Fare Thee Well: 12 Beijing Bars and Restaurants We'll Miss That Left Us in 2016

What do Two Guys and a Pie, Modo Urban Deli, Tafelspitz, Rumi, Sweet Tooth, The Smokeyard, and Union Bar and Grille have in common? Yup, you guessed it, they all called it quits in 2016. Below we bid farewell to a dozen venues we'll miss in 2017.

1. Rumi
Starting off the year on a low note, long-running Middle Eastern restaurant Rumi closed its doors in early February after 10 years in business. I personally felt this loss very keenly, as Rumi was pretty much my go-to order from Sherpa's, in particular, their incredible rendition of the Persian ghemieh bademjan, an luscious lamb and eggplant stew. Rumi has since been replaced with Algorithm, a "high design lifestyle store." Bah humbug. 

RELATED: Auld Lang Syne: The High Profile Beijingers That Left Our Fair City in 2016

2. Sweet Tooth
Beijing's dessert fiends lost a location to satisfy their cravings in May when longterm favorite Sweet Tooth bakery closed its doors. Meilian Tan, the café and dessert delivery business' founder and co-owner, cited "family reasons" for the closure, and said that she was looking forward to returning to her native Australia after spending a decade in China's capital. We will miss her towering slices of red velvet and carrot cake, as well as the bakery space itself, which was one of our favorite places to work in the Sanlitun/Dongzhimen area.

3. Union Bar & Grille
Back in August, we were gutted to learn that Union Bar & Grille was closing after eight years in the same location in Taikoo Li South. Union became a favorite among Americans and non-Americans alike for its faithful renditions of classic comfort food such as barbecue ribs, roast chicken, and buffalo wings. Their daily happy hour was also nothing to scoff at, which was not only among the longest in town but also featured great prices on premium drinks like Guinness and very generous pours of wine.

4. Modo Urban Deli
November saw the closure of Taikoo Li stalwart Modo Urban Deli, which had first opened in 2010 as just Modo, serving contemporary fusion "small plates" alongside a thoughtfully curated selection of wines by the glass. They added the Urban Deli part of the name in mid-2013 when the restaurant reopened after extensive renovations, transforming into a deli offering sit-down and takeaway options including creative salads, deli platters, and the best damn Cuban sandwich in Beijing.

5. Old What? Bar
Tiny, laidback, hidden away – this live music house, nestled directly across from Zhongnanhai, bit the dust over the summer. "It was a place for a band to cut their teeth whilst keeping it intimate," said Will Griffith, who heads up the Live Beijing Music blog. "A place where you were forced to interact with the folks around you and, by proxy, the music." Its sensitive and slightly out of the way location meant that once you were at Old What you were in for the evening, and you were never alone given that government surveillance vans would do the rounds every half an hour.

6. The Meatball Company
The Meatball Company also bid farewell to their Houhai-adjacent restaurant, slinging their last meatball sub on November 24. The legacy lives on, however, through spin-off brand Ladle and Spice, which continues to sell delicious sauces and condiments, such as their no-mess "Hot as Balls" hot sauce.

7. The Smokeyard
American-style barbecue restaurant The Smokeyard closed its Sanlitun location in July after just one year in business, citing "cash flow issues" and increasing focus on a new project, which we now know as The Crib, on Chunxiu Lu. Started by Fatface Catering duo Eric and Hsu Kang Li, The Smokeyard's Nan Sanlitun Jie location put it in a competitive neighborhood, a stone's throw from Home Plate BBQ, and other established Western food options including The Local and Q Mex.

8. Cheers' Yashow location
While Cheers is still going strong in multiple locations around the city, we were gutted when they were locked out of their Yashow location for being way too much fun. The wine retailer had made their SLT location into not only a place to stock up on bottles, but a great place to hang for a glass of wine. Alas, the management of the now closed shopping mall reneged on the shop's lease when elderly neighbors objected to people having the aforementioned fun. Yashow itself has since shut down, and old people have won again.

9. Max Brenner Chocolate Bar
October saw us trying to solve a bit of a mystery, as Max Brenner Chocolate Bar, which had opened just a few months earlier in March, suddenly shut its doors, leaving stocked shelves (and a still-churning chocolate machine) and no word as to if – or when – they would reopen. Their parent company confirmed the closure in a terse statement and said they too had no idea if they'd ever open again. A shame, since we described it as "an opium den for chocolate lovers" after going along to sample their menu in April.

10. Groovy Schillers
Veteran bar blogger Beijing Boyce was the first to alert us to the closure of this northern Sanlitun institution back in April. Headed by pedigreed bar netizen Jack Zhou, the venue was one of the longest standing spots by the banks of the Liangma River. However, you can't keep a good man down – and Zhou has already bounced back by taking over the helm at Nearby The Tree, Boyce reports.

11. Two Guys and a Pie
The Sanlitun location of our favorite Aussie pie slingers, Two Guys and a Pie, bit the dust in September, thanks to the classic Beijing combo of rising rents and endless, destabilizing policy changes in the Sanlitun area. Pie fans needn't shed too many tears though, as Two Guys and a Pie's kitchen is still running in Shunyi, waiting to churn out tasty pies for delivery and events. Frozen portions can be ordered via their online store, or on WeChat: pieshopbeijing.  

12. Gung Ho! Pizza's Flagship Lido Store
While they soldier on in most parts of the city, Lido denizens were devastated to see Gung Ho's flagship Lido store – the one with an awesome interior that made this take-out staple a great place for an almost fine dining experience – shut its doors due to ugly landlord issues once again. They no longer deliver to those in this northeastern expat enclave, leaving a hole in Lido residents' hearts and stomachs.

More stories by this author here.

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