July 2023 | Beijing Food, Drink, & Activity Roundup

Welcome to this month’s roundup of the eats, drinks, activities, and events I did in Beijing in July 2023. My monthly recaps give you a slice of expat life in Beijing, covering everything from historical hutong cafes, traditional Beijing sites, and delicious Chinese cuisines, to downtown rooftop bars, international restaurants, expat activities, and more. Beijing is an ever-growing and changing city, a fusion of ancient traditions and international cultures – which means expat life here is never boring! This is of course not a comprehensive list of everything in the city, but a fun way to look back and share what I’ve done in the month. 1. Fu San Coffee Shop2. Yinshan Pagoda Forest 3. oh! By FINE cafe4. Casa Damian Lounge / Wild Kats Beijing Parties 5. QMEX Summer Menu 6. China’s Internet Famous Bamboo Milk Tea7. BARBIE The Movie in China 8. Beijing Live Comedy Game Show: “Would I Lie To You?”Business Collaboration Requests As always, make sure to follow me on Instagram and WeChat channels for more videos and updates on life in China. So without further ado, here are 8 Beijing eat, drinks, and activities I tried in July 2023! 1. Fu San Coffee Shop I can’t believe I’ve been living in Beijing for 5 years and didn’t know about Fu San. There are actually three branches of this coffee shop, but their Hutong location south of the Forbidden City Xixinglong Street is the one I really wanted to see. Blue is my favorite color and this cafe had no shortage of it! They also had a selection of really unique cakes shaped like rabbits, apricots, and mountains. Sticking with the blue theme, I wanted to try the blue mountain cake (It tasted like oranges inside!)  It was a hot summer day and I had the roof to myself! Address: fu3福叁咖啡(西兴隆街店) 西兴隆街130号 2. Yinshan Pagoda Forest An incredible scenic area in Beijing’s Changping District with ancient pagodas and a beautiful mountain hike! Perfect for a day trip outside Beijing. Read more about it here: Beijing Yinshan Pagoda Forest Scenic Area | Unique Beijing Day Trip. 3. oh! By FINE cafe Two words: Souffle. Pancakes. That’s it. This is a cute little cafe by the Drum Tower. It’s great for a chill brunch if you’re around the hutongs and Houhai Lake. It does get quite busy on the weekends though, so you might have to get a number and wait for a table. 4. Casa Damian Lounge / Wild Kats Beijing Parties Beijing’s music scene is POPPING this summer, and a new rooftop party group is on the scene. Wild Kats is founded by two foreign DJs who have each lived in China 14+ years. They reached out to me on IG and invited me to their HOUSE ON THE ROOF party held at Casa Damian. It was INCREDIBLE. The rooftop, the atmosphere, the music, the people…it’s the rooftop party that Beijing needs (especially with Nali Patio closing this month). 5. QMEX Summer Menu This Mexican Fondue burger on Q Mex’s new summer menu was INCREDIBLE. Is it a heart attack waiting to happen? Maybe. But is it worth it? Absolutely. If you aren’t familiar with it, Q MEX is a expat favorite Mexican restaurant in Beijing, with many locations around the city. With lots of taco, burrito, and other options, it’s good when you’re craving Mexican food and tasty cocktails. 6. China’s Internet Famous Bamboo Milk Tea Earlier this year in 2023, a trendy new milk tea came onto the scene at tourist spots all over China: the Bamboo Milk Tea, or Zhu Tong Nai Cha 竹筒奶茶. Scenic sites all over China began offering it, and it exploded online. It became trendy because of its bamboo cup that is customized for the city you buy it in. 7. BARBIE The Movie in China While of course this is not a unique China movie, it’s been fun to see how the movie has been getting a lot of buzz on social media in China!. 8. Beijing Live Comedy Game Show: “Would I Lie To You?” On July 29th, Date Night China and The Comedy Citadel joined forces to present a Beijing edition of the live comedy game show “Would I Lie to You?” at Li-Pi Records in Beijing’s 798 Art District. It was an epic night of lies and truths. and so much fun! As some of you may know, Nathan and I founded Date Night China in 2019, and have been hosting events in Beijing since 2020. We’ve had fun collaborating with The Comedy Citadel recently, and will plan some other fun live event shows together in the future. Follow both Date Night China and Comedy Citadel. on Instagram and WeChat for more information on future events. Business Collaboration Requests Are you a business in Beijing or China wanting to collaborate? I’ve worked with many restaurants, hotels, bars, event groups, and more to create Instagram reels, WeChat channel videos, WeChat moment posts, and more! I have an extensive international Beijing & China network that is eager to learn about new and interesting events, foods, and drinks happening in the cit