To Try List: Mercante Returns, New Wild Kite, Jing-A Brew Hub & More

Our To Try List covers new restaurants, dining deals, drinks discounts, food and drink fests, guest shifts, pop-ups and more foodie happenings in Beijing.

Italian restaurant Mercante returns to BJ, Wild Kite opens in Solana, Jing-A opens a Brew Hub and more on our To Try List this week. 

Italian Restaurant Mercante Returns to Beijing 

Italian restaurant Mercante is back in Beijing with not one but two restaurants! For those unfamiliar, the Mercante brand was established back in 2011 and had a cozy restaurant nestled in the Dongcheng hutongs that won numerous Beijinger Restaurant Awards over the years. In 2014, they opened sister restaurant Fiume on the Liangma River; however, during Covid they had to close the original Mercante branch, moving all operations over to Fiume. 

The two new Mercante branches see them move back to their hutong roots, with one located on Zhaofu Jie in Gulou and one on Xizhuang Hutong near Fayuan Temple. Both restaurants are currently offering a soft opening menu with some of their signature authentic Italian delights like fresh pasta, risotto, their famous Pesto Lasagna and different varieties of tiramisu. Along with food, they've got a range of specially crafted coffees, wines and other drinks.  One thing to note is that during this soft opening period, they will be open all day as a cafeteria but only operating as a restaurant during lunch and dinner service. You can see the full opening hours below. 

Mercante Fayuan Temple Branch
51 Xizhuang Hutong, Xicheng District
西城区西砖胡同51号
Soft opening cafeteria hours: Tue-Sun, 10.30am-9pm (closed Mon)
Soft opening restaurant hours: Tue-Sun, 11am-2pm, 4.30pm-9pm (closed Mon)
Phone: 185 1922 9589

Mercante Gulou Branch
69 Zhaofu Jie, Dongcheng District
东城区赵府街69号
Soft opening cafeteria hours: Tue-Sun, 10.30am-9.30pm (closed Mon)
Soft opening restaurant hours: Tue-Sun, 11am-2pm; 5pm-9.30pm (closed Mon)
Phone: 186 1039 5579

Wild Kite Opens Third Branch in Solana

Solana has recently gained a new resident in the form of Wild Kite, the brewpub's third branch in the capital. Located right next door to Q MEX, it's spread out across two floors and has an impressive 31 beers on tap. Along with the beer, they've got their usual delicious burger offerings, which have won them fourth place in the Beijinger's last two Juicy Burger Cups. They've also got an upgraded fruit-smoked barbecue system to elevate their smoked meats to an even higher level. 

Wild Kite Solana branch
RS-08, Bldg 8, Solana, 6 Chaoyang Gongyuan Lu, Chaoyang District
朝阳区朝阳公园路6号院蓝色港湾8号楼RS-08号
Hours: 11am-midnight
Phone: 185 1587 5618

Jing-A Opens “Brewing Hub” in Zhongjun World City

A few weeks ago, Jing-A opened a new store in the CBD's Zhongjun World City, which they've dubbed a “Brewing Hub.” Unlike other Jing-A venues, this branch is relatively small and is inspired by European tapas-style eateries. Despite its size, they still have 22 of their signature brews on tap, plus a range of small eats like Lao Jim's Fried Chicken, Truffle Fries. Italian Ham & Melon and more. If you are looking for a bigger meal, they also have some of their famous burgers on the menu, such as the Stout Bacon Cheeseburger (RMB 88) and the Yunnan-Guizhou Sour Soup Flavor Wagyu Burger (RMB 88). 

Jing-A Brewing Hub 
Unit W117, 101, 1/F, 9 Jinhui Lu, Chaoyang District
朝阳区金汇路9号楼1层101内W117单元
Hours: Sun-Thu, 5pm-1am; Fri-Sat, 5pm-2am

Join Puzzles for Two Upcoming Wine Dinners

Baochao Hutong resident Puzzles has two upcoming Wine Dinners this month, with one on Sat, Oct 18, at 7pm and one on Thu, Oct 30, at 7pm. The first one, this coming Saturday, will be led by Alex from China Wines & Spirits (CWS), and attendees will get to try wines from five different countries and grape varieties. The next one on Oct 30 will be led by Alejandro from Gelanxi (GLX), who will introduce guests to five Spanish wines from his hometown, along with some local specialties. Along with the wines, both events will also feature a range of Puzzles' signature dishes such as Flammkuchen, Stuffed Paprika, and more. Both are RMB 388 per person and you can scan the QR code in the posters above or below to reserve your spot. 

Puzzles
52 Baochao Hutong, Dongcheng District
东城区宝钞胡同52号
Hours: Mon-Fri, 11.30am-2.30pm, 5.30pm-9.30pm; Sat-Sun, 11am-10pm
Phone: 010 6405 9001

Celebrate Diwali With a Dinner Buffet at Dastaan

In celebration of Diwali, aka the Hindu Festival of Lights (Oct 20), Dastaan will be putting on a special Diwali Dinner Buffet on Fri, Oct 24, from 7pm until 11pm. The buffet will include a huge array of salads, starters, mains and desserts, plus free-flow drinks. Along with food, there will be games and activities as well as a live dance performance from 8pm until 8.30pm. The buffet is priced at RMB 228 per adult and RMB 88 per child and you can reserve your spot by scanning the QR code in the poster above. You can see the full Diwali Dinner Buffet Menu in the poster below. 

Dastaan 达斯坦印度餐厅
3/F, Sanlitun SOHO Bldg 5, 8 Gongti Beilu, Chaoyang District
朝阳区工人体育场北路8号三里屯SOHO5号上场3层
Event hours: Oct 24, 7pm-11pm
Phone: 150 0135 8663

Sri Lankan Restaurant Cinnara Opens in Chaowai SOHO

In case you missed our post on Monday, Beijing has recently gained its first Sri Lankan restaurant in the form of Cinnara, which has just opened up inside Chaowai SOHO. Here, you'll find authentic Sri Lankan dishes full of the distinctive flavors like cinnamon, coconut and chili. Some must-try dishes are their Crab Curries (red, black or yellow), Chicken Curry, Kottu, Coconut Roti and Hoppers. You can read more about Cinnara here.

Cinnara
03015, 3/F,  Bldg A, Chaowai SOHO, 6B Chaoyangmenwai Dajie, Chaoyang District
朝阳门外大街乙6号朝外SOHO-A座三层03015
Hours: 11am-11pm
Phone: 136 9113 7921

READ: Colombo in Chaoyang: Sri Lanka's First China Outpost, Cinnara, Is Here

Images: courtesy of the venues