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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.
The miracle-worker chef transforms tofu, wheat gluten, mushrooms, and other vegetarian ingredients into delectable "fake meat" dishes at this upscale courtyard restaurant. The views of the Lama Temple across the street seem equally miraculous.
Worship at the altar of Epicureanism, and surround yourself with serenity at the city's best international fine-dining restaurant, nestled in the heart of Old Beijing. TRB (as it's also known) serves high-end European cuisine in a spacious, minimalist dining room within a fabulously restored Ming Dynasty Buddhist temple complex.
Enjoy deluxe hotel dining amid murals and paintings of cheerful Italian Renaissance characters at Aria. Choose from three settings: the posh dining and bar area on the first floor, intimate private rooms upstairs, or alfresco on a terrace, protected by the din of downtown by neatly manicured bushes and roses. A decadent meal here would include foie gras and seafood bisque, followed by one of the excellent steaks, with a playful deconstructed cheesecake for dessert. The best deal at this elegant restaurant is the three-course weekday business lunch with coffee or tea for Y188.
Staff dressed in richly hued, Qing-dynasty attire welcome you at this grand courtyard house, the Bai family mansion. Featured delicacies (ordered via an iPad) include bird's-nest soup, braised sea cucumber, abalone, and authentic imperial snacks.
Well executed Italian food in plush surroundings makes this luxury hotel restaurant as appropriate for a power lunch as for a romantic dinner. Wine is clearly the inspiration, from the burgundy hues of the decor to the long list of Italian vintages to the use of the restaurant's namesake in dishes such as tagliolini with sea urchin, suckling pig, and wagyu beef cheek.
With its unique perch overlooking the Forbidden City’s moat, the Courtyard made a name for itself as Beijing’s most romantic restaurant. Under the recent stewardship of the British chef Brian McKenna, and after a designer makeover from the team behind New York’s W Hotel, it has emerged as a destination restaurant for Beijing’s jet set. Prix-fixe menus of molecular-inspired cooking woo diners with kitchen tricks inspired by the likes of El Bulli and the Fat Duck. Service and execultion can be hit or miss (often depending on whether Chef McKenna is at the helm or not), but some of the dishes, like the chocolate terra-cotta warrior emerging from edible “soil,” are really quite special.
The Ritz-Carlton's flagship restaurant stands out from the many other high-end Italian restaurants in the city for its focus on mushrooms. A humidor is used here to store seasonal mushrooms that can be transformed into various soups, risottos, and pastas. Taking the fungi theme a step further, about 1,000 mushroom-shaped sculptures are suspended from the ceiling, adding a touch of whimsy to the otherwise unaffected interior.
If you're looking for old-world elegance, this is the place. You'll be transported back to the 1920s, complete with antique piano, graceful French windows and a wooden dance floor on which Mao Zedong took a turn during the building's brief tenure as the Communist Party's HQ (the Great Hall of the People was still being built). French-influenced dishes include steaks, soups, black cod, and foie gras. The wine list is staggeringly long and befits a place that's been around since 1917.
East–West fusion cuisine is served in an ultramodern setting: there are polished red wooden floors, gauzy curtain dividers, and theatrical open kitchens. For dinner, a concise à la carte menu is available but the main draw is the lavish international buffet, with over a dozen stations serving up lobster, foie gras, prime rib, and delectable desserts. There's also an excellent selection of international wines.
In a plush courtyard on Houhai's south bank, Mei Fu oozes intimate elegance. The interior is filled with antique furniture and velvet curtains punctuated by pebbled hallways and waterfalls. Black-and-white photos of Mei Lanfang, a famous opera star who performed female roles, hang on the walls. Diners choose from set menus, starting at Y588 per couple for dinner, which feature typical Jiangsu and Zhejiang cuisine, such as stir-fried shrimp, tender leafy greens, and dates filled with glutinous rice.
Playful creativity is the hallmark of this upscale Italian restaurant in the Four Seasons. Tokyo-based Spin Design Studio has taken colored crystal and chrome to gaudy heights in an interior scheme that is a constrast to Head Chef Marco Calenzo’s earthy pasta dishes (try the pici, a hand-rolled noodle slightly fatter than spaghetti). A pair of brick ovens turns out gourmet pizzas—Calenzo’s "white pizza" is made of wood-fired focaccia dough topped with organic egg and shavings of imported white truffle. The desserts are divine, and the wine list is extensive.
Few restaurants in the capital are able to approach the level of refinement found at this Japanese haven, set in the restored imperial grounds of the Aman Resort at the Summer Palace. The set menus introduces diners to chef Naoki Okumura's multi-course meals (kaiseki), which marry French cooking techniques to Japanese traditions, such as seared foie gras served on steamed egg custard. If the weather is fine, sit outside by the reflecting pool for a calming, romantic experience.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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