is a new cafe/bar and tattoo parlor on Jiaodaokou Nandajie. It's sandwiched in between 8-Bit and Katchup. That little stretch of turf is undergoing a real renaissance, I tell ya. Mo takes up the space lately vacated by Mono Records, which was, sadly, only open for about five minutes at the two-story venue. You can find Mono's wax over at Beetle in a Box, if you're looking for it though. They've slapped up a big "LP" sign on the front of the venue to testify to that. Anyway, Mo Bar & Tattoo -- ever been wandering around Gulou wondering where to get a drink and a tattoo? Real drought of drinks and tattoo places in Gulou, eh! Well, no more! Mo is a 15-seat cafe/bar on the first floor and a small, one-seater tattoo studio on the second. Looks like this: It's pretty, nice, and quaint actually, for a venue that's one-half tattoo parlor. It's green, neat, and leafy, and almost gives off the vibe of a garden center or something. Libations on offer are standard Gulou coffee shop bar fare -- coffee, tea, standard cocktails, along with a fridge of beer. 45rmb cocktails. 25rmb draft beer. We had a mojito... ...which was actually pretty damn alright. The small crowd there when we came by was friends with the owner -- it's one of those kinds of places. Friendly scene with Chinese folk on the radio, which is actually a nice change from hearing the Velvet Underground in a place like this. Would thumbs it up for a quiet drink with a significant other or for a coffee. Upstairs is the tattoo parlor, which looks like this: It's run by A Long, who's from Lanzhou originally. It's a one-man, one-seat operation, although he's taken on two students who are learning the craft. Long has been tattooing for 11 years, and in Beijing since 2008. His specialty is traditional Chinese art pieces but he can do other styles as well. The procedure is standard. You come in with an idea, however vague, and then you work it through with A Long. What style do you want? How big? What colors? Maybe your design should be wreathed in flame? Maybe just slap a big Satan face on it? Rates are Beijing-standard: 1000rmb per hour. Depending on how intricate your design is and how many colors, anything above the size of a pack of cigarettes or a CD case -- that's more than one hour. Your whole arm, leg, back -- that's hours and hours and hours. (And hours and hours.) Think it through. We got a chance to flip through his sketchbook. Some really fantastic designs. Check these out: A Long's number is 188 1000 2842, and you can also search it on WeChat. Walk-in's for a free consultation work too. Mo Bar & Tattoo is at 2 Qianyuan'ensi Hutong on Jiadaokou. The tattoo studio is open 11am to 11pm. The bar stays open later.