The TIAO cocktail bar at Mandarin Oriental Qianmen has entered Asia's 50 Best Bars 2026, combining modern mixology and Beijing's hutong traditions.
A cocktail address within the hutongs
TIAO, the cocktail bar at Mandarin Oriental Qianmen, Beijing, has entered Asia's 50 Best Bars list for 2026. The result was announced in Macau on 28 July, around two years after the bar opened inside a restored two-floor retreat in the hotel's historic neighbourhood.
This is a separate award for the bar, not the ranking received by the Qianmen hotel in September. The combination of an individual drinks programme and a courtyard setting gives the venue a distinct identity within the broader hospitality property.
A menu shaped by local ingredients
Bar and beverage manager Miranda Xu and head bartender Matt Guo lead a team that incorporates tea, Chinese flavours and stories of the surrounding city into contemporary cocktails. The operator describes the aim as connecting the everyday warmth of Caochang's hutong lanes with a more international drinks culture.
The setting is deliberately intimate, with Beijing-inspired bar food available alongside the drinks. Individual recipes and their availability will change, so the official menu and current reservations should be checked rather than relying on one photographed cocktail.
Recognition beyond the opening year
The bar's first appearance on the regional list followed an awards ceremony attended by hospitality professionals from across Asia. The team subsequently organised a one-night guest-bartender gathering in late August, adding another layer to its engagement with the regional cocktail community.
The August celebration is now a past event, not an upcoming booking opportunity. Its place in the story is to show what the bar did following the result, without implying that a temporary menu remains on offer.
A city visit with a sense of place
Qianmen's traditional residential architecture provides a different approach to evening hospitality from a high-rise rooftop bar. Guests can explore the neighbourhood and then return to a venue whose interior reflects the scale of the courtyard houses around it.
The exact drink photograph and primary announcement identify TIAO. Beijing is inland, so any marine itinerary requires separate planning rather than assuming a connection to a coastal yacht hub.