Main Street: Vying to Become Top Attraction in Crowded Shuangjing Neighbourhood

With each new venue that opens, the strip on the northeast corner of Shuangjing Qiao in the shadow of the Langent Center towers takes one step closer to becoming a miniature Sanlitun South.

Main Street Restaurant & Bar is the newest hybrid bar/restaurant to open its doors, offering “New York-style Italian fare” and a bar that hopes to draw similar crowds as other Western-style venues such as Grinders, Lily’s American Diner, The Brick, Charlie’s and Ashen.

Likewise, the spate of hair salons and real estate agencies that have filled the first floors of most residential buildings in the area have begun to be displaced, so that now the strip boasts a tattoo parlor, sex shop, a high-end Chinese-style liquor store, and no less than three 24-hour convenience stores. As if on cue, the fitness center in Tianzhijiaozi has replaced its space previously earmarked for spinning classes with a pole dancing studio.

With sub-areas to the west of the Third Ring (featuring establishments like Bang Bang Pizza and Iki), and Grinders spinoff Plan B and Unconditional Love Coffee in nearby Pingod, there’s a good reason to believe that the neighborhood is becoming a "destination" – one to which people will head to see what's hot as they bar-hop or plan an evening featuring dinner and drinks.

There's also Chinese-style fast food as well as the lure of the looming Viva Mall across the street, with its first-class UME Cinemas, a video arcade, and a big KTV to boot.

Photos: Main Street Restaurant & Bar