central perk in beijing.

On Saturday, a few of us met up at Central Perk! It was so cool, just like the cafe from Friends! In fact, I think that's what we all kept saying, "This is so cool!" 

Of course, we had to take our photos in front of the sign. 

It was smaller than I expected, but still... you guessed it... so cool!

The only food option was 6 different cupcakes, one named after each "friend." For drinks, they had a lot of different coffee options and honestly, I didn't really pay attention to the rest. I know they had milkshakes, though, because that's what Tony ordered. 

I ordered a "Phoebe" cupcake: carrot cake with coconut cream frosting and a piece of coconut chocolate on top, and a honey macchiato. Both were perfection. (And this is coming from someone who usually doesn't like baked goods here in China.)

While I was there with her, Melissa ordered a "Joey" cupcake: chocolate and vanilla cake with peanut butter frosting and jam filling and M&Ms on top. 

We each had two drinks, because once we saw the to-go cups, we wanted one :) (And then while we were sitting on the couch watching episodes of Friends, we realized the characters were using the same cups! I might have freaked out a bit and slapped Melissa's leg in excitement :)

We had to wait a while, but we finally got the couch!

We decided Tony and I are Chandler and Monica. At first I protested, but after watching, I realized I'm definitely Monica. And proud of it!

The cafe plays Friends episodes continuously on a TV in front of the couch. It was fun and relaxing to sit with our drinks and watch a couple episodes. 

Guess what's beside the main part of the café... Joey and Chandler's apartment! 

Of course we had a game of foosball. (Not really because we couldn't find the ball.)

And we relaxed in the recliners. 

If you're in Beijing and a fan of Friends*, I'd definitely recommend checking it out. 

Here's the address in English and Chinese: Central Perk, Chaowai SOHO, 6 Chaoyangmenwai Dajie, Building A, Suite 0616. 朝阳门外大街,朝外SOHO,A区0616室. And more information here.

*You might like it even if you're not a fan. Here's a conversation Tony and I had before we went:

Him: "This is a coffee place for Friends' fans, right? I'm not a fan." 

Me: "Yah, but guess what..."

Him: (He interrupted me) "You're a fan." 

Me: "That's right! You're dating a Friends fan! So get ready!" 

And then he went, he liked it, he laughed through every episode they played, and a Friends fan was born.