(City Weekend)
Updated: 2006-08-04 09:58

The area surrounding the Lido Hotel is Beijing's capital for western comforts like pints and wings served by English speaking staff. If this is what you're into, great, but as much as the Lido centers around western bar culture, there is also a bit of variety that can be found if you look hard enough.

You might start out with a nice seat on the patio at Eudora Station where you can enjoy a draught beer and the sunshine with a view of the massive cab queue constantly amassing and morphing in front of Lido Plaza. It could be likened to watching some kind interactive modern art display, if you've had enough beer.

Now you have a couple of options: head towards the Rosedale hotel and take a right. This will lead you to Trio. The name represents a threesome of restaurant bars. Frank's Place, with their extensive bar, sport's oriented feel, and breezy patios, can be a place to park yourself and enjoy beers and cocktails with nice pub fare all day. The Cellar, downstairs, stocks fine wines from all around the world. The place to be if you're a wine enthusiast or pretending to be one.

If, from Eudora Station, you opt to head towards Fangyuan Xilu, stop in at the all-outdoor Life Bar. With an upper patio that looks out onto the street below and drinks that are a bit cheaper than their neighbors', this is a nice spot for simplicity and relaxation.

Head out on to Fangyuan Xilu and take a right, eventually you will hit the ultra-swanky Area Club, where you can drop big kuai to rub shoulders with some of Beijing's beautiful people hamming it up on the dance floor.

The Lido scene. It's there if you look for it. Sort of.

Eudora Station
Location: No.6 Fang Yuan Xilu,Chaoyang District
Tel: 010-64378331