Restaurants in Beijing
Eating has a special place in the Chinese psyche, and visitors won't have to walk far to find a restaurant serving Beijing’s famous Peking duck, or more eclectic delicacies such as fried pigs’ trotters and duck's tongue.
The international dining scene is maturing too, with French restaurants proving particularly popular with locals, but with such fantastic Chinese food of offer, many visitors prefer to use mealtimes to sample the nation’s fascinating and varied regional cuisines.
The Beijing restaurants below have been grouped into three pricing categories:
Expensive (over ¥300)
Moderate (¥100 to ¥300)
Cheap (up to ¥100)
Prices are for a three-course meal for one, including a bottle of house wine or equivalent. You won't be able to get wine in cheap restaurants, where beer or local spirits are the order of the day. Tipping is only expected at the plushest of restaurants in Beijing.
Expensive
Duck de Chine
Cuisine: Chinese and FrenchThere are no prizes for guessing the house speciality at this sleek French-meets-Chinese restaurant in the industrial-modernist 1949 The Hidden City compound. The upscale menu of duck delicacies is accompanied by a stellar wine list, and many say it serves the best Peking duck in town.
Address: Chaoyang, Courtyard 4, Gong Ti Bei Lu, Beijing, 100027Telephone: +86 10 6501 1949
Opera Bombana
Cuisine:Created by celebrity chef Umberto Bombana (who also co-owns the three Michelin star retaurant 8½ Otto e Mezzo Bombana in Hong Kong), this upmarket Italian restaurant offers creatively presented contemporary Italian fare. The set-lunch is particularly popular - guests enjoy quality Australian Wagyu beef or artisanal spelt spaghetti for a few hundred yens.
Address: Chaoyang, 9 Dongdaqiao Road, Beijing, 100020Telephone:
TRB Hutong
Cuisine: FrenchNestled in a 600 year-old temple, this restaurant wins with big, bold flavours and artfully presented small plates. Appealing to the Francophile tastes of the Beijing elite, the menu is French-flavoured, but with subtle nods to Asia.
Address: Dongcheng, 23 Shatan Beijie, Beijing, 10009Telephone:
Moderate
Dali Courtyard
Cuisine: YunnaneseDown a backstreet hutong off Gulou Dongdajie, this delightful courtyard restaurant serves excellent set menus of authentic Yunnanese cuisine. The menu runs from Yunnanese dumplings and sausages to fish with chilli and fresh vegetables and herbs from the Yunnanese hills. Come summer, the tree-filled garden terrace is one of Beijing's most appealing dining spots.
Address: Dongcheng, 67 Xiaojingcheng Hutong, Beijing, 100009Telephone: +86 10 8404 1430.
Din Tai Fung
Cuisine: TaiwaneseThe dim sum steamers keep coming at this Taiwanese restaurant in Chaoyang, and despite the moderate prices, the dumplings are some of Beijing's best. Xiaolong bao (southwestern-style steamed dumplings) are the house speciality but there are loads of other delicate bites to try, including tasty red-bean paste stuffed dou sha bao.
Address: Chaoyang, 24 Xinyuan Xili Zhongjie, Liangmaqiao, Beijing, 100027Telephone: +86 10 6462 4502.
Hatsune
Cuisine: JapaneseAt the top of the mid-range bracket, this chic Japanese restaurant draws a mixed crowd of businessmen and hip 20-somethings who don’t mind paying extra for something a little special. The chefs prepare sushi and handmade California rolls with real artistic flair, all enjoyed in a snappily dressed dining room.
Address: Chaoyang, 19 Sanlitun, Beijing, 100020Telephone: +86 10 6581 3939.
Cheap
Donghuamen Night Market
Cuisine: ChineseA sizzling treat for street-food addicts, the Donghuamen Night Market is clean, cheap and phenomenally popular. Red lanterns lead the way to this bustling collection of stalls serving everything from meaty kebabs to obscure Chinese delicacies such as silkworms and scorpions. Pancakes, dumplings, stews and dipping sauces also accompany these skewered treats.
Address: Dongcheng, Donghuamen Dajie, Beijing, 100005Telephone:
Haidilao
Cuisine: SichuaneseBeijing’s spice lovers make a beeline for this low-key Sichuan restaurant for its epic hot pots, with incendiary broth for dipping and a host of tasty, fresh ingredients to dip into it. As well as fiery flavours, you get fun and friendly service and the live theatre of noodle-pulling, all ingredients for a fun night out.
Address: Chaoyang, 2A Baijiazhuang Lu, Beijing, 100001Telephone: +86 10 6595 2982.
Website: http://www.haidilao.com
Mr Shi's Dumplings
Cuisine: ChineseThis small hole-in-the-wall establishment serves a wide range of reasonably priced dumplings. No-frills, just good homemade dumplings.
Address: Dongcheng, 74 Baochao Hutong, Beijing, 100007Telephone:
Mr Shi's Dumplings
Cuisine: ChineseThis small hole-in-the-wall establishment serves a wide range of reasonably priced dumplings. No-frills, just good homemade dumplings.
Address: Dongcheng, 74 Baochao Hutong, Beijing, 100007Telephone:
Najia Xiaoguan
Cuisine: ManchurianTucked into a historic courtyard, this Manchurian restaurant was reputedly founded by the personal doctor of a Qing dynasty emperor, using recipes borrowed from the imperial kitchens. Regular diners rave about the tender pork belly with dates, and the intriguing game meat stews.
Address: Chaoyang, 10 Yonganli, Jianguomenwai Dajie, Beijing, 100027Telephone: +86 10 6567 3663.
