QS' Fish Fillet and Pork-Topped Beef Sliders Make for Meaty Hutong Snacks

Kyle Mullin | Jul 9, 2019 12:13 pm | Add a comment | 107 reads

In the wake of this year's Burger Festival (try to spot yourself at it here), we're looking back on some of the vendors who quelled our hunger with their beefy wares before vying for the prize in our Burger Cup. Although today's subject, QS, is out of the running, their tasty burgers made a splash at this year's Burger Festival a few weeks back.

Despite admirable queues at this year’s Burger Festival, thanks to their mouthwateringly good Beef Supreme and Fish Fillet sliders, hutong favorite QS slipped from its 2018 ranking of #29 in the Burger Cup, falling short of 2019’s top 32.

But no matter. Not only is the Jiaodaokou bar and restaurant in good company, alongside other popular burger flippers like The Butchers Club (last year's #21 seed), Fatboy’s (#27), Bodensee Kitchen (#30), Joe’s Bar and Kitchen (#31), and The Bell (#32), all of whom, as we pointed out previously, were unable to outdo their previous standings.

More importantly: this is by no means QS’ first setback. Upon opening in early 2016 on Yonghegong the original Queenie’s Sandwiches & Bar impressed both us and slews of woozy hutong party people with their hunger-quelling late-night sandwiches. As more and more patrons turned to QS to cap off their evenings (and soak up the booze), the owners decided to branch out with a second, far more offbeat location.

Their late 2017 foray into Chaoyangmen proved ambitious, not only as an attempt to break ground in a sleepy locale but to include a number of partnerships. The then hutong bigwig Adam Gottschalk of once-beloved (but now defunct) bar Ron Mexico had plenty of promise with bargain RMB 35 burgers, and bread from former Kempinski hotel baker Wang "Jim" Zheng. Wang’s addition had the potential to give QS' burgers the best buns in town, in Gottschalk’s view, therefore making their establishment a prime Burger Cup candidate.

QS has certainly come a long way since then. The Chaoyangmen venture never really took off, and it closed within a year, with Wang and Gottschalk parting ways. That wound was salted and rubbed raw by Beijing’s ruthless Great Brickening redevelopment campaign, which then slew the original QS and much of its Yonghegong brethren.

But Wang and QS co-owner Feng "Queenie" Yuqian (his wife, who the establishment is named after) remained undeterred. Despite losing both of their locations, the unflappable pair were back at it in a few short months, opening their biggest and snazziest spot yet at Jiaodaokou this past spring. At the time we said, "the new QS looks like their most promising venture yet. Its large floor space, checkered with black and white tiles, pink highlights, and blue and silver bar stools scream ‘Greased Lightnin’ and houses about a dozen booths and half a dozen tables, making their original two-floor location seem small and ramshackle in comparison."

On top of that, their latest location features superior burgers to their older Chaoyangmen joint. We're particular fans of their Beef Supreme sliders, which are made from juicy Australian beef patties topped with a sizzling fried egg, and slow roasted pork, making for a hearty meal if ever there was one. A lighter alternative is their fish fillet burger, which boasts fluffy chunks of sole imported all the way from Greenland. At RMB 35 per pair or RMB 20 for one, they're also decent value and go well with one of the imported beers in their well-stocked fridge, or QS’ new summery Aperol spritz (RMB 30).

As they settle into their newer, slicker Jiaodaokou digs, QS certainly seems poised for a stronger showing in next year’s Burger Cup. In the meantime, they’re already one of Jiaodaokou’s prime party and Western grub destinations, especially in the wake of Beijing’s dwindling hutong options.