Once known as the quiet side of the street, the south side of Sanlitun street has recently exploded onto the expat bar scene.

The last 18 months have seen extensive growth on south Sanlitun, just across the street from the Sanlitun Bar Strip north of Gongti Beilu. Browns opened in Spring 2006 and was soon crowned 2006 Bar of the Year by That's Beijing magazine.

The Rickshaw joined in April 2007. The new Nanjie, relocated from its old digs, held its opening ceremony September 8. No less than two weeks later, a packed house on Friday and Saturday nights bodes well for the bar's success. The Jidianyuan courtyard area just east of the main road is rounded out by longtime Latino staple Salsa Caribe and the relaxed Bookworm café.

Any given night at the new Nanjie goes something like this: soberly start on the upstairs outdoor patio. Tipsily move to the indoor couches. Drunkenly stumble to the first floor bar. Surrounded by cheap-drink-appreciating foreigners sipping 10 RMB mix drinks, the comfy atmosphere is conducive to striking up friendly conversation with whoever happens to plop on the couch nearby. With an assortment of pizza for 15 RMB per slice and 60 RMB per pie, the new Nanjie has successfully recreated its popular version of eat, drink and be merry.

Craig and Nicola, Australian and British, enjoy the new Nanjie and relish the memory of its closed-down cousin. "We've only been here a couple times. This one is more retro. The old one was very studenty. This one has gone up market." They point out other changes in the new Nanjie and note its similarities. "The upstairs area is new. The downstairs keeps the history and memories [of old Nanjie]." What else is the same? "The brand name. The loyalty. It's still Nanjie," says Nicola.

A place to socialize

Happy hour, from 4-8pm daily, accommodates a throng of expat locals who pay homage to various sporting events over strong, half-priced cocktails and 10 RMB Tsingtao at The Rickshaw.
Jami, un Américain, énumère la liste des avantages du Rickshaw. 

Jami, American, ticks off a list of the bar's attractive qualities. "It's close to home. They can actually make mojitos. It's one of the few places where you can hang out and meet other people without the dance club scene."  Indeed, The Rickshaw is truly a place to meet and greet. "I've rarely been here when I haven't run into someone else I know," adds Jami. 

What starts as happy hour continues well into the night. New arrivals stream in, but few patrons show any intention of leaving. Even on a relatively tame Wednesday evening, the upstairs is packed and the more relaxed orange couches downstairs are fully occupied. For only having opened its doors six months ago, The Rickshaw seems to have rolled into the right neighborhood.

Despite healthy signs of rowdy life, the decline and recent closure of Browns, a short-lived Beijing mainstay, leaves the future of south Sanlitun in the air. Will these new outposts be able to keep crowds happy, or will they eventually follow in Browns' ill-fated footsteps? In fast-paced Beijing, there's no way to predict when the keg will be tapped. All the more reason to enjoy south Sanlitun in its prime.