Tim's Texas Bar-B-Q Takes Over Pizza by LMPLUS' Former Digs

Times have been tough for Tim Hilbert, but Beijing’s most tenacious Texan is bouncing back in record time. 

The restaurateur is opening a new location in the Jintaixizhao adjacent Central Park. It’s a knick-of-time save, coming on the heels of landlord issues that forced him to promptly shutter his Texas Bar-B-Q joint in Yonganli by January’s end. Hilbert said he’s pleased about the switch, because it will allow him “Continuity of staff, the brand and customer base.” 

However, operating in the new location, which used to house Pizza by LMPLUS in Central Park’s Tower 11, will be a major adjustment for Hilbert. Whereas his previous Silk Market-adjacent haunt boasted a sprawling two stories, Hilbert conceded that the new spot is “really small, so that will limit the menu to start off.” 
 

Despite the tighter space, Hilbert said he’ll still be able to serve barbecued sandwiches, burritos, and cold beer with ease. On the afternoon of February 1 he and his staff were hurrying to close up the Yonganli spot and finish last minute renovations – including the installation of a bar, and the removal of Pizza by LMPLUS’ pizza oven – in order to begin a soft opening in the new location that evening. He invited old friends and new patrons to “stop by and have a beer” and perhaps some chilli in the early evening of February 1, and said that he aims to serve sandwiches and burritos either tonight or within the next couple of days, then throughout the Chinese New Year, before having a fully-fledged menu ready before April. 

Pizza by LMPLUS owner Massimo Masili sold the Tower 11 location to Hilbert, and will reclaim its pizza oven for his nearby flagship LMPLUS restaurant in Central Park’s Tower 10. That will be followed by a major redesign of his original Tower 10 location, in effect combining both of his Italian eateries into one location. 

Masili said the deal was mutually beneficial, allowing him to cut costs and upgrade his original LMPLUS restaurant. He also said: “Tim will do very well here. His kind of concept is missing in Central Park, and the location is great.” 

And while Hilbert is thrilled to continue serving Texas fare without missing a beat, he still has his eye on opening a larger location, though he has yet to settle on the right spot just yet. In the meantime, he’ll continue to satisfy Beijingers’ cravings for smokey southern eats, and impress the F&B scene with his steady determination.

Photos courtesy of Tim Hilbert, Kyle Mullin