Article By Michael Gruendner
10101, Building 46, Jin Tai Jia Ri Hua Cheng, Zi Wei Xi Fang Jie Road, Dian Zi 4 Road, Yanta District.
雁塔区电子四路旁紫薇西街坊路金泰假日花城46栋10101(商铺农行隔壁)
132-2789-0057
5:00pm – 1:00am
Average Price per Person /人均消费:59RMB
PROS: Good Beer, Friendly owner, great environment
CONS: A little small, No/Limited English, location
99+ Bar is in the south-east corner of Gaoxin, but I’m glad I made time to go check it out. This small, but well laid out bar is a gem in a sea of beer supermarkets.
They host a modest, but varied enough selection of beer that is sure to meet your tastes. I chose an IPA from a brewery I don’t usually go for and I was pleasantly surprised. They also have all the staples you see around the city, like Vedett, Corona, Hoegaarden and many others for those of us who aren’t as adventurous in our drinking habits. They don’t have a menu or any liquor, I’m sorry to say. But the beer is easy to see, as every option is displayed on their main wall, so you don’t have to stand in front of the fridge trying to figure out what you want for 15-20 minutes only to find a beer you really like after finally settling for something you recognize, but don’t always enjoy.
Being in such a tight space also affords you the opportunity to meet the locals. While I know many foreigners on their nights out or after work don’t always want to converse with the sometimes overly friendly inhabitants, but this is assuredly a place you would want to try. Right after getting my beer I was greeted by one of the friendliest strangers I’ve had the pleasure of coming across and, after welcoming me to China and Xi’an (and incorrectly assuming I was from Germany), we had a lovely chat about making friends from all over the world. Then I got to meet the owner. While my Chinese is by no means good I was able to converse in half English half Chinese about beer, his life, comparing bars in America to bars in China.
These are the kinds of experiences we should look for as foreigners in another country, and with an opportunity so close at hand I hope some of you go out and meet some locals in a new space and have a talk about life and beer, two things that should never be too far apart.
Mike Gruendner is an Energizer bunny FOMO-ing at the mouth. He can be reached at reviews@xianease.com