Capital Caff: Three Shops to Try on Wudaoying Hutong

Don't talk to me until I've read Capital Caff – your guide to the latest in coffee happenings around Beijing.

Wudaoying Hutong runs behind Andingmen Dongdajie and runs west to east from Andingmen to Yonghegong. It’s a nice little lane that, even though it can get rather congested with tourists at times, is a nice spot to find the best of one of Beijing’s specialties: coffee.

Now, not all the shops on the street serve the best coffee, and others tend to get crowded more for the ambiance than the drinks, but the few on this list are ones you definitely shouldn’t miss.

Egg Coffee

A favorite of ours when it opened up inside a mall in Haidian last year, Egg Coffee has recently moved and opened up a proper shop along Wudaoying. Here they serve Italian espresso in a few ways – classic (RMB 10), Caffè Napolitano (RMB 10), Caffè con Panna (RMB 18, pictured below) – plus an Irish Coffee (RMB 28) on offer for something with a little extra kick.

On our visit, we opted to try the Caffè Napolitano, a shot of espresso laced with coffee “cream”. It’s a bit sweet, but goes down nice on a cold morning. We also saw a few people enjoying a Caffè Gege (RMB 18), essentially a Caffè Napolitano with the addition of fresh cream and cocoa powder. We might head back to try this one next time.

Egg Coffee 蛋咖啡
60 Wudaoying Hutong, Dongcheng District
东城区五道营胡同60号
Hours: Tues-Sun, 10am-7pm
Contact: 173 0104 7952

Metal Hands

This chain is popular with good reason: they serve some quality coffee. They’ve also got two separate locations on Wudaoying, which although it might seem like overkill makes a bit of sense considering how crowded both can get.

Along with the classics, Metal Hands serves a few lesser-known drinks like the Piccolo (RMB 30, pictured below), essentially a mini latte, as the Chinese name (迷你拿铁, mínǐ nátiě) on the menu suggests. Much like an espresso, it’s a nice and quick pick-me-up that can either be quaffed down fast or sipped bit by bit before you need to be out the door.

Metal Hands (Wudaoying branch)
61, 65 Wudaoying Hutong, Dongcheng District
东城区五道营胡同61，65号
Hours: Daily, 10am-7pm
Contact: 155 1053 3895

Galakee Coffee

Also a new addition to the hutong is Galakee Coffee, which shares space with Mona Bar inside Pebbles Courtyard. It might be one of the decidedly humbler spaces on the hutong – Galakee only takes up space for a grinder and a bit of equipment by the bar’s edge – but their coffee is definitely some of the best on the street. They’ve got a few pour-over options (all range from RMB 40-50 or so), and their Americano (RMB 28) is a nice and light affair, featuring a blend of Colombian, Guatemalan, and Brazilian beans roasted in house. 

Galakee Coffee 
74 Wudaoying Hutong, Inside Pebbles Courtyard, Dongcheng District
东城区五道营胡同74号
Hours: Tues-Sun, 10.30am-5.30pm
Contact: 156 1171 621

READ: Capital Caff: Two Coffee Shops and a Museum

Images: Vincent R. Vinci