, and wine, topped with an orange peel that made it quite citrusy and refreshing. It also boasted a creamy quality, hints of nutty flavor and smokey aromas. Wine Daily's beer selection is not half bad either. Highlights include a whole series of Russian beers (RMB 45) from Baltika Brewery.

Wine Daily also serves salads, pastas, pizza, steak, sausage, desserts, and typical bar snacks. We especially liked the five-colored bbq chuan’r (RMB 12/18 per piece), with the choice of chicken, pork, beef or lamb, to be grilled along with onion, zucchini, red and yellow bell peppers, all topped with cumin seeds. It was delicious, flavorful, and healthy (at least that's what we told ourselves).

The Mexican-style pizza (RMB 68), however, is the most popular dish here. They use tortilla in place of conventionally thicker dough, and top it with Anchor’s Mozzarella cheese, beef, and assorted chili peppers. It was served steaming hot, and was rich and moreish enough to quickly comfort even the emptiest of bellies.

The walls of the bar's second floor are lined with enough bottles to make it look like a cellar. That, along with comfy sofas offer customers a more laid back and low key alternative to the busier, industrial vibe of the ground floor.

Currently, the bar is offering a takeaway promotion that grants you RMB 100 off any bottle you bring home (making the house wine a downright steal at RMB 68 a bottle). Such serious bargains, along with the kind service, casual and relaxing atmosphere, delicious food, and strong selection, all make Wine Daily our new go-to whenever we're craving a refined night out. It also makes us jealous of the Chaoyang Beilu residents who are handy enough to enjoy Wine Daily's offerings on a daily basis.

Wine Daily
Daily 11.30am-3am. 802, 8/F, Bldg 104, Chaoyang Beilu, Chaoyang District (8575 0039)
日酒餐吧:朝阳区朝阳北路104号楼8802

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Photos: Tracy Wang, courtesy of Daily Wine