Food and Restaurants

In 2003, enthusiastic eaters could choose from among 40,000 registered restaurants, a 5,000% increase from 1976. These restaurants range from cheap noodle shops to luxury banquet halls, and thanks to rising incomes, curiosity about new flavors and the influx of migrants from China and beyond, Beijing's restaurants offer a nearly endless variety of local, regional and international cuisines. In short, Beijing is one of the gourmet capitals of the world.

Beijing's signature dish is Peking duck. After a short life of hearty feedings, the fowl is killed, plucked, inflated (to separate the skin from the meat) and basted in honey and vinegar. Once it has been air-dried, it’s roasted in an oven heated by a fire made of fragrant wood or roasted over an open flame. A waiter presents the cooked duck to the table and then uses a sharp cleaver to slice little morsels of skin and meat. These tasty tidbits are eaten rolled up in steamed pancakes along with scallions, cucumbers and a sweet brown sauce. A soup made from the ducks bones follows the main course.

One of the great pleasures of visiting Beijing is that, in addition to local dishes like Peking duck, you can eat succulent specialties from around China.

Listed below are some of Beijing’s best Chinese and foreign restaurants. You’ll find far more restaurant reviews in local English language magazines. Most Chinese restaurants don’t have English menus, so bring a Mandarin phrasebook or glance at what your neighbors are eating and order the same.

Most restaurants take reservations, but credits cards aren’t commonly accepted except in higher-end restaurants.

Well-known Restaurants in Beijing:

Bai Zhou Xiang 白粥乡
Rice porridge in all its many forms, supplement the congee collection with a variety of homestyle snake.
Add: 1F Bldg A,Donghuan Guangchang, 9 Dongzhong Jie,Dongcheng District
东城区东中街9 号，东环广场A 座一层
Tel: 6507 9656
Working hours: 24 hours

Bi Feng Tang 避风塘
Popular nightowl chain restaurant serves a smattering of dim sum and Cantonese-style street food.
Add: 1A Xinzhong Jie, Dongzhimenwai, Dongcheng District
东城区东直门外新中街甲1 号
Tel: 6415 2213
Working hours: 10am to 2pm, 5pm to 10pm

Beijing Roast Duck Restaurant 大董烤鸭店
A good location near Sanlitun and possibly the best Peking duck (RMB 98 each) in the city explain this restaurant's enormous popularity, so call ahead to make a reservation. The seafood and vegetable dishes are also tasty. Photographs in the menus make ordering a cinch.
Add: Building 3, Tuanjiehu Beikou, Chaoyang District (across Sanhuan Lu from the Zhaolong Hotel)
朝阳区团结湖北口3 号楼, 兆龙饭店对面
Tel: 6582 2892
Working hours: 11am to 9:30pm

Bellagio 鹿港小镇
This Taiwan-style restaurant boasts chic, minimalist décor, solicitous service and good prices. More importantly, the food is superb
and brings together dishes from throughout the Chinese diaspora. Favorites include threecup chicken ( 三杯鸡), beef and fried dough ( 油条牛肉) and Singapore-style noodles ( 新加坡炒面).
Add:35 Xiaoyunlu, Chaoyang District (near the Hilton Hotel)
朝阳区霄云路35 号,希尔顿饭店附近
Tel: 8451 9988
Working hours: 11am to 4am

Donghuamen Night Market 东华门夜市
Every evening at 6pm, an entire block of this avenue is closed off and filled with food carts manned by cheerful chefs serving a galaxy of inexpensive Chinese snacks like dumplings, red bean soup and succulent burrito-like rolls. More exotic offerings include the scorpions, deep fried silkworms and sparrows on a stick. Good times guaranteed.
Add: north of the Wangfujing pedestrian street
王府井步行街北

East Ocean Seafood 东海海鲜酒家
The numerous Hong Kong natives who flock to this fancy Cantonese restaurant attest to the authenticity, consistency and quality of its
dishes. The tea is fragrant and the seafood is swimming in gleaming tanks minutes before it's on your table. Dim sum is served daily.
Add: 39 Maizidian Jie, Chaoyang District (near the Lufthansa Center)
朝阳区麦子店街39 号,燕莎商城附近
Tel: 6508 3482
Working hours: 11am to 11pm

Fangshan Restaurant 仿膳饭庄
Opened in 1925, Fangshan reproduces the dishes of the imperial kitchen during the Qing dynasty. The well-appointed banquet rooms, the solicitous costumed staff, and the gorgeous location on Beihai Lake create a lovely setting for a meal. You can eat a la carte, but most patrons select setmeals since these feature a well-balanced combination of different tastes. If you really want to feel like an emperor, order the 20-course meal that features such exotica as bird's nest soup with deer tendon and turtle with Chinese herbs. Simpler fare is available. Reservations are recommended.
Add: East Gate of Beihai Park, Xicheng District (on Jade Isle inside Beihai Park –enter through the east gate and cross the bridge to the island)
西城区北海公园东门内琼华岛上
Tel: 6401 1889
Working hours: 11am to 1:30pm, 5pm to 7:30pm

Pazi Hotpot 火巴子火锅城
Unless you can truly stand Sichuan's fivealarm spices, order a yuanyang huoguo (鸳鸯火锅), a pot split into two halves, one containing a mild broth, the other a fiery soup. Select your ingredients and your dipping sauce, then cook everything in the pot. Top it all off with a draft beer.
Add: 13 Xinyuan Li, Chaoyang District (near Capital Mansion)
朝阳区新源里13 号,京城大厦附近
Tel: 8451 0505
Working hours: 24 hours

Quanjude Roast Duck Restaurant 全聚德烤鸭店
The most famous duck restaurant in the city, Quanjude has been serving up fowl since 1864. Crowds of tourists and locals come here for the Peking duck which are RMB 168 each. The duck is roasted in a fragrant fire of date, peach and pear tree wood. If you're feeling adventurous, try the duck tongue or duck feet appetizers.
Add: 32 Qianmen Da Jie, Chongwen District
崇文区前门大街32 号
Tel: 6511 2418
Working hours: 10:30am to 2pm, 4:30pm to 8:30pm

The Red Capital Club 新红资俱乐部
Ameal at the Red Capital Club is an unforgettable experience. The restaurant is housed inside an exquisitely renovated courtyard home that lies on a sleepy (look for the old Red Flag limousine that's often parked in front). Inside, you'll find a comfy bar decorated entirely in vintage Communist memorabilia from the 50' to 70's. You can dine either under the stars in the courtyard or in a second room that features classical Chinese art. Containing entertaining descriptions of each dish, themenu features a mix of imperial cuisine and the hearty favorites of China's early communist leaders. Other draws are the extensive wine list and cigars.
Add: 66 Dongsi Jiutiao, Dongcheng District
东城区东四九条66 号
Tel: 6402 7150    Working hours: 6pm to 11pm
Website: www.redcapitalclub.com.cn

South Beauty 俏江南
With several other branches in the city, South Beauty has clearly found the right formula. Tasty Sichuan food, elegant décor and good
service produce happy, repeat customers. If you're in themood for something spicy, try the lazi ji (辣子鸡)–pieces of fried chicken swimming in hot peppers.
Add: 3/F, Pacific Century Place, Gongti Bei Lu, Chaoyang District
朝阳区工体北路太平洋百货三层
Tel: 6539 3502    Working hours: 11am to 11pm

Xihe Yaju 羲和雅居
This delightful restaurant abutting leafy Ritan Park draws a clientele of journalists, executives and diplomats who come for its extensive menu of dishes from all over China. The outdoor courtyard is idyllic in the spring and autumn –at other times you can eat in the comfortable indoor rooms. The service is good and the menu is bilingual.
Add: northeast corner of Ritan Park, Chaoyang District
朝阳区日坛公园东北角
Tel: 8561 7643
Working hours: 11am to 2pm, 5pm to 10pm

FOREIGN RESTAURANTS
Craving a taste of home? You can get your fix at the following restaurants.

Danieli's 丹尼艾丽意大利餐厅
Danieli's swish surroundings, attentive service, long wine list, homemade pasta and lovely meat and fish dishes may transport you, in spirit, to sunny Italy. Such gastronomic exultation doesn't come cheap, but the restaurant frequently offers business lunch specials.
Add: 2/F, St. Regis Hotel, 21 Jianguomenwai Da Jie, Chaoyang District
朝阳区建国门外大街21 号国际俱乐部饭店二层
Tel: 6460 6688 ext 2441
Working hours: 11:30am to 2pm, 6pm to 10pm

Flo 福楼
The large number of French ex-pats who make the pilgrimage to Flo attest to this brasserie's authenticity. They come for the warm ambiance, oysters imported from France, the steak, the sauerkraut and the wines.
Add: 2/F, Rainbow Plaza, 16 Dongsanhuan Lu, Chaoyang District
朝阳区东三环路16 号隆博广场二层
Tel: 6595 5139    Working hours: 11am to 3 pm, 6pm to 11pm

Hatsune 隐泉日本料理
Sleek , the freshesting redients and a creative chef make Hatsune a marvelous dining experience. Everything is good here, especially the rolls (the "butterfly roll" is heavenly). Hatsune attracts droves of Japanese executives and ex-pat hipsters so do make a reservation. At the time of writing, Hatsune's owner was planning to open a Japanese barbecue restaurant in the building's basement.
Add: 2/F Heqiao Dasha, 8A Guanghua Lu, Chaoyang District, (east of Sanhuan Lu, near Kelun Dasha)
朝阳区光华路甲8 号和乔大厦C 座二层(三环外科伦大厦附近)
Tel: 6581 3939    Working hours: 11:30am to 2pm, 5:30pm to 10pm

Jing 京
This restaurant's funky open plan layout allows you towatch the chefs in action as they whip up sumptuous concoctions that fuse Asian and European culinary influences. Jing was included in Conde Nast Traveler's 100 " Hot Tables" list in 2003.
Add: Basement, Peninsula Palace Hotel, 8 Jinyu Hutong,Wangfujing, Dongcheng District
东城区王府井街金鱼胡同8 号王府饭店地下一层
Tel: 6559 2888 ext 7561      Working hours: 5:30am to 11:30pm

Schindler's Filling Station 申德勒加油站
Need to unwind? Then come to this relaxed restaurant for great sausages, grilled meat, potatoes, sauerkraut and more washed down
with imported German beer. Prices are moderate, and the outdoor terrace lies in Ritan Park. Enormously satisfying.
Add: A15 Guanghua Lu, Chaoyang District, 200m east of the south gate of Ritan Park
朝阳区光华路甲15 号,日坛南门东200 米
Tel: 8562 6439               Working hours: 11am to 11pm