Bucket list experience:
Beijing, China
Credit Shutterstock.com/Fotokon
Eating is the most cherished activity in China, and Beijing is no different. Naturally, the capital attracts Chinese chefs and restauranteurs from across its 34 provinces and regions, which means you can feast on fragrant Yunnan rice noodles one day and hearty Inner-Mongolian lamb the next.
With its icy northern winters, Beijing’s own food is hearty and filling – think stews, wheat noodles, potatoes, steamed bread and mutton – generously laced with garlic and salt.
Traditional Peking duck is roasted in open ovens over burning fruitwood, then carved tableside. The dish was first served to emperors, before the recipe found its way out of imperial kitchens.
Another must-try is hotpot (both the spicy Sichuan kind and the more austere Beijing variety) where diners cook meat, tofu and veggies in cauldrons of bubbling soup.
Donkey-meat sandwiches are an unusual treat, while traditional Beijing sweets include candid hawthorn fruit, pea cake, and old Beijing yoghurt.
Although street food is on the wane as Beijing, you can still find delicious jianbing (savoury egg crepes), paper bags of hot roast chestnuts, and baozi (steamed pork buns) sold throughout the city.
Beijing has options to suit every budget. At the bottom end are street sellers hawking snacks like baked sweet potatoes from bicycle carts. Then there are the cheap hole-in-the-wall restaurants selling noodles, or Xinjiang joints grilling lamb skewers and flatbread.
Hot pot restaurants are a delicious mid-range treat to enjoy with other diners. First you must choose your soup base (spicy, plain broth, tomato, etc), and then the ingredients to cook in it at your table. Often, you can mix your own sesame-based dipping sauce at a station inside the restaurant.
Laozihao are restaurants boasting a famous and longstanding brand. These included Bianyifang and Quanjude for Peking duck, both established in earlier centuries though rather touristy these days. Another name to look out for is Dao Xiang Cun which sells old-timey Beijing snacks and sweet treats, but be warned that this laozihao has many ersatz pretenders using its name.
Beijing, China
One of China’s top chefs, Dong Zhenxiang (aka Dadong) devised his own ‘superlean’ take on Peking duck, blending tradition with gastronomic innovation. As well as his flagship Dadong restaurants, there is Taste of Dadong, a cheaper express option found in shopping malls.
Best for ages 13+
Beijing, China
This excellent chain is known for its customer service almost as much as its spicy hotpot feasts. Diners can enjoy free beers, snacks, and even manicures while they wait for a table. Order the hand-pulled noodles for a deft twirling performance.
Best for ages 13+
Beijing, China
Inspired by the adjacent Lama Temple, this tranquil, Zen-like restaurant serves immaculate renditions of meat-free dishes typically served to abstentious Buddhist monks. It’s also a lovely spot to come for a unique take on afternoon tea, accompanied by a harp performance.
Best for ages 13+
Beijing, China
A fun way to get your foodie bearings, UnTour’s ‘Old Beijing Dinner Tour’ visits several hidden hutong restaurants and bars, introducing local specialities like Beijing-style hotpot and the city’s famous sorghum-based firewater, Erguotou. 5 stops and 15 tastings.
Adult price: £75
Best for ages 13+
Duration: 3 hours
Beijing, China
The delicious speciality at this local chain is lurou huoshao, or donkey meat in baked bread. The practice of eating donkey came with the rise of the railways in northern China, when their transport services were no longer required.
Best for ages 13+
Beijing, China
Beijing’s most ravishing restaurant is set within a revamped 500-year old Buddhist temple complex that had been largely forgotten since the Cultural Revolution. The food is European casual fine dining, with good value lunch sets and a fabulous wine list.
Adult price: £50
Best for ages 13+
Beijingers love to eat, and restaurants seem to appear almost on every corner.
The historic hutong areas around Houhai Lakes, the Lama Temple and the Drum and Bell Towers are popular for casual drinking and eating at night with in-the-know locals.
Sanltun, Beijing’s embassy district, is the spot for international dining, while ‘Ghost Street’ (Gui Jie) is an all-night restaurant strip famous for spicy crayfish and hotpot.
These days, shopping malls are where you’ll find some of the most popular and creative mid-range restaurants.
Beijingers like to eat dinner early, and you should aim to do the same; many local restaurants close their kitchens by 8.30pm.
Avoid the daytime queues at popular Peking duck restaurants by eating after 3pm.
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China
A burgeoning megacity with one foot in the past, Beijing is a marvellous melange of UNESCO-listed heritage buildings set within an ever-more tech-forward cityscape. Come for the culture, the people, and of course the food.
