 Beijing:
Food
and Eating out
See also our
Drink Page
(tea, beer, wine and more)
The best way to eat good and cheap in Beijing is to enter
one of the ubiquitous restaurants where the locals are
eating and pick a few different dishes from the menu. Truth
be told, anyone familiar with Western currency and prices
will find Beijing a very inexpensive city for food,
especially considering that tipping is not practiced in
China.
Some of the cheapest and delicious meals can be had on the
streets. Jianbing guozi is one of the most popular street
snacks, eaten from morning till night. This delicious
pancake is cooked with an egg on a griddle, a fried dough
crisp is added, and the whole thing is drizzled in scallions
and a savory sauce. Hot sauce is optional. Diehard fans
often go on a quest for the "best" jianbing cart in the
city. This ubiquitous treat only costs about ¥2, with an
extra egg ¥2.50.
Lamb kebabs (yángròu chuàn ) and other kebabs are grilled
on makeshift stands all around Beijing, from the late
afternoon to late at night. Wangfujing has a "snack street"
selling such mundane fare like lamb, chicken, and beef, but
the brave can also sample silkworm, scorpion, and various
organs all skewered on a stick and grilled to order.
A winter specialty, candied haw berries are dipped in sugar
and sold on a stick. You can also find variations with
oranges, grapes, strawberries, and bananas, or dipped in
crumbled peanuts as well as sugar. This sweet snack can also
sometimes be found in the spring and the summer, but the haw
berries are often from last season's crop.
Beijing Roast Duck This famous Beijing specialty is served
at many restaurants, but there are quite a few restaurants
dedicated to the art of roasting the perfect duck. Expect to
pay around ¥40 per whole duck at budget-range
establishments, and ¥160-¥190 at high-end restaurants.
(prices may vary)
Beijing duck is served with thin pancakes, plum sauce and
slivers of scallions and cucumbers. You dip the duck in the
sauce and roll it up in the pancake with a few slivers of
scallions and/or cucumbers. The end result is a
mouthwatering combination of the cool crunchiness of the
cucumber, the sharpness of the scallions, and the rich
flavors of the duck. Try Quánjùdé, 32 Qianmen Dajie. Daily
11:30am-2:30pm and 4:30-8pm. The oldest and most venerable
of the roast duck restaurants, Quanjude is slipping these
days, but its fame still brings many customers, mostly
tourists eager for the "classic" experience. Ducks cost ¥199
each and ¥99 for half a duck; quality varies by location.
Subway: Line 2 to Qianmen. The most reputable of Quanjude's
14 branches is the listed Qianmen location. Other branches
are at Hepingmen (south of the subway stop), the east side
of Tian'anmen Square, and Qinghua Science Park near
Wudaokou.
Guolín Restaurant. This well-kept secret among Chinese
people has some of the tastiest and most inexpensive ducks
in all of Beijing. Half a duck is just ¥28. And all its
other delicious, innovative dishes keep customers coming
back: be prepared for a bustling, noisy atmosphere, though
the interior is often quite nice. Locations all over
Beijing—look for a sign with two little pigs—including at
Fangzhuang, Zhongguancun, Wudaokou, Xuanwu, and more.
Dàdong, Chaoyang District, Tuanjiehu Beikou Bldg. 3, East
3rd Rind Road. Daily 11am-10pm. Considered by some to be the
best Beijing duck in the city, this upscale restaurant also
delivers on a nice atmosphere. Reservations suggested. Also
at Dongsi Shitiao 22A, Bldg. 1-2 of the Nanxin Cang
International Tower.
Biànyìfăng, Chongwen District 36 Xingfu Dajie. Other
locations at 73 Tiantan Dong Lu and 2A Chongwenmen Wai
Dajie.
Hot Pot Beijing is also known for its lamb hotpot, which
originally came from the Manchu people and emphasizes lamb
over other meats. Like variations of hotpot from elsewhere
in China and Japan, lamb hotpot is a cook-it-yourself affair
in a steaming pot in the center of the table.
Unlike Sichuan hotpot, lamb hotpot features a savory,
non-spicy broth. If that's not exciting enough for you, you
can also request a spicy broth (be aware that this is
flaming red, filled with peppers, and not for the weak!). To
play it safe and satisfy everyone, you can request yuanyáng
for a pot divided down the middle, with spicy broth on one
side and regular broth on the other. Raw ingredients are
purchased by the plate. In addition to lamb, beef, and
seafood, this also includes a wide variety of vegetables,
mushrooms, noodles, and tofu, so it's also perfectly
possible to have vegetarian hotpot. A dipping sauce, usually
sesame, is served as well; you can add chilis, garlic,
cilantro, etc, to customize your own sauce. While "raw"
sounds dangerous, boiling the meat yourself is the best way
to ensure that more risky meats like pork are fully cooked
and free of germs. In the city center, hotpot can run as
much as ¥40-¥50 per person, but on the outskirts it can be
found for as little as ¥10-¥25. Dong Lái Shùn, Dongcheng
District, 198 Wangfujing Dajie. Daily 11am-2pm and 5-9pm.
This king of Beijing hotpot has been around since the 19th
century. Founded by the Hui (ethnic Muslims), Donglaishun
serves halal cuts of top-quality lamb and beef. Also serves
cooked-by-chef dishes, including traditional Beijing sweets.
Subway: Line 1 to Wangfujing. Other locations on the 5th
floor of Sun Dong'an (New Oriental Sun) Shopping Plaza, at
Tian'anmen, and in Haidian.
Other Chinese cuisines Beijing provides an ideal opportunity
to sample food from all over the country. Some of Beijing's
best restaurants serve food from Sichuan, Hunan, Canton,
Tibet, Yunnan, Xinjiang, and more. Many, such as Makye Ame
(11A Xiushui Nanjie Jianguomenwai Beijing Tel: +86 (10) 6506
9616) and Dai Nationality Restaurant feature live dancing
and performance, and are not to be missed. Gesangmedo,
Chaoyang District, Xindong Lu, Xingfu Ercun Shangye
Building, 2nd fl. Daily 11am-11pm. Tibetan food in a
beautifully decorated interior, complete with a shrine in
one corner. Attentive staff. Nightly live performance begins
at 9pm. Subway: Line 2 to Dongzhimen and walk east on
Dongzhimen Wai Dajie.
Red Rose Xingjiang Restaurant, Chaoyang District, Gongti
Beilu Xingfu Yicun 7 Xiang. Daily 10am-midnight. This local
and tourist favorite promises the full Xinjiang experience,
from kebabs, lamb dishes, and delicious naan bread to a
bellydancing show with real Uighur musicians. Not the place
to go for quiet conversations.
Yuxin Sichuan Restaurant, Chaoyang District, A5 Xingfu Yicun
Xili. One of the contenders in the ongoing competition for
Beijing's best Sichuanese, Yuxin delivers on authenticity,
flavor, and service. It's always busy, and always good. Try
their location in the Chang'an Grand Theatre for a calmer
setting decorated in a traditional style, with alcoves
divided by bamboo screens; take the subway Lines 1 or 2 to
Jianguomen, take Exit A, and walk west. Y15-30 per person.
For vegetarians, Beijing's first pure vegetarian buffet
restaurant is located on the Confucius Temple on Guo zi jian
street, west of the famous Lama Temple. No English menu so
far, but one can just ask for the buffet, which contains a
large variety of delicious vegetarian dishes, as well as a
vegetarian hotpot, and a large selection of dessert.
International cuisines:
McDonald's has over 100 restaurants in Beijing, followed
closely by KFC. As a rule of thumb, whenever there is a
McDonalds, a KFC is no further than 100m away. There are
also a fair number of Pizza Huts. However, visitors to Pizza
Hut should be prepared to take a number and wait in line if
they dine around 12:00-13:00 and again from 18:30-19:30
(peak hours), as the restaurant is very popular with young
Chinese. You will pay on average ¥60-¥120.
Origus has numerous locations throughout Beijing, and offers
an all-you-can-eat pizza/pasta buffet for ¥39, including
soft drinks and dessert bar.
Mirch Masala Indian Cuisine (60-2 Nanluogu Xiang) Located on
the still-quiet tourist street of Nanluoguxian, Mirch Masala
serves delicious North-Indian dishes.
If you're in the mood for American fare, head for the Tim's
Texas BBQ near the Jianguomen subway station. They'll
happily provide you with your favourite American food and
drink.
Tony Roma's has a location in Wangfujing (in the big big
shopping mall near the bookstore).
Korean restaurants are also very common in Beijing. A
frequent meal is the grill-it-yourself barbeque, including
beef, chicken, and seafood items as well as some vegetables
including greens and potatoes.
Splurge
All luxury hotels have at least one restaurant, which can be
of any cuisine they believe their guests will enjoy. You
will find French, Italian, American, and Chinese restaurants
in most hotels. Of course, restaurants that serve abalone/sharkfin
are considered the most expensive restaurants in the city.
Expect to pay upwards of ¥800 for a "cheap" meal at one of
these restaurants, much more if splurging.
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