Finding it
Through the beer bar and up the stairs
16 of 54 posts describe the way in. 6 found it hard
The Andingmen bar sits above Tiaohai (跳海), a craft beer bar on Andingmennei Dajie, and posts agree on the route. Walk in through Tiaohai, keep going towards the back, then climb an outdoor iron staircase. One visitor counted four different businesses packed into the small building, upstairs and down. A 2023 visitor warned that the location tag on Xiaohongshu pointed to the Longfusi branch instead, so check the address.
Most Andingmen visitors treat the route as part of the fun, though a 2025 post still called it one of the hardest bars in Beijing to find. The real complaints were about the Longfusi branch, down Qianliang Hutong on a floor shared with a restaurant. Three posts there describe walking a full circle before spotting the door.
The Lab is another matter. An October 2026 list of hard-to-find bars gave it five stars for difficulty, because it doesn’t show up on maps. A January 2026 visitor found it easier than expected: go into Shoubi Hutong, pass the bar Parc, then turn into the small lane beyond.
“Go in, and be brave about heading up the little stairs.”
Xiaohongshu post, Feb 2026
Xiaohongshu post, Jul 2026 · Xiaohongshu post, May 2026 · Xiaohongshu post, May 2025 · Xiaohongshu post, Jan 2025 · Xiaohongshu post, Oct 2026 · Xiaohongshu post, Jan 2026 · Xiaohongshu post, Aug 2026
Most talked-about drink
No. 4, Mango Sticky Rice (芒果糯米饭)
4 posts mention it, all of them positive
This one comes from the spring 2026 menu at Andingmen, where every drink pays tribute to a famous dish. Visitors say it tastes less like the Thai dessert than like mango pomelo sago, the Hong Kong one, right down to a grapefruit note at the end. It comes with toasted rice or a small mango jelly on the side.
One visitor who avoids sweet drinks said it was like drinking mango purée, and loved it. Another compared the top to a milk-tea foam. A September 2026 visitor picked out mango and white chocolate, with a rich foam that leaves a film on your lips.
Mango sticky rice is an old idea here. In January 2024 the Longfusi branch served it as a Fenjiu highball, Fenjiu being a light Chinese baijiu, with chilli salt on the rim.
“I don’t like sweet drinks, but I really liked this one.”
Xiaohongshu post, Aug 2026
Xiaohongshu post, Aug 2026 · Xiaohongshu post, Mar 2026 · Xiaohongshu post, Jul 2026 · Xiaohongshu post, Sep 2026 · Xiaohongshu post, Jan 2024
Signature drinks
A new theme every season
22 posts review signature drinks, 16 of them at Andingmen
The Andingmen menu changes every few months, and each version has a theme. In autumn 2025 it was the life of a plant, from roots and seeds to flowers and wilting. The winter 2025 menu leaned tropical. From March 2026 the theme was great restaurants of the world, fifteen drinks each paired with its own snack.
On that last menu, Cherry Duck (樱桃鸭), a nod to La Tour d’Argent in Paris, is brandy washed with Peking duck fat. One visitor couldn’t taste the duck and asked. The bartender topped the drink up with more of the fat-washed brandy, and the duck was still faint. Soy Sauce Chicken (花雕豉油鸡), after a Hong Kong dish, drinks like a Manhattan with a savoury chicken-fat finish. Another visitor liked the milky drinks best, banana (No. 11), hazelnut (No. 14) and No. 7, and found No. 5, made with Moutai, and No. 1, whisky with Chinese yellow wine, too fierce.
From winter 2025, 脆琉璃 (Crisp Glaze) is Moutai Prince baijiu hidden under pandan and lemon, served with ice shards. A man at the next table told one visitor it was the best drink he had ever had. Hot & Cold has been on the menu since at least 2023, when a visitor named it and the Grasshopper as safe first orders. In 2026 it was Fenjiu under a warm foam of white chocolate and coconut.
At the Longfusi branch, one regular kept reordering a passion fruit and pineapple drink made with Beijing sesame and peanut paste.
“The next table shouted it was the best drink he’d ever had.”
Xiaohongshu post, Dec 2025
Xiaohongshu post, May 2026 · Xiaohongshu post, Aug 2026 · Xiaohongshu post, Dec 2025 · Xiaohongshu post, Feb 2026 · Xiaohongshu post, Sep 2025 · Xiaohongshu post, Sep 2023 · Xiaohongshu post, Nov 2025
Classics
Classic names, new recipes
3 posts, all about the Lab
The Lab’s spring 2026 menu, called ABSTRACT, uses classic cocktail names but not classic recipes. One visitor who drank all six rated the Dirty Martini highest, made savoury with wild mushroom and toasted miso in place of olive brine. The Americano, with coffee kombucha and chinotto, also got full marks as an opener.
A second visitor’s whole group loved the Sex on the Beach, whisky with peach and yoghurt. The Pornstar Martini split them: one found it floral and sweet and gave it two stars, the other loved the passion fruit and flowers. An earlier Lab menu, Southeast Asian in theme, ended with twists on the Old Fashioned and the Negroni.
“The most memorable drink of the night.”
Xiaohongshu post, Aug 2026
Xiaohongshu post, Aug 2026 · Xiaohongshu post, Aug 2026 · Xiaohongshu post, Jan 2026
Bartenders
Generous, and happy to go off-menu
7 posts write about the bartenders, all kindly
One visitor asked for something off the menu, milky with pineapple and chilli, then a second round without the pineapple, and liked both. Another says the bartenders were warm and poured shots freely. A visitor on a quiet Monday in 2026 chatted with the bartenders and other guests until closing, then was sent on to Chocolate+Milk down the road.
The founders sometimes work the bar. A visitor in August 2022, in the first weeks, found Wayne, who runs Chocolate+Milk, behind the counter. At Longfusi in 2024 another praised quick, practised bartenders and a round of free house shots.
“Not mean at all. We talked the whole night.”
Xiaohongshu post, Jul 2026
Xiaohongshu post, Aug 2026 · Xiaohongshu post, Jul 2026 · Xiaohongshu post, May 2026 · Xiaohongshu post, Sep 2023 · Xiaohongshu post, Aug 2022 · Xiaohongshu post, Jan 2024
Service
A welcome drink, and a free swap
6 posts write about service. 4 mention a welcome drink
Four posts mention a welcome drink. In 2022 it was a fermented juice. In 2026 one visitor got a sour, tea-flavoured drink at Andingmen, and the Lab poured an orange and birch-sap shot. One reviewer has a rule that a bar with a welcome drink really wants you there.
The best service story comes from the Longfusi branch, in December 2025. Three friends disliked a purple sweet potato drink and worked up the nerve to say so. The staff swapped it at once, free of charge, for a milky, nutty drink made on the spot, which became their favourite of the night.
“The staff swapped it for us without a second thought.”
Xiaohongshu post, Dec 2025
Xiaohongshu post, Sep 2026 · Xiaohongshu post, Aug 2026 · Xiaohongshu post, Jan 2026 · Xiaohongshu post, Aug 2022 · Xiaohongshu post, Dec 2025 · Xiaohongshu post, Oct 2025
Food
Every drink comes with a bite
9 posts write about the food, 8 of them at Andingmen
On the 2026 menu at Andingmen each drink arrives with its own small snack, made fresh. Visitors describe smoked duck breast with cherry sauce, torched soy sauce chicken, a juicy little seafood tart with green pepper, a curry-filled bite, a biscuit with chocolate dip, and frozen banana in a caramel crust. One mushroom snack had a texture like pork-skin jelly.
The crispy ball served with No. 10 is the favourite. One visitor thought the snacks were better than the drinks, and a commenter agreed. At Longfusi in 2024 the snack was peanuts and rice crackers, and food came from the Spanish restaurant next door.
“The crispy ball is so good. Could they sell it separately?”
Xiaohongshu post, Mar 2026
Xiaohongshu post, May 2026 · Xiaohongshu post, Mar 2026 · Xiaohongshu post, Jul 2026 · Xiaohongshu post, Aug 2026 · Xiaohongshu post, Aug 2026 · Xiaohongshu post, Mar 2026 · Xiaohongshu post, Jan 2024
The room
A bare-bones lab
8 posts describe the room
Posts describe the Andingmen room as a small laboratory with an open bar. A 2023 visitor found it rough and playful, with slogans on the walls that tell guests off. The menu is hand-drawn and illustrated, so you can see what goes into each drink. A 2026 visitor found the mood relaxed and friendly.
One practical warning: the rubber coasters grip so hard that a glass can tip over when you slide it. The Longfusi branch was dim and small, with tables outside in summer. A visitor who loved it posted in July 2026 that it seemed to have closed.
“A bare-bones, funny, open laboratory.”
Xiaohongshu post, Sep 2023
Xiaohongshu post, Sep 2023 · Xiaohongshu post, May 2026 · Xiaohongshu post, Aug 2026 · Xiaohongshu post, Aug 2026 · Xiaohongshu post, May 2026 · Xiaohongshu post, Jan 2024 · Xiaohongshu post, Jul 2026
Seats and crowds
Quiet early in the week
9 posts talk about getting in
A Monday visitor in July 2026 found Andingmen quiet, and a commenter said weekdays were nearly empty. Another commenter’s advice for going alone: sit at the bar. On a busy September 2026 night, one visitor was too shy to ask the bartenders anything. A commenter confirmed that Andingmen takes walk-ins.
The Lab used to be by booking only, and at one point by invitation. Posts from August 2026 said walk-ins were coming, and the bar has since said it takes walk-ins from 1 September 2026, with just 12 seats.
Xiaohongshu post, Jul 2026 · Xiaohongshu post, Sep 2026 · Xiaohongshu post, Dec 2025 · Xiaohongshu post, Aug 2026 · Xiaohongshu post, Aug 2026 · Xiaohongshu post, Jan 2026
Price
About ¥95 a drink, snack included
7 posts quote prices. 6 call it good value
In 2026 a drink at Andingmen costs ¥95 with its snack, and the Lab charged the same in January 2026. The Longfusi branch was ¥90 in 2025, as was Andingmen in 2023. One Longfusi visitor in 2024 spent about ¥270 a head. Visitors keep comparing it with Beijing bars that charge well over ¥100, and nobody in the sample calls it expensive.
“At ¥95 a drink, that’s good value for Beijing.”
Xiaohongshu post, Aug 2026
Xiaohongshu post, Aug 2026 · Xiaohongshu post, May 2026 · Xiaohongshu post, Feb 2026 · Xiaohongshu post, Jan 2026 · Xiaohongshu post, Oct 2025 · Xiaohongshu post, Jan 2024 · Xiaohongshu post, Sep 2023
How people hear about it
Friends, and the gin
9 posts say how they heard. 4 came on a friend’s tip
Four posts came on a friend’s recommendation. One visitor asked two friends where to drink in Beijing and got the same answer from both. Two had used the bar’s own gin at home and wanted to see where it came from. One found it at the top of an online bar ranking, and another mentions a two-star rating from Olive China, a Chinese bar awards list. One person in 2023 simply wandered into the Longfusi branch.
Several posts are by people from out of town. One went straight from the airport, another arrived at midnight on their first day back in China and headed here first.
“Two friends, without conferring, recommended the same bar.”
Xiaohongshu post, Sep 2023
Xiaohongshu post, Sep 2023 · Xiaohongshu post, Jun 2026 · Xiaohongshu post, May 2026 · Xiaohongshu post, Nov 2025 · Xiaohongshu post, Dec 2025 · Xiaohongshu post, Feb 2026 · Xiaohongshu post, Apr 2025
Complaints
Love it or don’t get it
1 negative post, 4 mixed
A September 2025 post asked why the bar divides people, and found two reasons. Many drinks are pre-batched, which some feel takes the ceremony away, and some flavours are just strange. The author defended pre-batching and liked Andingmen a lot. A commenter replied that the real problem on their visit was a plain, unbalanced menu.
The one negative post, from June 2026, warned people off the Longfusi branch, saying three drinks there fell well short of Andingmen. Other posts agree Longfusi was the weaker bar, and one 2024 visitor scored it 60 out of 100.
At Andingmen the complaints are smaller. One visitor couldn’t taste the duck in the Cherry Duck. Another found three of four drinks forgettable. Commenters mention finding it average twice running, and pours that are gone in a few sips.
Our counts only cover Xiaohongshu.
Xiaohongshu post, Sep 2025 · Xiaohongshu post, Jun 2026 · Xiaohongshu post, May 2024 · Xiaohongshu post, May 2026 · Xiaohongshu post, Dec 2025 · Xiaohongshu post, Dec 2025 · Xiaohongshu post, Jul 2026
We searched Xiaohongshu, China’s main lifestyle and review app, for every post about Non-Binary we could find. We set aside posts by the bar, posts about guest-bartender events, list posts that only name the bar and posts with no text, which left 54 by visitors. Of these, 32 are about the Andingmen bar, 19 about the Longfusi branch that closed in July 2026 and 7 about the Lab, and some cover more than one. We read each one ourselves to make the counts. Many posts only show a short preview, so treat the numbers as a minimum. The summaries and translated quotes are ours, and the links go to the original posts. Last checked 2026-10-10.