Bar Street No More: Sanlitun Strip Gets an Upgrade

It seems like only yesterday we poured one out for Sanlitun Bar Street on the eve of its demolition in January. Now we’ve started to get an idea of what the strip is going to look like when it reopens, and although bars are still going to be part of the equation, it’s going to be very different than what stood before.

We visited Sanlitun Beijie on the morning of Nov 21 to find a lot of change on the way. Even though most places aren’t finished yet, the outer shell buildings now peek out from behind Tyvek-covered wooden frames plastered with the names of the cafés, restaurants, and bars that’ll soon occupy them.

Some of the places that called the old Bar Street home, like Red Moon, Swing 58, and even J.M. Picture & Framing, all look poised to move back.

Plus, Spanish restaurant Carmen, a former Nali Patio tenant, looks to be opening on the street with a sign and design for Carmen Tapas Bar jumping out from the wall.

Other shops that’ll be occupying the redesigned street include a branch of Holiland – which will be situated on the south end of the street where Luckin used to be – plus a few Chinese eateries and new bars.

Tenants on Sanlitun Bar Street, which had been a fixture of the area since the ‘90s, got notices earlier this year to move out before Jan 31, after which the street would undergo redevelopment.

News reports at the time pointed to the integration of the street into wider, redesigned pedestrian paths and bike lanes, all part of a plan to integrate the area into Beijing’s 慢行系统 mànxíng xìtǒng, which translates to something along the lines of a "slow traffic system."

There’s no word yet as to when the strip will be reopened, but things are already starting to look a little more elegant and refined for the former bar street.

READ: Plans for Sanlitun Bar Street Point to "Slow City" Shift for Beijing

Images: Vincent R. Vinci