New in the Neighborhood: Latest Spots in Sanlitun

Craving freshness? For Beijingers, there's always something New in the Neighborhood.

As always, changes have been coming fast to Sanlitun over the past couple of weeks. On the club and bar scene, Aurora announced that it will be hosting a 3-day reopening party to celebrate its return at 3 Worker’s Stadium West Read, and DDC also announced that they are opening a new venue just south of Sanlitun.

In dining, you might have seen our blogs on Larry the Bird, which landed in soft opening, drawing in crowds to enjoy its rotisserie chicken and beer, and Bobomia, who brought fine Spanish cuisine to Courtyard 4.

Meanwhile, here are a few fresh finds in and around the ‘tun.

Wafuri's portmanteau pastries

The latest craze at Nali Patio is neither croissant nor waffle – but pastry that uses croissant dough but is cooked on a waffle iron to create a bold, if baffling creation called the croffle.

It only took four years since an Irish pastry chef invented the croffle for it to reach China’s capital in the form of Wafuri. Settled into the southern outside wall of the patio, the pastry shop is trying to make the most out of its dough, serving up croffles both sweet and savory.

Strawberries and white chocolate? Of course. Parma ham? Check. Peanut butter and maple sugar? Why not. The world is your croffle!

Wafuri 华夫里
Sanlitun Nali Patio No. 32
三里屯那里花园32号

Galant moves in above Q Mex

It seems that the space above Q Mex in Courtyard 4 just can’t decide what it wants to be – last year it was converted into a short-lived, supposedly Vegas-themed but otherwise non-descript bar before switching to a Japanese-style bar. Now, yet again, it’s reborn as Galant, another Western-style pub and restaurant.

We can’t say much about the food, which appears to be another half-hearted attempt at typical American and European cuisine, with the exception of the somewhat creative salads, but one major improvement over previous tenants is the beer, as they’ve Jing-A Tappers. They’re also bringing live music to their stage on a regular basis, so if nothing else it may be a new hangout for a pint and show.

Galant 伽蓝音乐餐吧
Sanlitun Courtyard 4 No. 80, 2F
三里屯4号院80号2F

Tapas and ‘tails at Y Not

Up in Taikooli North, Y Not is drawing in the daytime cocktail crowd with its attractive-looking drinks – and reasonably priced at a range of RMB 58-88. The Brand New Revolution, for example, combines Crème de Cassis, Vanilla Nectar, sparkling wine, and frozen berries for a refreshing and creamy concoction. Gin lovers, meanwhile, must try the Legend of Da Xing An Ling, an in-house oak-infused take on the classic negroni.

But don’t drink on an empty stomach! There are tapas galore on the menu, including fusion takes like the egg on grilled eggplant, fried crispy fish rolls, and goose liver on baguette slices. Most fall within the range of RMB 52-80.

Y Not 
19 Sanlitun Beilu Taikooli North, Building N8, F3
三里屯北路19号太古里北区N8号楼3层

READ: New in the Neighborhood: Beijing’s Latest Euro Grub

Images: Dianping, courtesy of venues