Food & Hospitality
Spots to sate your taste buds around the Haidian District of Beijing
Quick Review: Happy Lemon, Wudaokuo
Along the south corner of the U Center in Wudaokuo, before you hit the Uniqlo clothing shop, there's a hole-in-the-wall drink shop called Happylemon. With just enough room for about eight people to stand comfortably, locals and foreigners alike scan a list of tea drinks before ordering. A lengthy list, in fact, detailing variations of milk tea, green tea and tea with salted cheese – a drink this expat-local has yet to try. Once you've selected your drink, it's on to the additions. Will it be the QQ Jelly cubes, azuki beans or taro balls that sink to the bottom of your cup? For only ¥1 or ¥3 more, it's a cheap way to add variety to your mid-morning tea. At low prices, this weekly treat won't break the budget. Most of the green teas, for example, range from ¥8 to ¥11, while the milk teas or lemon kumquat tea will top out at ¥15. When I discovered how to say, “No QQ Jelly, please,” the mango and orange flavor black tea became my go-to stop for something to sip as I shop. Even with a line, the service is efficient – just show them your lemon-shaped number and collect your cup. There are various locations in China, Taiwan and Honk Kong, offering similar drinks at each. It may not be the quintessential tea shop you picture for China, it will quench your thirst on a cool autumn Beijing afternoon.
Open: 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Find them online: www.happy-lemon.com |