Four Un-ffogato-ble Spots for Affogato in Beijing
It’s humid, it’s hot, it’s summer in Beijing, which means it’s the best time to reach for coffee with a bit of chill to it – coffee that’s chill if you will? While iced Americanos are alright, sometimes we like to reach for something a little bit sweeter and a little bit cooler: an affogato.
Pretty much a scoop of gelato with a shot of espresso poured over the top, an affogato is Italy’s means of getting a caffeine hit and sugar rush all in one. Of course, it’s not something you’d reach for an afternoon pick-me-up all the time if you’re looking to maintain a modicum of health, but it’s a nice little treat for a weekend out in the sun nonetheless.
Here are a few places to get an affogato in Beijing, starting in Sanlitun and moving outward…
FúDou Coffee
This local chain of shops is a favorite of ours, mainly because they use beans roasted on-site at many of their shops as part of their BōRêDIRPS side project. We really like their coffee, so naturally, when we found they also have an affogato (RMB 35) on the menu, we had to include it here. Theirs consists of vanilla ice cream with a butter cookie, but instead of any old coffee, it’s topped with an SOE typical dark roast, lending a bit of complexity to this affogato.
FúDou Coffee x BōRêDIRPS 福豆咖啡 (Sanlitun branch)
77-78 Zhongfangli Xiyuan, Nansanlitun Lu
朝阳区南三里屯路中纺里西院77-78号平房
Hours: Daily, 10am-7pm
Contact: 156 5227 8585; 185 1564 6511
FúDou Coffee福豆咖啡 (Hongxia Lu branch)
1 Hongxia Lu (inside Tingshuo Shabao Dabian Lu Restaurant)
朝阳区红霞路1号听说砂煲打边炉院内
Hours: Mon-Fri, 8am-6pm; Sat-Sun, 10am-7pm
Contact: 156 5227 8585; 185 1564 6511
Forno
Turning the classic on its head, Forno takes the affogato and makes it extravagant with their Whiskey and Caramel Affogato (RMB 59). Caramel gelato meets espresso, where it’s topped with whipped cream, amaretti biscuits, and a mini ice cream cone for one mean dessert of a coffee hit. That’s not all, though, as the whiskey in the name isn’t there without reason: it’s served with a shot of whiskey on the side, should you choose to take your caffeine and sugar rush with some booze as well.
Forno 意角 (Sanlitun branch)
S6-33, 3F, Taikooli South, 19 Sanlitun Lu, Chaoyang District
朝阳区三里屯路19号太苦里南区3层 S6-33
Hours: Daily, 11am-midnight
Phone: 010 6462 7448
Forno 意角 (Sanyuanqiao branch)
06A, Instreet Phoenix Galleria Mall, Chaoyang District
朝阳区凤凰环路凤凰汇•里巷In Street06A商铺
Hours: Daily, 11am-midnight
Phone: 010 6462 7447
Parallel Line
Another favorite of ours, Parallel Line makes their affogato (RMB 30) nice and traditional – albeit with an extra scoop of vanilla ice cream and two Biscoff cookies. It comes served in a nice ice cream bowl with the espresso in its own little pitcher thing, which makes this affogato one of the more picture-perfect ones on the list.
Parallel Line Coffee
68 Luoche Hutong, Dongcheng District
东城区罗车胡同68号
Hours: Tues-Sun, 10am-8.30pm; Mon, 1.30-8.30pm
Contact: 158 1101 5867
Excellent Coffee
This shop takes coffee and ice cream further than Forno – completely turning the concept on its head and offering different flavors of ice cream to choose from. The Coffee Jelly Affogato (RMB 36) here starts not with regular espresso, but with big chunks of cold espresso jelly. It’s topped with cream, then a big scoop of ice cream. Available flavors are strawberry, coconut, and pistachio.
Excellent Coffee
66-2 Di’anmen Dongdajie, Dongcheng District
东城区地安门东大街66-2号
Hours: Daily, 11am-7pm
Contact: 158 4012 3125
READ: Upgrade Your Brekkie with These New BJ Breakfast Sandwiches
Images: Unsplash, Dianping, courtesy of Forno
