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What It Is: About time! RIINK, Shanghai's best (only?) roller rink started life in some godforsaken suburb of Shanghai called "Dapuqiao." I mean, the original spot on Dapu Lu was only about five minutes further on bike from say, South Shaanxi Station than its current location, but the mental barrier of going all the way south to the river is high for the agoraphobic rats that live in the Jing'an ghetto.



So, here you go, Jing'an rats! Right on your doorstep, the new and improved RIINK, in the heart of the new Shankang Courtyard that's generating so much buzz. It's bigger. It's brighter. It's right across from Roxie. It still has rollerskates, but more importantly, it has smoked sausage hotdogs.



Pancakes.



Rice bowls.



More arcade machines!



And a soft serve machine for soda floats, pretzel/soft serve/brownie combos, and a counter-window to serve coffee. Everything's like 38-68rmb except a couple of the bowls that are 78-88rmb, and the menu's extensive. They've got breakfast plates coming soon.



Solid lunch/cafe vibe during daylight hours. In the evening, they turn on the disco ambience and the light setups which sync to the DJ booth, and start slinging drinks. They're already spamming our events section with retro parties and themed nights. Skates go up to size 47 (48 & 49 inbound). It's 100rmb for a pair of skates — though they often do a 99rmb presale thing including a drink — or 158rmb for skates and either two drinks or a drink and a snack.



First Impression: RIINK 2.0 is just a bigger, more family-friendly RIINK with a bigger food menu. Think a big kid's birthday party that gradually turns into an alcohol-fueled roller derby.

If you were a fan, you'll still be a fan, and you'll be happy it's (probably) closer to where you live. I struggle to stay upright on my own two feet, so putting wheels on the bottom doesn't appeal, but I'm a sucker for watching other people struggle while I eat comfort food. The pancakes were excellent. And the soft serve machine, a famously mercurial piece of equipment, seems to work for now.





RIINK. Still a fun, funky night out, but also now a funky place for lunch.



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RIINK is located at 358 Kangding Lu, near Shaanxi Bei Lu / 康定路358号, 近陕西北路.