Is 7-Eleven Tianjin any good?

I take 7-Eleven very seriously, with it often feeling like a friend and ally in difficult times, if for no other reason than the fact that it has Soju. Therefore I was filled with pure elation when I saw that 7-Eleven Tianjin existed.

So, is it any good?

7-Eleven Tianjin

7-Eleven is one of the better known foreign convenience store brands operating in Tianjin, although you would be forgiven for not noticing. Unlike Japan, Thailand or even parts of Beijing, the chain has never completely taken over the city. Most people in Tianjin still rely on small independent convenience stores, supermarkets and neighbourhood shops for their daily needs.

Despite this, 7-Eleven has managed to carve out a niche for itself thanks to its food, drinks and imported products. This has survived even where the expats have left. The stores are generally clean, well stocked and reliable, making them a welcome sight when you are hungry, thirsty or just more than the utter crap served in a Chinese corner store.

Click to read about 7-eleven Beijing.

What do they have at 7-Eleven Tianjin

So, while I do not want to be rude about Tianjin, I will say this, it is a bit of a shithole that is past its prime. This is evidenced by the lack of street food and the huge number of boarded up shops. It also shows in the lack of good convenience stores, such as FamilyMart, Lawson and of course our dear 7-Eleven. All of these have the great stuff that you just cannot get from a Chinese corner stall.

In 7-Eleven the best thing they have, of course, is their range of sandwiches. Like Beijing, these are wide in range and include proper ham, cheese and other sandwiches. Then you have the drinks, which again are broad in selection. I had a honey water drink and even saw Sunkist being sold. I never even knew that Sunkist still existed. What really gets my vote though is that all 7-Elevens have Soju. Weirdly, despite the fact that it sells well, Chinese stores tend to only do the Bai Jiu thing. Bai Jiu is basically a crime against nature.

Lastly, and probably most importantly, they just have epic street food. This is not dissimilar to what you get in other chains. I mean meatballs, fried chicken and stuff like that. The difference with 7-Eleven is that they do it bloody well. This means that 7-Eleven Tianjin actually has some of the best street food in the city, with some of the cheapest prices. Go figure.

Click to read about Street Food Tianjin.

So, is Tianjin 7-Eleven any good?

Yes it is. In fact it is on par with Beijing and better than Shenzhen or Cambodia. Therefore the problem is not the quality of the 7-Eleven, but more the lack of them. I discovered just two stores, both by the train station. A Lawson near my hotel was also found, but again it was not quite as good.

Sadly China, unlike Bangkok, is not quite ready for a 7-Eleven on every corner. At least not quite yet.