World City Guide

Restaurants

Beijing's restaurant scene, while less vibrant and innovative than Shanghai's, is developing fast. Food and eating are deeply ingrained in China's psychology and you don't have to walk far to find a local restaurant serving the city's famous duck, or more eclectic delicacies such as fried pigs trotters or duck's tongue. Fast food outlets sit on virtually every street corner, and you'll find everyone from skateboarder kids to Mao-suited elders tucking into burgers and shakes. The international dining scene is also moving towards the scale and variety you would expect from the capital city of a nation China's size and (just as with everything else) the onset of Olympic fever is fuelling a rush to open new eateries. That doesn't mean all new openings are any good, so be careful of tucking in before you've checked out other options. Today, Beijing offers a broad suite of culinary fare but the city's dispersed geography means you may have to catch a cab rather than expect to walk home after a good meal.

We have listed the restaurants below under five headings: Gastronomic, Business, Personal Recommendations, Trendy and Budget, with three restaurants in each section, thus giving a small sampling of the city’s good food.

Price brackets are as follows:
$ (up to US$12)
$$ (US$12 to US$24)
$$$ (US$25 to US$49)
$$$$ (over US$50)

This is for a three course meal for one person, including a bottle of house wine or equivalent. Tax is included, but not the tip.

Gastronomic

The Courtyard
Quite simply, one of China’s best restaurants. Its wonderfully romantic setting on the Forbidden City moat and jaw-dropping views would probably be enough to recommend it, but the fusion food and extensive wine list complete the perfect dining experience. After dinner, head to the gallery or cigar room – the views are yet better.

95 Donghuamen Dajie (side of the Forbidden City)
Tel: (10) 6526 8883.
Price: $$$$

Li Jia Cai
An Imperial cuisine gem. This intimate, but exclusive, restaurant by Houhai Lake serves set-priced menus that are high on both quality and price, yet steeped in historical significance. The owner’s grandfather worked in the imperial kitchens, and smuggled out the Empress' recipes, which are still adhered to even today. Bookings essential.

11 Yangfang Hutong, Denei Dajie, Xicheng District
Tel: (10) 6618 0107.
Price: $$$

Red Capital Club
Bring visitors here and they’ll love you forever. A gorgeous old courtyard home, it’s decorated with an amazing collection of Communist paraphernalia, from Mao's armchairs to Zhou En Lai's radios, and serves food from Zhongnanhai (the Communist leaders' compound). The Imperial cuisine more than does justice to the unique surroundings.

66 Dongsi Jiutiao, Dongcheng District
Tel: 6402 7150.
Website: www.redcapitalclub.com.cn
Price: $$$

Business

Danieli’s
Top-notch homemade pasta, excellent breads and desserts and fine wines served in sumptuous surroundings. The St Regis hotel’s signature Italian restaurant oozes class and elegance. Popular with business guests, the quality cuisine can prove pricey, though the daily business lunch specials are good value.

2/F St Regis hotel 21 Jianguomenwai Dajie, Chaoyang District
Tel: (10) 6460 6688 ext 2441.
Website: www.stregis.com/beijing
Price: $$$

Huang Ting
Meaning Phoenix Court, this atmospheric restaurant recreates a Ming Dynasty courtyard, replete with grey brick walls, antique furniture and a wooden entrance door that would grace any Beijing temple. Specialising in Cantonese dishes and dim sum, it also serves up Beijing specialities, including the famous roast duck. Several private dining rooms are available for business functions.

Peninsula Palace Hotel 8 Goldfish Lane, Dongcheng District
Tel: (10) 8516 28888 ext 6707.
Website: www.peninsula.com
Price: $$$

Made In China
Unique concept restaurant serving northern Chinese cuisine, including beggar’s chicken and Beijing duck. Beautifully designed, the dining experience is based around a traditional Chinese kitchen and brick oven and the chefs prepare the food in different parts of the dining space. You really feel part of the culinary process, and the aromas are fabulous. Wine racks line the shelves and fresh vegetables and spices are contained in vestibules dotted around the restaurant.

Grand Hyatt Hotel Beijing Oriental Plaza 1 Dongchangan Dajie, Dongcheng District
Tel: (10) 8518 1234.
Website: www.hyatt.com
Price: $$$

Trendy

Aria
Modern European cuisine (definitively not ‘fusion’) with more than a hint of Asian influence. This stunning restaurant sits above a trend-setting bar and perfectly encapsulates the evolving trend of Beijing dining. It is just so ‘now’. Also serves a good value set business lunch.

2/F China World Hotel 1 Jianmenguowai Dajie, Chaoyang District
Tel: (10) 6505 2266 ext 36.
Price: $$$

Hatsune
Sleek and super-chic Japanese restaurant which draws a mixed crowd of business high-flyers and hip 20-somethings with deep pockets. Specialising in sushi and succulent hand-made rolls, the food is fresh and artfully presented and service is attentive.

2/F Heqiao Building C, 8A Guanghua Lu, Chaoyang District
Tel: (10) 6581 3939.
Price: $$$

Xiang Jiang Shui Xiang
Located beside Chaoyang Park, this new Chinese-fusion restaurant features new takes on southern Chinese cuisine. The result is lighter, home-cooked dishes which rely less on oil and MSG than other regional cuisines. The bright and airy interior includes a giant fake oak tree in the centre of the room.

A1, 5 Tiao Bei Tuanjiehu, Chaoyang District
Tel: (10) 8597 8069.
Price: $$

Budget

Donghuamen Night Market
A sizzling treat for street food addicts. Clean, cheap and very popular, this 200-metre, red-lanterned roadside strip buzzes every night after dark. Over 100 regional dishes and desserts are served, though most popular are the various kebabs, featuring meat, vegetables, fish and even silkworms. These skewered treats are accompanied by pancakes, dumplings, stews and dipping sauces. Even if you’ve already eaten, the crackling atmosphere is not to be missed.

Junction of Donghuamen Lu and Wangfujing Lu, Dongcheng District
Price: $

Green Angel Vegetarian Restaurant
Good value food and attentive service make this a must for visiting vegans and vegetarians. The ‘photo album’ menu features myriad fake meat dished fashioned from beancurd, soybean protein and mushrooms. No alcohol, but the lengthy tea menu complements the food perfectly.

2/F, 57-5 Dengshikou Lu, Dongcheng District (next to the Crowne Plaza hotel)
Tel: (10) 6524 2476.
Website: www.greentianshi.com
Price: $

Kebab Café
Casual spot in Sanlitun serving pastas, lamb pitas, sandwiches, salads and German sausages and wienerschnitzel. A pleasant terrace is popular in summer and the laid-back atmosphere contrasts with some of the more booze-fuelled joints on Beer Street.

46 Sanlitun Beijie, Chaoyang District
Tel: (10) 6415 5812.
Price: $

Personal Recommendations

Green T House
Yes, it is overdesigned and the concept a bit laboured, but this hip dining space is unlike any other in town. And it deserves praise for its determination to go its own way. The upscale food is imaginative, unashamedly aesthetic and (here’s the nub) every dish somehow incorporates China’s favourite brew; tea. The iced teas are great and the desserts are worth the extra calories and cost.

6 Gongti Xilu, Chaoyang District
Tel: (10) 6552 8310.
Price: $$$

Quanjude
Beijing’s most favoured restaurant chain specialises in its most famous dish: roasted duck. Dating back to 1864, Quanjude draws tourists, students and businessmen to taste its venerable fowl. Not cheap, but the chance to savour a uniquely Beijing dining experience makes up for the mild damage to your wallet.

32 Qianmen Dajie, Chongwen District
Tel: (10) 6511 2418.

9 Shuaifuyuan Hutong, Wangfujing Dajie, Doncheng District
Tel: (10) 6525 3310.

2A Dongsanhuan Beilu, 1/F Jingxin Dasha, Chaoyang District
Tel: (10) 6466 0896.
Price: $$$

Taj Pavilion
Beijing’s friendliest and best Indian restaurant is also one of its first. The Taj regularly wins readership polls in the local press for its well-crafted dishes and generous portions. The pleasant, spacious interior, good location (no Beijing taxi driver can pretend not to know this one) and impeccable service make this a perfect place to sate a curry craving.

1/F, West Wing, China World Trade Center (next to KFC)
Tel: (10) 6505 2288 ext 80116.
Price: $