Regular readers will know that I have more than a passing interest in 8-Eleven. Overall I love the place, BUT with that being said they differ greatly depending on where you are. With that in mind is Beijing 7-Eleven any good?
When it comes to 7-Eleven in China we have to really specific actually. 7-Eleven is of course literally a religion in Hong Kong, BUT Hong Kong really is not China.
Because of the distance this means there are also 7-Elevens in Shenzhen and Guangzhou, both of which are a pretty piss poor imitation of Hong Kong.
In this respects the same can also be said for Cambodian 7-Eleven in relation to Thailand.
Beijing though sits loud and proud, technically at least doing its own thing. How though does this translate to 7-11?
Minimarts in Beijing
Minimarts in China and indeed Beijing have never really been much cop. Back in the day you could not get anything bar biujiu and crap Chinese beer like Snow. Things though have gotten better and you will see Soju, International beer and even sandwiches.
Most minimarts though remain very Chinese in nature and a bit lacking for western guests. For Beijing 7-Eleven this also means that they are pretty much few and far between.
7-Eleven Beijing – The Booze
Chief among the charm of most every 7-Eleven in the world is the quality of the booze. Here Beijing scores pretty highly with it offering international beers, as well as the regular bad Chinese beers.
Where it scores massive points though is by providing Soju, which though the Chinese try to fight it pretty much everyone prefers to Bai Jiu. They also have a fine selection of liquor with it all being within the price range of your average mom and pop corner shops.
Sandwiches at 7-Eleven Beijing
As a veteran of 15+ years in China both bread and indeed sandwiches were a constant source of disappointment in China. From a bread point of view it was because it was always sweet. And as for sandwiches? Bad fillings wrapped in sweat bread were winning no plaudits.
Therefore I was not expecting much from the sandwiches at 7-11 Beijing, but boy was I taken a back. Almost a full few shelves dedicated to the snack, with varying sizes and indeed flavors to match any 7-11 I have been in.
And twice now they have more than passed the taste test and cost less then $2
Snacks at Beijing 7-Eleven
Snacks wise everything was very solid too, with the candy section being passable, various weird Chinese snacks being on offer, BUT them also offering the crab snacks of Thailand.
These again came in different styles and flavors with prices being just a few bucks a piece, Another shock, particularly compared to there marts in Beijing.
And then theres the Beijing 7-11 Street Food. This really has to be seen to be believed with there not just being food behind the counter, but there actually being a full on kitchen making food. This mostly consists of the great meat on a stick type thing, but as we discovered passed the perfect drunk taste test challenge.
So, is 7-Eleven Beijing any good?
7-11 Beijing was an unwavering success, not just for China, but also compared with other regional varieties. Overall I would put ot way above Cambodia and even on par with Seoul,
The big question can only be when 7-Eleven Beijing can get to a stage where you do not have to go looking for it, but it is on every street corner. Sadly I feel that the Chinese market is not quite ready for that just yet.