53 Best Restaurants in Chaoyang District, Beijing

Healthy, light dishes served in modern, hip surroundings make Moka Bros a surefire winner if you're in downtown Sanlitun and time is tight. But not everyone here is in a rush: this is also where Beijing's cool crowd come to hang out over laptops and lattes. Trendy but not pretentious, this excellent café is the perfect place for a pit stop, especially if you're after a nutritious salad and smoothie, a tasty wrap and filling rice bowl, or something similar.

A hit with the cosmopolitan crowd, this casual fine-dining restaurant rarely fails to impress. The open kitchen turns out innovative, good-value international fare with a Latino twist, such as a braised oxtail and black bean napoleon, grilled tuna steak with mojo (a spicy sauce), and a famous chocolate soufflé with Sichuan-pepper ice cream. A solid wine list (there's also wine-paired set menu) and well-mixed cocktails keep the upwardly mobile diners here in high spirits. In warm weather, try to reserve one of the few balcony tables.

After a year or so in the restaurant wilderness, this much-heralded contemporary Asian eatery is now in Parkview Green, one of the city's most original and appealing shopping malls. From the decor to the dinnerware, there's nothing really humble here. Designed by a Japanese architect, the skylit dining room is laid out around a pool and flanked with live bamboo. Delicately prepared Southeast Asian dishes, such as Malaysian laksa are joined by Chinese fare, including crisp-skinned Peking duck.

This is the only place in Beijing—perhaps all of China—to get genuine New Orleans grits, jambalaya (peppered with dark sausage), traditional gumbo, and other Cajun and Creole fare. For a quick snack, grab a po'boy served in a crusty roll with a side of fries; the pork tenderloin with bacon-wrapped plums will do for bigger appetites. A lovely rooftop terrace makes for romantic alfresco dining overlooking leafy embassy gardens and nearby Ritan Park. Finish with warm apple cobbler and a melting scoop of nutmeg ice cream.

With a dozen seats surrounding an open kitchen, this petite dining room next to Duck de Chine lives large when it comes to flavor. The brief menu lists little more than beef brisket, tendon, and tripe, which are stewed to tender perfection and added to delicious noodles, hand-pulled while you wait.

Watch the dough masters work in a flurry while you slurp your noodles at this bright and ritzy restaurant. A seat at the bar lets you observe chefs snipping, shaving, and pulling dough into various styles of noodles amid clouds of steam. The black-and-white decor plays backdrop to a trendy crowd; do as they do and order Shanxi-style "cat's ears" (mao er duo), so named for the way the nips of dough are curled around the chef's thumb into an ear shape. They are then stir-fried with pork, eggs, cabbage, and wood-ear mushrooms.

This upscale sushi bar, restaurant and cocktail joint is the work of Max Levy, a New Orleans native who became the only non-Japanese sushi chef at New York’s famous Sushi Yasuda. Daily kaiseki (traditional set menus) star pearlescent sushi and sashimi, dainty hot dishes like slow-cooked octopus, and countless other classy snacks, like the signature yakitoro—charcoal-roasted fatty tuna with leeks, garlic, and grill sauce—or the roasted eel and avocado, artfully wrapped in a thin slice of cucumber. The sparse, simple decor doesn't quite match the sophistication of the food; if you like to watch the chefs slicing and dicing up close, book a spot at the seven-seat sushi bar.

Contemporary fine dining with a major North American influence brings business travelers to the Hilton's flagship restaurant. In addition to succulent steaks, the kitchen serves lighter fare like sea bass with a sweet garlic puree. Or go large with one of Beijing's fanciest burgers, made with wagyu beef and served with foie gras and black truffle. You'll find a very good wine list here, enjoyed by a crowd that's a mix of loyal Beijing residents and hotel guests drifting down from their rooms.

Although this Italian restaurant is in a shopping mall, it has a gorgeous interior and serves decadent food. Langoustine carpaccio, Wagyu beef ravioli, and white truffle risotto are the types of dishes featured on the menu.

Hearty German food like pork knuckle and various wurst is dished up in heaping portions at this bright and spacious hotel restaurant. Wash it all down with delicious Bavarian-style beer made right in the restaurant; try the Maibock, served in genuine German steins. In summer, you can enjoy your meal outdoors in the beer garden beside the Liangma River. Every October, the restaurant puts on a decent rendition of Munich's famous Oktoberfest.

Instead of the banquet-style scene found in Beijing's more traditional roast duckeries, the setting here is more laid-back, with diners lounging on comfortable sofas in a moderately sized, warmly lit dining room. The succulent signature dish is still made to exacting standards, and other popular dishes such as kung pao shrimp and green beans in sesame sauce are done well, too.

You'd never guess, but this glamorous vegetarian haven is owned and operated by Buddhist monks. The warm jewel tones and traditional artwork will calm and restore frazzled nerves, and dishes served on mother-of-pearl amid wafting dry ice will delight the senses. The exhaustive, expensive menu artfully transcends the typical tofu and salad offerings by including mock meat dishes, such as Sichuan-style "fish" or Beijing-style "duck" (it's all made from wheat gluten and soy protein.) Alcohol is off the menu, but a wide range of teas and fruit drinks are available.

Soaring ceilings and enormous mirrors decorated with Arabic script create a casually exotic atmosphere at this all-white Persian favorite. Portions are family-sized, and a mixed appetizer of three choices from the menu is more than enough for a summertime supper. Standouts include Persian flat bread with thick hummus, grilled chicken in a tangy pomegranate sauce, tender marinated lamb chops or a platter of generously sized meat and seafood kebabs. For dessert, take your rosewater and pistachio ice cream out to the patio to enjoy the breeze. The Baha'i owner doesn't offer alcohol, but you're welcome to bring your own.

This eatery—a favorite of Thais living in Beijing—serves all the traditional Thai dishes. Try the duck salad, pomelo salad, green curry, or one of the plentiful hot-and-spicy soups.

Of the branches in this classy, Beijing chain of Peking-duck restaurants, this one is the most popular thanks to a prime location in the Sanlitun nightlife district. The duck here is roasted in an open kitchen and served with an indulgent selection of traditional Beijing accompaniments.

Housed in the city's hippest hotel, this chic, sceney eatery with an open kitchen is a great spot for people-watching over a glass of wine and excellent tapas. A wood-fired oven takes center stage, baking exquisite thin-crust pizzas and grilled meats, including wagyu steaks, tuna, and tender baby chicken. The Florentine steak (for two or more) is a hefty showstopper. A basement garden is a pleasant haven for brunch before kicking off a weekend shopping trip at the luxury boutiques of Taikoo Li Sanlitun North.

Since 1998, Beijing's best Indian restaurant has been serving up the classics, like chicken tikka masala, palak paneer (creamy spinach with cheese), rogan josh (tender lamb in curry sauce) and a range of grilled meats and fish from the tandoor oven. Wash it all down with a cup of masala tea flavored with cardamom, cloves, and ginger. Consistently good service and an informal atmosphere make this a well-loved neighborhood haunt. Newer branches have opened in Lido and Shunyi.

Refined Mediterranean dishes are a marked contrast to the industrial-chic interior of this former factory. The young, well-heeled crowd fuels up on tasty tapas and wine before heading out into the nightclubs of Sanlitun. Perch yourself on the luxe leather seats against exposed brick walls and sip on a selection from the modern wine list. Or dig in for a heftier meal of authentic paella (served in wide cast-iron pans), roast suckling pig, baby-back ribs, and generous salads.

This patisserie takes its name from a Lenin speech and its aesthetic from Melbourne's contemporary coffee scene. Although the selection of pastries is limited, each freshly baked item is sure to hit the spot.

The popularity of Guizhou cuisine and its trademark spicy-sour flavors prompted three artist friends from the province to set up shop in Beijing. Noteworthy dishes include "beef on fire" (pieces of beef placed on a bed of chives over burning charcoal) accompanied by ground chilies; pork ribs; spicy lamb with mint leaves; and mi doufu, a rice-flour cake in spicy sauce.

This is one of Beijing's hottest contemporary Chinese restaurants, and we're not just talking about the chilies. Located in the upscale Sanlitun Village North, this glam Sichuan establishment marries the region's famous spicy dishes with slick service and a designer interior entirely at home amid the surrounding luxury boutiques.

A foreigner-friendly introduction to Chinese homestyle cooking, this restaurant is popular with the city's expat community. Thanks to rampant reconstruction, it's moved from location to location as neighborhoods have been torn down, but fans can now happily find the newest site inside Ritan Park, located in a small, two-story building, with an attractive rooftop area overlooking the park's greenery. The Peking duck is solid, and the laziji (deep-fried chicken smothered in dried red chilies) is just spicy enough. The second-floor dining area overlooks the main floor, with plenty of natural sunlight pouring through the surrounding windows.