What's New Bar: XL Bar & Restaurant on Xindong Lu

XL Bar and Restaurant isn’t named XL for its size because it has pretty normal dimensions for a watering hole, but their food and drink portions are more than worthy of the XL tag. A new place near Heaven Bar off of Xingfusancun 1st Alley in a collection of more recent buildings that house various places like Bubble Bar.

Owner Jane Cui – who spent more than a decade at the various seedlings of The Tree – is generous, to say the least, offering customers the opportunity to rent out her kitchen facilities to make whatever your little heart desires. At the bar, we checked out an XL Hemingway Daiquiris (RMB 45). This was off their special, shake yourself menu, which essentially means they allow the customer to pour a cocktail exactly to their liking. While this probably doesn’t mean you can add all rum, this is an interesting concept and adheres with their whole uniquely hospitable scheme. Their cocktail menu also has an upsizing option (RMB 10), for those with a death wish. The happy hour (4-9pm) deals were way beyond our expectations, with mixed drinks running in at RMB 20, drafts RMB 25-30, and cocktails also from RMB 25-30.   

They are serving up a line of big burgers, which claim to be the best in Beijing. We’ll have to wait until next year’s Beijinger Burger Cup to validate this, but they were created by the same fellow who co-owned Burger Counter and kicked off the burger menu at Temple Bar, which is solid lineage.

The highlight of the food menu was Andy’s Craft Sausages. These plump links were served up on a bed of deliciously chunky mashed potatoes and covered in sauerkraut and gravy. It’s perfect hearty fare for the winter months. Can you say ausgezeichnet (excellent!)? 

Cui’s relaxed nature appears to abide with the overall accommodating feeling they want to promote with this new venture. Just don’t ask to play Bob Marley. They hate that guy.

XL Bar and Restaurant
Daily 10am-2am. 1-022, 1/F, Bldg 4, 12 Xindong Lu, Dongcheng District. (8424 3765)
朝阳区新东路12号院 4号楼1层1-022
900m West of Tuanjiehu Station (Line 10)

More stories by this author here.

Email: danielkippwhittaker@thebeijinger.com
 

Photos: Kipp Whittaker