Where's the Beef? For Wolfgang's It'll Be Beijing, for Wahlburgers, Shanghai

Marky Mark is about to send some bad vibrations to Beijing's fast food enthusiasts: the popular US-based burger chain run by the Entourage executive producer and his brothers have announced plans to open in China, but will start with three cities other than Beijing.

However, we capital-dwelling beefcake lovers will at least be able to find solace in a higher grade alternative: New York City steakhouse Wolfgang's has also announced that is soon to open a branch in Beijing, perhaps as early as February.

Wahlburgers, co-founded by movie star and former rapper Mark Wahlberg (who is still trying to live down that embarrassing earlier part of his career), has announced a big China expansion with restaurant openings in Shanghai, Hangzhou, and Wuhan but, sadly enough, not Beijing – at least at first.

This will be the chain's first foray outside of North America, and health-conscious diners will be happy to hear they have vegan and gluten-free options on their menu.

No specific timetable for the openings has been released, but a press conference is scheduled this week in Hollywood to announce more details. Their Hong Kong-based partner for the expansion, Cachet Hospitality Group, says the first outlet will be in Hangzhou, while coworking space Naked Hub has agreed to open Wahlburgers in their facilities in Shanghai and Hong Kong, and expects to have them operating within months.

That's good news for us Beijingers as Naked Hub will be opening their first two Beijing coworking spaces -- in Pacific Century Place and in the 798 area -- in March.

Meanwhile, the Financial Review recently published a think piece about American soft power in the Trump era that briefly mentions the forthcoming Sanlitun opening of Wolfgang's, a well-regarded New York City steakhouse. The red meat eatery will soon open in Pacific Century Place, north of 1949.

Housed on Park Avenue in Manhattan, Wolfgang's flagship restaurant has been repeatedly ranked as one of the Big Apple's top 10 steakhouses by the likes of Village Voice, which lauds not only their juicy porterhouse but also the steamed spinach. The New York Times, meanwhile, also praises the restaurant's atmosphere, calling its vaulted blue and white ceilings "a glory to behold."

Wolfgang's has a handful of other branches across NYC and the US, along with a trio of locations in Japan and one in South Korea. It was founded by Wolfgang Zwiener, who honed his F&B expertise for years at another famous New York steakhouse called Luger.

Wahlburgers will prove to be a much more casual option for Shanghai diners. Business Insider describes it as a gourmet burger purveyor, based out of Mark Wahlberg's native Boston, which he founded with his less talented but no less endearing brother Donnie, along with their sibling Paul Wahlberg who is a classically-trained chef with 30 years experience.

So whether you're a Yankees fan or a Red Sox diehard; whether you're a Beijinger to the bone or an out-and-out Shanghaiist; whether you're a burger lover or a T-bone fiend; and whether you're more excited about the Wahlburgers opening or Wolfgang's; we can all agree on one thing:

It's going to take a Marky Mark-caliber gym routine to work off the pounds that will ensue from this hefty F&B breaking news.

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Photos: Crain's Detroit Business, Giphy, Village Voice, Business Insider, bodybuilding.com