Ales in an Alternative Location at Chongwenmen's New World of Beer

Beer is Beijing's drink of choice these days and while the city isn't short of places to pick up a pint of craft ale, we were intrigued to hear of the opening of an international beer chain in an otherwise off-the-beaten-path (i.e. not Sanlitun) location – Chongwenmen.

World of Beer is a chain founded in Tampa, Florida in 2007 that now has 70 locations worldwide. The first Beijing location is in Chongwenmen, conveniently located right by exit G of Chongwenmen subway station. There are also two branches in Shanghai, both of which are pretty popular, although they are owned by a different franchisee. Inside the Beijing branch, the decor is more hotel bar than craft beer taphouse but that's not necessarily a bad thing, considering how much exposed brick and raw wooden table tops we've already got at other breweries in the city.

As the name suggests, beer is the order of the day here, with, if not a whole world of beer, then certainly a pretty wide selection. They have 10 beers on tap, including local brands like Boxing Cat (RMB 50 for a pint of First Blood lager) and international favorites like Stella Artois and Guinness (RMB 70 for a pint of the latter), plus a large menu of bottled beers, including options from Germany, the UK, and the US. On our visit a couple of weeks after the official opening, they seemed to be struggling a little with stock, with only a couple of beers available on tap, but the pint of First Blood lager that we were able to get was well poured. 

Foodwise, the menu tends towards classic American bar food such as nachos, burgers (RMB 78), and chicken wings (RMB 48 for five, RMB 88 for 10). However, the most intriguing thing on the menu is the burger wellington (RMB 98), WOB's chef's own creation featuring a beef burger patty stuffed with cheese and caramelized onions and wrapped in puff pastry. On the menu, it reads like a bit of a culinary abomination but it turns out to be delicious. To paraphrase Joey Tribbiani, "what’s not to like? Cheese, good. Pastry, good. Beef, good."

Whenever a bar like this opens, you can't help but ask yourself, "does Beijing really need another craft beer bar?" especially one that stocks beers that are available – and cheaper – at other venues. Arguably not, but then again, of all the areas in Beijing they could have opened in, Chongwenmen was a good choice, considering it is otherwise pretty lacking in drinking venues (there is a branch of Blue Frog nearby, as well as Yin on 12 at the New World Beijing Hotel with its attractive roof terrace). So next time you find yourself in this part of the city in need of a pint, you know where to go. 

World of Beer
Daily, 11am-midnight. 1/F, West Tower, Hademen Plaza, 8 Chongwenmen Waidajie, Dongcheng District (176 1165 8805)
WOB北京精酿餐厅：东城区崇文门外大街8号院1号楼哈德门广场西塔一层底商

Wondering which bars and restaurants are open during the holidays? Check out our round-up of Spring Festival opening hours right here.

More stories by this author here.

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Photos: World of Beer, Robynne Tindall, Dazhong Dianping