Central Perk in China

If you've watched even just a couple of episodes of F.R.I.E.N.D.S. then Central Perk is going to ring some bells! Obviously, the TV series was filmed in NYC, but if you happen to be in Beijing, China, you might want to visit a quaint, little replica of the famous cafe.



The owner did a pretty good job in copying the original and it's got the F.R.I.E.N.D.S. vibe all over the place, with framed photos of the cast on the brick walls, cupcakes named after the characters, a guitar to release your inner Phoebe and even a cat called-- you guessed it-- Smelly Cat. 

Episodes of the series (in English with Chinese subtitles) are played all day. If you're lucky enough, the couch right in front of the TV is free so you can watch comfortably with a nice cup of coffee in hand. The menu isn't spectacular, especially since pastries aren't very popular in China (based on my observations), but it was a pretty neat experience.

Central Perk is open daily from 11:00am to 9:30pm. It's a really small cafe so expect it to be packed during weekends. Before you leave, take some Central Perk merch with you and drop by the room next door (you'll see why when you get there).

How to get there by subway: Get off the Jintaixizhao (line 10) station, exit A and prepare to walk a bit. You will see the Beijing Grand Millennium Hotel and then cross to Jintong East Road and turn right. Continue walking until you reach Jinghua North Street. Turn left and look for a big SOHO building on your right. Central Perk should be on the 6th floor of Building A.