Sober Up On Sanlitun Bar Street With Cabo Coffee

Although Sanlitun Bar Street has long been a notorious destination for late-night debauchery, it can also now – shockingly enough – help you sober up. Or, at least one ray of sunshine sits among the pole dancer-hosting, cover band-blasting bars dominating the strip is offering such a different, refreshingly wholesome service: Cabo Coffee.

Aside from the coffee, Cabo also strikes a far different tone from its dodgy neighbors with the colorful, fragrant flowers hawked by a separate business that splits the small space. These florists have not only outfitted a table and shelves opposite the door with an invariable rainbow of heavenly scented options, but also affixed the ceiling with special flower holders that run up the wall and across the ceiling, giving the space a surreal quality (not unlike the seemingly gravity-defying, Inception-esque bookshelves at CBD cafe and bar Duo).

Partnering with an extravagant florist was a savvy move on the café owners’ part, tempting patrons to literally stop and smell the roses rather than ordering some java in a rush. If you do opt to stay, there's enough bar space and a smattering of simple but comfortable umbrella-covered sidewalk tables though we can't quite imagine doing a wholesome day's work here.

The café offers a few noteworthy coffees, including a summery RMB 35 coconut iced coffee, a more savory RMB 35 dirty chai latte, and a peppy RMB 30 Vietnamese coffee. Among their more conventional offers: a rock-bottom priced RMB 20 short black coffee, a creamy RMB 25 piccolo latte, and a lusciously thick RMB 35 flat white, all rounding out a menu that also includes serviceable sweets like generous slices of carrot cake (RMB 30) as well as blueberry and apple pies (also RMB 30 per slice) and chocolate chip cookies (RMB 10 each).

It may not rival top-notch (and pricier) imports like Soloist Coffee and Kyoto pop-up %Arabica in Taikoo Li or the equally trendy Barista Speciality in Nali Patio but casual patrons are likely to enjoy the offbeat ambiance at Cabo. If nothing else, it joins Lan Gui Fang as a legit business slowly cleaning up this wayward strip, and that noble effort alone makes it worth a visit.

Read: Lan Gui Fang Cocktail Bar Takes on Sanlitun Bar Street With a Touch of Class

Cabo Coffee
Daily, 9am-8pm. 44 Sanlitun North Street, Chaoyang District (135 0133 3020)
朝阳区三里屯北街44号

More stories by this author here.
Email: kylemullin@truerun.com
Twitter: @MulKyle
Instagram: mullin.kyle

Photos: Kyle Mullin