Glass by Glass: uh-huh Owner Sophie Zhou on Running a Wine Bar in Beijing’s Hutongs

Uh-huh Owner on Near Closure and Running a Wine Bar in BJ

Vincent R. Vinci, Contributing Editor | Dec 17, 2025 11:30 am | Add a comment | 48 reads

Beijing has seen a lot of closures in recent years, some longstanding venues, or even younger venues near and dear to the community that have had to throw in the towel, like Bollywood Tales.

There are a few that have managed to come back from the dead and see new life. One of these venues is hutong wine bar uh-huh.

uh-huh is a wine bar headed by former finance professional Sophie Zhou. The little spot on the corner of Zhangzizhong Lu and Jiaodaokou Nanlu is a cozy testament to wine, with a white brick interior, display cases filled with artisanal cheeses and cured meats, and chalk board behind the bar noting an ever-rotating selection of fine wines from all over the world.

The bar has become a go-to for Gulou-bound wine appreciators and young hutong hipsters alike.

We spoke with owner Sophie about her motivations for keeping the uh-huh running and thriving, what’s next for the venue, and what their new manager Uncle the Strange will be bringing to the bar.

So uh-huh is dead, long live uh-huh! How did you manage to come back from the brink?
The day before our closing party, on Nov 13, Uncle the Strange came to the bar and said he was willing to work for me in uh-huh. I needed an experienced full-time manager who was willing to run things when I was away from Beijing.

Earlier, my landlord didn’t agree to lower my rent and sign a new contract with me. Then, at 7.13pm on the day of the party, he suddenly called me and said he was willing to lower my rent and sign a new contract. And I was able to move forward because I had raised enough to pay the six months of rent I needed.

I had been very pessimistic because close to our closing time, I knew I didn’t have enough to pay the six months uh-huh would need to stay open; there just weren’t enough people coming to the bar during the winter months. But over the past few months, lots of people came out to support the bar, and I was able to raise enough to keep uh-huh alive.

What was your initial feeling when you realized you’d be able to remain open?
To be honest, my initial feeling was that I was worried because my staff, business partners, and customers were all under the impression that we were closing. So, we were going about it with the intention of finishing everything – drinking all the wine, eating all the food.

I was worried when I announced we’d be staying open; people would think I had tricked them just so I could get more money from customers. Thankfully, most people at the closing party were happy with the announcement, and thankfully, my staff and partners were also pleased.

What’s next for uh-huh?
We’ll definitely do more wine events for wine lovers in Beijing, and I want uh-huh to become a respected wine bar akin to a zhujingban, in other words, a place where customers can get high-quality wine by the glass. This is why I’m serving Champagne by the glass, and I’ll continue to select more interesting, but also niche, bottles that can open people to different wines, like Chardonnay from China or New World varieties… I want to give customers a selection that can surprise them.

Tell me about Uncle the Strange. How did you both meet and what will he be bringing to the bar?
Uncle the Strange is the first true friend I made in Beijing. I used to go out on the weekdays to visit all kinds of bars – wine bars, beer bars, cocktail bars – because my day job was stressful. On one of my nighttime jaunts searching for new bars, I came across Baojian, a whiskey and speakeasy cocktail bar connected to Furongji and The Bake Shop. Uncle the Strange worked there on Tuesdays and Sundays, so I was able to meet and talk to him on the Tuesday night I visited.

We became very good friends after our first meeting, and he gave me some valuable suggestions when I told him about my plans to open uh-huh. He didn’t want to join me as manager when we first opened, but he’s since warmed to the idea. The thing I like about Uncle the Strange is that he really knows how to provide the best service for customers. He’s a great bartender and a great sommelier. He’s super talented, and even though he’s not an artist, he feels like an artist to me in terms of his taste in music, his ability to make drinks, and his sense of fashion and taste. Uncle will keep the fun vibes going in uh-huh, as well as bring in some interesting cocktails and good music. He’ll also be able to play some tunes from time to time.

You’ve been running uh-huh for two years now. What have you learned from owning a wine bar in Beijing thus far?
I learned a lot from my mistakes, and gradually I’ve learned how to run a successful wine bar. I’ve also discovered more about myself over the course of this two-year journey. I’m good at taking care of details, creating a homey atmosphere where people can connect and have drinks. My taste in food and wine has proven that some people do share the same taste as me. I’ve noticed people appreciate the service I can provide.

Also, I’ve learned how to be a boss, in terms of managing the costs, my staff. I’m very proud of my staff, who, after two years, are more like family to me. I’ve learned that I can be their friend and boss at the same time; I can be tough professionally, but I can also be super close with them. I’ve trained them to become much better at their roles than when they joined uh-huh. They’re not just here to work, they’re motivated to help make uh-huh more successful.

Speaking of your previous work in finance, are there any skills you found useful when opening uh-huh or that you were able to use when switching industries to F&B?
My first job was in finance, where I worked as an equity analyst, and my second job was consulting for ByteDance. Both were very intense. The first was very client-facing, and I probably had over 2,000 clients with whom I would speak on a weekly or almost day-to-day basis. This job helped me realize I’m good at anything to do with working with people.

The finance job also taught me how a business could be successful in terms of how to deliver more revenue, what a business model should be, and how to manage my costs and keep track of financial performance every month.

My knowledge enabled me to take a balanced approach before diving into F&B and opening uh-huh. I started working part-time at Baojian with Uncle the Strange to get hands-on experience. Meanwhile, I crunched the numbers – investment forecasts, financial models – and brainstormed everything from the bar’s name and menu to its interior design and ideal location.

A recent graph from Wine+ measuring wine consumption in China from 1995 shows that consumption here has dropped 77 percent as of 2024. Has this affected your business?
Speaking with my friends who own other bars and restaurants, yes, the economy has been very bad this year. For us, it’s been very harsh. Our revenue has gone down by around 40 percent compared to last year, so yes, I feel it’s bad. Plus, in China as well as globally, alcohol consumption is declining because more young people are drinking less. Thus, it’s a combination of factors making this year not very good.

What keeps you motivated to continue operating uh-huh, despite the visible drop in wine consumption?
The motivation is the love I receive from friends and customers, as well as my love for wine and hutong culture and living. Even though business has been tough right after our closing party – I still have faith in Beijing and in wine. I’ve met some amazing people while running uh-huh, and their appreciation of the old hutong vibes they feel when they’re in uh-huh is another motivator. It’s my drive to create a space where friends can meet, share experiences, chill, and dance in a cozy and welcoming third space.