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Since imperial times, Beijing has drawn citizens from all corners of China, and the country's economic boom has only accelerated the culinary diversity of the capital. These days, diners can find food from the myriad cuisines of far-flung regions of China, as well as just about every kind of international food.
Highlights include rare fungi and flowers from Yunnan, chili-strewn Hunan cooking from Mao’s home province, Tibetan yak and tsampa (barley flour), mutton kebabs and grilled flatbreads from Xinjiang, numbingly spicy Sichuan cuisine, and chewy noodles from Shaanxi. And then there are ethnic foods from all over, with some—notably Italian, Japanese and Korean—in abundance.
You can spend as little as $5 per person for a decent meal or $100 and up on a lavish banquet. The variety of venues is also part of the fun, with five-star hotel dining rooms, holes-in-the-wall, and refurbished courtyard houses all represented. Reservations are always a good idea, especially for higher-end places, so ask your hotel to book you a table.
Beijingers tend to eat dinner around 6 pm, and many local restaurants will have closed their kitchens by 9 pm, though places that stay open until the wee hours aren’t hard to find. Tipping is not the custom although some larger, international restaurants will add a 15% service charge to the bill, as do five-star hotel restaurants. Be aware before you go out that small and medium venues only take cash payments or local bank cards; more established restaurants usually accept credit cards.
Yanjing, the local beer, together with the ubiquitous Tsingtao, is available everywhere in Beijing. A growing number of imported beer brands have entered the market, and Beijing has a burgeoning craft beer scene of its own. And now many Chinese restaurants now have extensive wine menus.
A peaceful hutong is the setting for this welcoming Hunan restaurant, whose signature dish is Chairman Mao's favorite: hong shao rou (braised pork belly). The food is almost unrelentingly spicy; if you can handle the heat, though, it's worth it.
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.
A lively, old-time atmosphere and hand-pulled noodles are the hallmarks of this chain. Try the classic zhajiang noodle, served in a ground-meat sauce with accompaniments of celery, bean sprouts, green beans, soybeans, slivers of cucumber, and red radish.
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.
"Farm to table" is the creed at this peaceful Guizhou-style restaurant west of Houhai Lake. Dishes like braised pork ribs and sticky rice wrapped in bamboo, stir-fried "country-style" vegetables rich with the sour-sharp tang of fermented bamboo, and even the house-made ice cream all use ingredients from the owner's own farms and small holdings on the outskirts of the city. Beyond an admirable commitment to sourcing, it's the little touches that make this eatery shine, such as complimentary tastings of homemade rice-wine tasters infused with rose petals and organic honey.
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.
Pull up a tiny stool for stick-to-your-ribs goodness at this rustic haven for Shaanxi fare. Hearty wheat-based specialities include roujia mo (unleavened bread stuffed with tender braised pork, aka "Chinese hamburger"), and chewy hand-pulled noodles flavored with chili oil and dark vinegar. Lending a bit of charm are the framed paper cuts (a form of Chinese folk art in which red paper is cut into animal, flower, or human shapes), traditional handicrafts, and large woven baskets (you can use them to store your purse or bags while you eat).
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.
An early pioneer in the uber-chic Wudaoying Hutong, Saffron is still going strong, with refined Mediterranean food served in a romantic courtyard house with outside terrace. Tapas, paella, sangria, and desserts (displayed in a glass case), served with warmth, provide the makings for a fine evening. If it's busy, head to a small place opposite called Chi. Sharing the same globe-trotting Chinese owners, it specializes in organic prix-fixe menus of European-inspired contemporary cooking. You won't go wrong.
Don't let the French name fool you: this well-established restaurant serves thoroughly delicious Korean food. The beef stew is a particular hit, as are the kimchi pancakes.
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.
A specialty of this historic restaurant is shaoguo, a traditional fatty-pork casserole. The dish was originated by the Manchus during the Qing Dynasty, when sacrificial offerings of whole pigs were common.
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.
This excellent restaurant, part of a local chain, says "yes" to seasonality and no to "MSG." Folks line up for over an hour to get a taste of its famous Peking duck.
At this achingly hip Hunan restaurant on the quieter side of town, the specialty is fengminiurou, a honey-cured beef that's stir-fried with generous amounts of chili.
Though there's no meat on the menu, carnivores can still sate their hunger on mock Peking "duck," "fish" (made of tofu sheets with scales carved into it), and tasty "lamb" skewers that you'd be hard pressed to claim contain no meat at all. In fact, we'd suggest plumping for the straight-up vegetable dishes here, like stir-fried okra with mushrooms, steamed eggplant with sesame paste or the stone-pot-braised taro, which eschew novelty for sheer deliciousness. The restaurant is a little hard to find: it's inside the alley just east of the large Wahaha Hotel.
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.
Tucked away down a dim alley north of the National Art Museum, this hip hutong eatery has quickly gained a following for Beijing's best Vietnamese food. Choose from various light and fresh summer rolls and salads to start, and be sure to order the succulent barbecued La Vong Fish, served on a bed of vermicelli with herbs, peanuts, crispy rice crackers, and shrimp, which goes well with beer from the local Slow Boat Brewery. The lovingly restored courtyard house has a gorgeous patio and rooftop seating for pleasant weather, but the beautifully furnished interiors aren't too shabby either.
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.
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.
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.
Yue Bin was the first private restaurant to open in Beijing after the Cultural Revolution era, and its home-style cooking remains popular. The tiny, no-frills dining room is just big enough for half a dozen tables, where you'll see families chowing down on specialities such as suanni zhouzi, garlic-marinated braised pork shoulder.
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