WAA Gastropub Makes Good Use of its Dock on the Liangma River

Just where the Liangma River widens at Maizidian, marking the spot where the recently renovated river walk begins, a triangular pier jets out like the bow of a small ship from the grand yellow building that straddles the waterway. With all the updates to the area, the pier has practically been begging to be used – and now it finally is, as WAA Riverside Gastropub moves into the space, plopping a bed of sand on the tip of the dock with surfboards sticking out for good measure.

It’s no coincidence the bar’s name bears resemblance to the way the Chinese language onomatopoeizes a frog’s croak. It’s actually the project of Tipsy Frog Brewing, a Shandong-based brewery. A portion of the vast array of taps – about sixteen beers in total – are shipped in from that province while a few others are brewed in-house.

Though the cheapest of the lot will taste a bit too familiar to Beijing beer-heads, there are plenty of options to keep curious tasters and amateur cicerones busy trying brews that are new and unique to the capital, such as the Hawthorne Black Plum Gose (RMB 58), or, when wintertime rolls around, the Oat Milk Cocoa Stout (RMB 55). A few of the most popular selections are also available in bottles, such as the Hoppy Frog.

Of course, the draw of sipping amidst the river as boats pass by through the tunnel to the rear is almost as appealing as the beer itself. It appears as if the bar will be making good use of the space, too, poising themselves to hold beach-themed events.

If you fancy dinner on the river as well, WAA carries a menu packed full of fusion items. We tried the steak fajitas – but the twist is that instead of tortillas, the meat and other goodies (pesto, sour cream, and other sauces go between a donkey-burger-style bun. Served with disanxian mixed vegetables, fried rice, and egg strips, it’s a sure party pleaser.

Of course, you can’t have a riverside diner without seafood, including Argentinian prawns, cold fish fillet, and, if you want to go all out, yellow croaker seafood hot pot.

With that impressive cuisine and intriguing brews, WAA is making fierce competition of Maizidian F&B even fiercer. As of this week, the bar is now in soft opening, and we can’t wait to see what they bring downstream next.

WAA Riverside Gastropub
53 Maizidian Jie, Chaoyang District
朝阳区麦子店街53号

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Images: Joey Knotts