There's got to be at least 9,000 non-nondescript bars around China's major metropolises named "Yu". This is most definitely another one that now exists. Here's Yu Bar, serving a big cocktails and Mexi food menu right next to the Sanlitun Youth Hostel. A cursory glance reveals that they've managed to tick off all the boxes to authentically offer up the standard backpacker bar experience: the whole thing is made of wood, cigarette ash and Carlsberg ads; they've got a foosball table; they've got a big screen projector playing a never ending soccer game; and as soon as you walk in, you're enveloped in that dank, salty atmosphere that implies that some serious and resolute binge drinking went down on the premises in the very recent past. One key piece of individual flare though, is this thing, which is prominently situated in the entrance way. It's an ancient (not ancient) fountain that oozes dry ice smoke and a soothing bubbling noise. It's got a pink light and a lion. I... uh... I kinda like it. Kinda want one myself. It says something to me. (I dunno what.) Wonder how long it's going to take before they run out of dry ice and just say fuck it and leave it turned off. We headed on down earlier this week to celebrate Cinco de Mayo, a holiday celebrating American university students, I think? Not too sure about it. Anyway, it was an excuse to try out their Mexican food and drinks. DRINKS Hey, they make their own beer! Guess that's not such a surprising thing in Beijing anymore. Probably more surprising to just not do that. Anyhoo, this is "Hand Crafted Beer (Yu Bar)"... ...a standard Hefeweizen-style beer served in the appropriate class. Pretty alright, actually. Thumbs up. Good on them. And only 25rmb as well. Good deal. They've also got a dark and a porter but it being Cinco de Mayo, we switched to... ...pina coladas! Ayayay! Kinda not great. No crushed ice? Was a bit like a glass of milk with a lil' splash of rum. And not enough zany action around the rim of the glass. You need tons of zany shit around the rim of the glass, you just do. I mean, come on now. Come on. A fairly forlorn Mojito. An unloved margarita. They also have these for sale at the bar. "Nutritional Supplements During Pregnancy and Lactation". I uh... FOOD So, food. They've got to be loving the closure of el Gran Bocado around the corner because it means that Yu Bar is the only game in the neighborhood serving this brand of Mexican cuisine: cheapish, gloopy, obvious, brick-in-your-stomach-style tacos, burritos, and fajitas, heavy on the grease, heavy on the fat, and, ideally, heavy on the satisfaction. Look at this damn plate of nachos. "Beef Nachos - 60rmb" Big, heaving plate of greasy chips, absolutely slathered in guac, cheese, beef, and just a dollup of cold sour cream on top. Best enjoyed whilst chain smoking cigarettes, and two-fisting it like an animal, trying to get to the bottom of the plate before your heart explodes out of your chest. It looks like a nightmare, eh? Got about one-third of the way through this thing then just pushed it to the other side of the table and occasionally flipped it off for the rest of the meal. "Bean Burrito - 45rmb" Burrito town. Here's the standard bean burrito. Eh... I've had worse. It's not worse than say... getting hit in the face by a brick. The effort is there in the construction. There's a lot of "filler" going on with it, but it was fairly edible. Hard Shell Chorizo Tacos - 65rmb Hard shell tacos. 65rmb. Damn. That's a rip. No other way to say it. That's a straight-up rip. It was just four small tacos with a thin layer of Chorizo at the bottom, no cheese, with a hockey puck of rice on a TV dinner plate. 65 kuai, aarrrrg. The Take-Away: As a bar it's alright, I suppose. Seems geared towards a youth hostel sort of crowd, and in that capacity it has to serve but one function: could two traveling backpacking sort of people conceivably meet each other at this bar and then go get laid afterwards in their youth hostel. To that I would say: yes, that sounds conceivable. Drinks are cheap and not complete poison. As a restaurant, the food is not good enough for the prices. Simple as that. It's too expensive for a straight-up gust-busting Mexican food restaurant. Still, service was very nice, so we're rooting for them in the end... *** Yu Bar is at 21 Chunxiu, in the courtyard behind the Youth Hostel. Walking towards Gongti from Great Leap it's on the left side of the street, just a little bit off the road.