There’s a moment, somewhere between the rusted industrial pipework and a wall-sized mural you didn’t expect to find in northern China, when Beijing’s 798 Art District stops feeling like a destination and starts feeling like a discovery. It’s the kind of place that earns its reputation not by announcing itself loudly, but by quietly unfolding around you, gallery by gallery, laneway by laneway.
We arrived on one of those harsh Beijing winter mornings where the cold has weight to it. The kind of chill that settles into your collar and doesn’t leave. But 798 has a way of making you forget the temperature, at least for a while. The district sits in what were once Bauhaus-style military factory buildings in the Chaoyang district, and that industrial heritage gives the whole precinct a raw, textured feel that no amount of urban renewal planning could have manufactured. Street art climbs the brick walls. Sculpture gardens sprawl between café terraces. The galleries themselves range from internationally recognised institutions to tiny experimental spaces where the artist might be sitting in the corner watching your reaction.
We wandered for the better part of the morning, which in 798 means you’re never short of something to stop and consider.
Lunch at Bur Bar: Unexpectedly Brilliant
By midday, the cold had reasserted itself and while my feet were warm thanks to my 100% Australian made Ugg boots (first pair ever and never been more grateful of a shoe purchase), I was freezing and ready for warmth and food. We ducked into Bur Bar, half expecting an average burger or steak, what we ended up finding was something considerably better.
The burgers here are the kind that make you reconsider every average burger you’ve eaten before. Thick, properly seasoned patties, fresh ingredients stacked with intention rather than habit, and brioche buns that hold everything together without turning to paste. The atmosphere matches, relaxed, unpretentious, with a warmth that’s partly the heating and partly just the vibe of the place. It’s a proper lunch stop, not a tourist trap wearing a burger’s clothing. At 80 Yuan ($12 USD) it certainly was not the cheapest burger I’ve bought in China, but I almost feel it was expected in the nation’s capital AND in a fancy art district.
If you’re spending a full day at 798, plan your route around lunch here. You’ll thank yourself.
The Yak Milk Tea That Changed the Afternoon
Post-lunch, with the galleries still calling and the temperature refusing to budge, we found our way to Hey Tea — the popular Chinese tea chain that has developed something of a cult following for good reason.
I ordered the Yak Milk Tea, partly out of curiosity, mostly because anything involving the word “yak” on a cold Beijing afternoon felt like it was fun to pronounce (you can blame my love of Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls).
Yak milk is richer and creamier than standard dairy, and in a milk tea context that translates to something deeply satisfying, thick without being heavy, subtly sweet, with a warmth that seems to radiate from the inside out. Wrapped around the cup with both hands, watching the afternoon light shift across the district’s angular rooflines, it felt like exactly the right drink in exactly the right place at exactly the right time.
Hey Tea has multiple locations across Beijing and Australia, but drinking one inside 798 on a cold afternoon wasn’t expected, but it was appreciated.
Worth Every Cold Step
Beijing’s 798 Art District is the sort of destination that rewards slow travel — the kind of day where you resist the urge to tick boxes and instead let the place set the pace. Add a brilliant burger lunch and a warming yak milk tea into that equation, and you’ve got the kind of day that stays with you long after the temperature does.
If you’re building a Beijing itinerary, carve out a full day for 798. Dress for the cold. And whatever you do, don’t skip the yak milk tea if you’re visiting in winter.