Make a Day Out of Baochao, Beiluo & the Andingmen Hutongs
If you take the subway to Nanluoguxiang Station and brave the crowds through the unfortunate tourist trap that Nanluo has become, you’ll eventually be able to cross Gulou Dongdajie and find yourself at Nanluo’s lesser known sibling, Beiluoguxiang.
Beiluo is like a gateway to a whole world of hutong bars, restaurants, and oddball shops that stretches from Baochao Hutong just west of Beiluo to Andingmen in the east. In fact, there's enough you can find and do in this amalgamation of neighborhoods to make a whole day trip out of.
The Orchid & The Bake Shop
The place to start -- and end your day, depending on whether or not you want to do a brief staycation -- is The Orchid. Situated just west of Beiluo along Baochao Hutong, this courtyard house turned hotel has spacious garden and loft rooms starting at around RMB 930 a night, and a few nice shops and restaurants on the premises as well.
The first of these is The Bake Shop, ideal for a quick brunch before the day really begins.
If the name wasn’t clear, The Bake Shop specializes in breads and other baked goods, especially airy sourdough loaves, whole wheat focaccia, and sweets like cinnamon rolls. For heartier items, they’ve got a menu filled with sandwiches, bruschetta, and coffee to wash it all down.
Ditan Park
After brunch, a stroll up to Ditan Park. One of four cosmological altar temples in Beijing, Ditan is the Temple of Earth, and was used by the emperor to pay homage to the God of Earth.
Today, along with the temple complex and the altar itself being open to the public, Ditan makes for a nice place to stroll or even run around. Entry tickets cost RMB 2, excluding the altar and House for Worshipping the Earth God (these tickets can be purchased within the park).
Guozijian & The Confucius Temple
Following a trip to Ditan, history can be further explored a bit south along Guozijian, home to the Confucius Temple and Imperial Academy.
The Confucius Temple is, you guessed it, dedicated to the great Chinese scholar himself. The most impressive thing to be found here is the stele room, on which a series of Confucian texts have been transcribed.
Next door lies the Imperial Academy. Built in 1306 during the Yuan Dynasty, the college served as the highest seat of learning until the end of the Qing Dynasty, and even has a pavilion where the emperor himself would come to teach.
JM Cafe & The French Grocery Store
Avoiding the general insanity that is Wudaoying, which lies directly north of Guozijian, it’s time to double back for a drink and a snack along Beiluo.
Be it coffee, beer, or something stronger, your best bet is a little nook along the alley in which lies JM Cafe and Boucherie Francaise, the latter of which is lovingly referred to as “the French Grocery Store” or 法国小超市Plus Faguo Xiaochaoshi plus in Chinese. Drinks of choice: coffee at JM or your choice of imported beer -- from simple Beerlao to craft beer of all kinds and ABV levels -- at the grocery store.
The shop has a seating area where you can enjoy your tipple and any snacks you’ve decided to munch on. It’s covered with all kinds of art, stickers, and tags, a nice touch.
Toast at The Orchid
If you still fancy some dinner, Toast at the Orchid is the way to go. Specializing in Middle Eastern cuisine, they make an excellent shashuka, and have a selection of other choices like tagine, merguez, and cocktails or wine to accompany the meal.
Nugget, Soi & Modernista
Now for after dinner entertainment, of which this little area of Beijing has plenty.
For starters, there’s our favorite hutong live music haunt, nugget, which hosts concerts of varying genres -- generally leaning towards folk, indie electronic and more ambient music -- on weekends. Next door to nugget is Soi, who have nightly live sessions ranging from open mic to bring your own vinyl night to themed nights with everything from punk to other acts.
If jazz or something a little more laid back is more your thing, then Modernista is a good bet. Although hard to spot, the Belle Epoque-inspired bar and restaurant is home to excellent jazz ensembles, with shows generally happening on Sundays.
READ: Make a Day Out of 22 Art Street, Beijing's Other Arts District
Images: Uni You, Dianping
