For a long time, one of the big complaints about living in Wangjing was that you could only find Korean restaurants (lots of them), McDonalds, and KFCs aplenty (as deftly reported here) if you wanted to eat outside of a Chinese establishment. That began to change with the arrival of Burger King a couple of years ago – okay, I made that up, but it sounds about right. Fast forward to 2013 and Wangjing has started on the path to becoming slightly more expat friendly with the arrival of Annie’s inside the Daimler building and a slew of coffee shops (Costa Coffee, Zoo, Coffee, etc, etc).
Fortunately for the hungry, Kirin Place, a new shopping center near Wangjing SOHO, has opened for business and it is stocked with some family favorites: Matsuko, Dairy Queen, Gung Ho Pizza, and Obento’s. In the basement there is a shinny new Wu Mart, and upstairs there will also be a Dadi Digital Cinema, making it a great place to grab a bite, catch a movie, and get some groceries before calling it a day. Not to leave you without a cup of java, there is also an SPR Coffee and a Wobbit Coffee on site and a Zoo Coffee just across the road.
Although there is plenty of culinary room to grow, these latest additions to the Wangjing culinary menu are a welcome addition and worth checking out if you are unfamiliar with them. Also, once the Wangjing East subway station opens (presumably next year), Kirin Place will be just a short 10-minute walk away.
Kirin Place is located inside the triangle of avenues that is Wangjing Street, Fu’an West Road, and Futong West Street (affectionately known as the Wangjing Bermuda Triangle).
Photo by Christopher Lay
