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.
We’ve got two new Italian restaurants, two new Lebanese eateries, a new COMMUNE RESERVE and more on our To Try List this week.
Florence Garden Opens in Longfusi
A few days ago, Florence Garden opened its doors in Longfusi. Hidden away on the third floor of the East Courtyard Phase II building, it boasts a beautiful, large rooftop terrace and chic indoor dining area. On the menu, they have a range of Italian dishes, including pizza, with classics like Margherita (RMB 78) as well as more unusual offerings like the Lao Beijing Pork and Fennel (RMB 108). They also have a range of pasta dishes, with two that caught our eye being the Slow Cooked Oxtail and Cheese (RMB 138) and the Dongshan Island Squid and Clam (RMB 128), along with a few mains, starters and desserts.
Florence Garden
3/F, Bldg 4, East Courtyard Phase II, Longfusi, Dongsi Xi Dajie, Dongcheng District
东城区东四西大街隆福寺二期东院4号楼3层
Hours: Noon-10.30pm
Phone: 152 1092 1876; 199 1996 0109
Lebanese Restaurant Eli Falafel Opens First Beijing Branch
Around a month ago, Shanghai-based Lebanese restaurant Eli Falafel opened its first Beijing branch in the Grand Summit near Liangmaqiao. First starting out as a mobile booth in Shanghai in 2015, they opened their first full-fledged restaurant in 2017 and now have four branches in Shanghai. Their Beijing branch is beautifully decorated in a chic Middle Eastern style and has the added bonus of a large outdoor terrace area, where you can enjoy the last of the warm weather.
Eli Falafel pride themselves on serving authentic Lebanese and Mediterranean food, and they have a range of classics on the menu including numerous wraps, meze dishes, platters, pastries, za’atar, hearty mains and more. A few to look out for are the Mediterranean Fish Tajine (RMB 108), Kabsa Lamb Rice (RMB 118), Mixed Grill Platter (RMB 178) and, of course, their namesake Falafel (RMB 48).
Eli Falafel
F108A, 1/F, Bldg 5, Grand Summit South Wing, 19 Dongfang Donglu, Chaoyang District
朝阳区东方东路19号院5号楼官舍南区1层F108A
Hours: Mon-Fri, 11am-10.30pm; Sat-Sun, 11am-11pm
Phone: 010 8532 6166
COMMUNE RESERVE’s Wukesong Branch Officially Opens
There’s no stopping COMMUNE, which has recently opened a new branch in Wukesong, their seventh location in the capital. Like all COMMUNE locations, it has been meticulously designed, with floor-to-ceiling windows letting in plenty of light and brown leather seats and red-tiled walls that give the space a warm atmosphere.
At this branch, you can get COMMUNE’s usual selection of delicious brunch options, burgers, pizzas, snacks and more, including their new pizzas, the Tartufata Supreme (RMB 258) and Meat Lovers (RMB 138). As always, they have an extensive variety of their craft beers on tap as well as cocktails, wine and other drinks.
COMMUNE RESERVE Wukesong
101, 1/F, Bldg 16, 69 Fuxing Lu, Haidian District
海淀区复兴路69号16幢-1层-101
Hours: Mon-Thu, 11am-2am; Fri, 11am-3am; Sat, 10am-3am; Sun, 10am-2am
Phone: 136 6119 1561
Amaro Bistro Brings More Italian Fare to Sanlitun
Another relatively new Italian spot that’s opened up is Amaro Bistro in Sanlitun. They specialize in Neapolitan-style pizzas and have an impressive 12 different options on the menu, from traditional offerings like Salami (RMB 78) and Four Cheese (RMB 88) to more eclectic toppings such as Pistachio Pesto with Sausage (RMB 88). They’ve also got pasta, such as Slow Cooked Bolognese (RMB 69) and Creamy Truffle and Mushroom (RMB 79), as well as mains, tapas-style snacks, starters, desserts and more.
Amaro Bistro
G/F, South Side of Shimao Gongsan, Bldg 1, 13 Gongti Beilu, Sanlitun Jiedao, Chaoyang District
朝阳区三里屯街道工体北路13号院1号楼世茂工三南侧底商
Hours: 11.30am-2am
Phone: 010 8400 4044
Sumac Opens New Restaurant Mac Mac in the CBD
After opening their first Beijing branch last year, Lebanese restaurant Sumac opened up a new eatery, Mac Mac, in the CP Centre about a month ago. Like Sumac, Mac Mac is all about authenticity, with their culinary team hailing from Lebanon and their spices being sourced from Lebanese farms. The dining concept at Mac Mac is more casual than Sumac, with a menu focusing on modern Lebanese street food.
They’ve got a wide variety of wraps and sandwiches, along with meze dishes and main meals. A must-try is the Famous Lebanese Burger (RMB 68), or if you’re sharing with a friend, you can’t go wrong with the Mac Mac Special (RMB 118), which includes two mini beef shawarma wraps, two mini chicken shawarma wraps, two mini falafel wraps and a pistachio mafroukeh. They’ve also recently launched new Daily Special Dishes, which will change each day.
Mac Mac by Sumac
103,1/F, CP Centre North Tower, Chaoyang District
朝阳区正大中心北塔一层103号
Hours: 8.30am-7.30pm
Phone: 133 6683 0622
Laksa Queen Launches All-You-Can-Eat Breakfast
Laksa Queen has just launched a special weekend all-you-can-eat breakfast deal. Running from 8am to 10.30am every Saturday and Sunday, it includes Malaysian classics like roti canai with curry dhal, nasi lemak, kari ayam, Sarawak laksa, satay, karipap, teh tarik, kopi-O and more. Normally priced at RMB 99/per person, it’s currently only RMB 88/per person to celebrate Malaysia Month.
Laksa Queen 叻沙娘娘
15-75 Xiaoyunlu Houjie, Chaoyang District
朝阳区霄云路后街15-75号
Breakfast hours: Sat & Sun, 8am-10.30am
Contact: 010 8206 2368; 132 6176 3680
The Local Updates Dinner Menu and Adds New Daily Deals
The Local has just updated their dinner menu, adding a few new dishes into the mix, including a new Make Your Own Pizza concept. You can choose your base sauce from Garlic Cream (RMB 95), Pesto (RMB 100) and Tomato (RMB 90), and then choose from a range of toppings with classics like Pepperoni (RMB 15) and Mushrooms (RMB 15) or more decadent options like Smoked Salmon (RMB 35) and Fillet Steak (RMB 40). Other new menu additions include a range of Shahlik (Steak RMB 188, Lamb RMB 188, Chicken 138), a Seafood Platter (RMB 188), Chicken Taquitos (RMB 68), Chef’s Seafood Special (RMB 88) and others.
Along with the new dishes, they’ve also got some new daily deals. They’ve kept favorites like Wings Wednesday, but now the deal is that all wings, wings platters and boneless wings are half-price. They also now have other half-price deals with Burger Monday, Burrito Tuesday and Shashlik Thursday, then they have Fish Friday, where Fish and Chips are only RMB 68. Finally, there’s Steak Sunday, where when you order any steak you’ll receive a complimentary side of your choice, a glass of house red or white wine and small dessert.
The Local Cocktail Bar & Eatery
101, 1/F, Southeast Side of Bldg 80, Zone E, Courtyard No. 4, Gongrentiyuchang Beilu, Nansanlitun Lu, Chaoyang District
朝阳区南三里屯路工体北路4号院80号楼E区东南侧1间101号1层
Hours: Daily, 11am-midnight
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Images: the Beijingers, Dianping, courtesy of the venues
Dining and Cooking