[Beijing] Finding this coffee place was not the easiest thing, literally a hole-in-the-wall, located at the 7th unit of Zhujia Hutong. (Hutong is a type of narrow street or alley commonly associated with northern Chinese cities such as Beijing.)
Berry Beans is a modern, charming coffee house hidden in the ‘eight great hutongs’ of Dashilan.
Note: The cab driver will NOT drop you anywhere near there, you probably go to stop at the main road and find your way in.
Housed in a former brothel, this café serves good quality artisan coffee and other drinks, including home-brewed beers.
Look for the inconspicuous wooden door and small white sign leading to a peaceful little courtyard with 2 rooms on each side.
Inside is a modern, glass area where you can relax and chill. Next door you can find designer clothes.
Out of curiosity, I took a flight of steps upstairs and found it crowded with people – taking turns to take #ootds ON THE ROOF. The café culture here seems very closely linked to photo-taking – and may not exactly be the food.
The courtyard and the roof terrace upstairs are the best seats in the café for you to catch a sunset.
Try their Black Sugar Cinnamon Latte (¥38, SGD7.93), Hive Honey Iced Coffee (¥68, SGD14.19), or any of their pour-over or ice-drip coffees.
The former comes with a smoked cinnamon stick which the barista will then recommend you to stir into the coffee, giving the drink an added aroma.
The Hive Honey Iced Coffee included a stick of cube of honeycomb to be stirred in the ice-drip, which added that slight natural sweetness, but was a tad too expensive for my liking.
And it couldn’t melt that well in a cold drink.
Also offers homemade cookies and cakes to go with your coffees.
In terms of cakes, the shop is known for their Napoleons (like mille-feuille with cream between layers of puff pastry), coming in flavours of Vanilla, Chocolate, Matcha and Passionfruit. Priced at ¥38 (SGD7.93).
The other popular choices are the Raspberry Tart (¥48, SGD10)and Lemon Tart (¥38, SGD7.93).
Sip a cup of coffee as you gaze over the maze of hutongs, Beijing’s former red light district during the imperial area.
Berry Beans (Qian Men)
No 7 Zhujia Hutong, Dashilan West Street, Qianmen, Beijing 10005
朱家胡同7号(大栅栏西街与煤市街交口向西200米左手边朱家胡同)
Tel: +86 10 8319 7503
Opening Hours: 10am – 9pm Daily (according to Dianping, though Timeout states it closes on a Monday)
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