Mixed-race Couple-Owned Whisky Bar

I went in to Amilal with my Chinese friends expecting to be hung from the tree in the courtyard, made to sit in the seats in the back, and forced to use seperate but equal facilities. BOY were we let down.

No one assumed my Chinese friends were less capable than their white counterparts. No one even looked at us like we were a possible danger. No one even rolled up their windows when we walked by.

The jerks that run this place didn't even make us feel inferior, or force us to use disposable cups. In the very least they could have made a point of wiping down the chairs we sat in, or the bar after we leaned up against it. But, nope. Nothing.

When my Chinese friend ordered a Lagavulin, the owner had a golden opportunity. "Oh, no no no. You really should order something that's closer to your price range," he could have said. But noooooo. Instead, he had an informed conversation with my Chinese friend in ENGLISH.

In any case, if you go to Amilal expecting to be systematically oppressed and made to question your own worth because of your genetic make-up, chances are you be just as disappointed as we were.

If you are looking for a cool hutong bar where you don't have to be an asshole hipster (but totally can if you want to be) this is your place.