Will Bizarre Pizza Toppings and Meaty Wares Help Uno Bar and Grill Heat Up Dongzhimen?
[UPDATE, May 16, 2019]: Uno has since closed, and the space will be taken over by Paddy O'Shea's expansion.
Opening a bar and grill right next to Beijing most popular sports bar is a bold move to be sure – especially when said sports bar slings pretty fine burgers, pizzas and other pub grub of its own. But the folks at Uno are undeterred.
The brand new Dongzhimen bar and grill hopes to turn up the heat on its neighbor (and TBJ Bar of the Year winner) Paddy O’Shea’s with pizzas topped with creative combinations like mozzarella, Christmas ham, and truffles for RMB 80. When we tucked into that truffle sprinkled pizza it quickly hit the spot, its salty and bitter toppings meshing well enough with its fluffy, albeit somewhat dry, crust. It featured white sauce instead of the more typical tomato, giving it a lighter than average quality that, along with its distinctive topping combination, helped put it just over the top. It reminded us a bit of Pizza Saporita's (formerly Pizza+) popular black forest pizza, though it didn’t quite reach that award-winning restaurant's level of excellence.
The pizzas are big enough to satisfy a single hungry patron (other topping options included rucola, parmesan, and parma ham for RMB 80; salami, black olives, and bell peppers for RMB 80; mozzarella and durian for RMB 80; and a Hawaiian for RMB 55). The quality and size of the pies, along with the venue’s tough, minimalist concrete and brick interior, all reminded us of the bar and restaurant 789 that opened in Shuangjing this past summer. This Dongzhimen newbie one-ups its Shuangjing counterpart, however, by exhibiting modern art on its walls (we didn't think much of any of the art on display but can't knock the commitment to supporting Beijing's creatives, and the works did give the place a much-needed splash of color).
While pizza is Uno's mainstay, they also serve a wider variety of items that help it live up to the "bar and grill" moniker. There's a classic US beef burger with a side of fries for RMB 55, imported Angus sirloin steak for RMB 158, fillet beef with pepper sauce for RMB 98, grilled lamb chop with herb sauce for RMB 98, among others. Safe to say, this is a bar for people who like meat, and lots of it. The drinks menu has a few dozen standard cocktail options ranging between RMB 30-50, but let's face it, you don't go somewhere called Uno Bar and Grill for finely crafted cocktails. You go for the slabs of flesh and the vague sense of disquiet that accompanies the day-after's hangover. Pints of Goose Island for RMB 45 and that bargain mainstay of sports bars worldwide, Carlsberg, for RMB 25, should help you along.
The grilled meat and pizza options offer an alternative to Paddy's wares, making Uno a somewhat standard but serviceable option for sports fans looking to ensure they don't drink on an empty stomach while catching a game at the famed Irish bar next door.
Uno Bar and Grill
Daily, 4pm-late. 28-3 Dongzhimenwai Dajie
东直门外大街港湾国际一层28-3号
More stories by this author here.
Email: kylemullin@truerun.com
Twitter: @MulKyle
Instagram: mullin.kyle
Photos: Kyle Mullin
