Cuju: Beixinqiao's Favorite Hutong Hangout

Everybody has that place they don't make it too often enough.  Maybe it's the location or you're just tired after a long day of work, but you never seem to find the right time to visit even though you want to go.  For me it's a bar called Cuju in the hutong behind my apartment complex.  And despite its small size, the bar has a big following in the expat community.  

The composite featured on their website

Quite possibly the world's smallest bar, Cuju is one of those places that you have to know where it is to find it.  It is isolated on a winding hutong alleyway, standing as an oasis in an otherwise bar-less area.  The place is famous in the expat community for showing notable sporting events live.  In the case of the East Coast of the United States, this means 12 hours later, so picture a bar that is willing to open at 4 in the morning for some events.  I watched the NFL playoffs here back in January at 4 am, and the crowd was standing room only.  Considering the place holds about 20 people, this might lessen the accomplishment, but hey this is Beijing, so I’ll give it to them.  The place also has a Moroccan food menu.  I am not entirely sure what the Hell Moroccan food is, but I know enough to know that I like it. 

Intimate space

NFL Playoffs Live.  Look in the left-hand corner
 and you might recognize the dashingly handsome lao wei

Though I love the place, my roommates hate it.  Honestly their hatred for the place, encouraged by my unrelenting praises, has crossed the line to becoming a running joke.

Me:  “Want to go have a drink at Cuju tonight?”

Roommates:  “I'd rather have a cavity filled.”

I must concede that one of their complaints is certainly well founded.  For a dive bar, it is very expensive.  The only thing on the menu below $5 is the happy hour beer.  However, if you like rum, and we all do, they have the most amazing selection in the capital.  They just started stocking Kracken rum from my home state of Indiana.  Though a shot of it will cost you an arm and a leg, you can't really put a price on home.

The bar even hosted a Mardi Gras event featuring cajun food.  And keeping with the general theme of this piece, I missed that event, but I heard through the lao wei grapevine that it was un bon temps (my French is about as good as my Chinese).  

I plan to rekindle my love affair with the place during the NBA playoffs.  Go Pacers.  Any Beijinger looking for a fun place to watch some games, matches, and tournaments can't go wrong by checking this place out.  Don't let the small size fool you, this place is big fun.        

http://cujubeijing.com/