Reproduced with permission from China 11th Edition © Lonely Planet 2009” www.LonelyPlanet.com

EATING

Běijīng cuisine (京菜; jīngcài) is one of the four major Chinese styles of cooking, so trying home-town specialities should be obligatory for each and every foodie. And just about any fickle fancy meets its match, so plunge in and start twiddling those chopsticks – some of your best Běijīng memories could well be table-top ones. Běijīng’s contemporary culinary frenzy has cobbled together everything from (it was just a matter of time) Hutong Pizza to fast-food style hotpot and fish and chips.

This may be Běijīng, but eating out doesn’t necessarily require excessive capital outlays: listed here are restaurants that offer the best food and value within a range of budgets.  The cheapest of meals come in at less than Y40, midrange dining costs between Y40 and Y100, while top-end choices cost over Y100.

Supermarkets are plentiful and most visitors will find what they need, but delis stock wider selections of foreign cheeses, cured meats and wines.

Chongwen & South Chaoyang

For convenient dining and a Pan-Asian selection under one roof, try one of the ubiquitous food courts that can be found in shopping malls throughout the city.

Wangfujing Snack Street (Wángfǔjǐng Xiǎochījiē; kebabs from Y3, dishes from Y5; lunch & dinner) West off Wangfujing Dajie, and fronted by an ornate archway, this bustling and cheery corner of restaurants and stalls is overhung with colourful banners and bursting with flavour.  It’s a great place to hoover up Xīnjiāng or Muslim Uighur staples such as lamb kebabs and flat bread. Sit down with steaming bowls of málà tàng (麻辣烫; spicy noodle soup), zhájiàngmiàn (炸酱面; noodles in fried bean sauce), Lánzhōu lāmiàn (兰州拉面; Lánzhōu noodles) and oodles of spicy chuāncài (川菜; Sìchuān food).

Megabite (Dàshídài; basement, Oriental Plaza, 1 Dongchang’an Jie; dishes from Y10) Perfect for on-the-spot dining, this huge food court has point-and-serve Chinese and other Asian dining options all under one roof. Purchase a card at the kiosk at the entrance, load up with credits (Y30 to Y500) and browse among the canteen-style outlets for whatever takes your fancy, then continue shopping.

Niúgē Jiǎozi (6525 7472; 85 Nanheyan Dajie; meals Y20-40; 7am-10pm) Swat aside the proffered English tourist menu at this busy and recently face-lifted little jiǎozi (饺子; dumpling) outfit or you could be stung, and stick to what this place does best – servings of steaming, plump dumplings. Aim for the lamb and onion (羊肉大葱饺子; yángròu dàcōng jiǎozi; Y12) or even the roast duck dumplings
(烤鸭饺子; kǎoyā jiǎozi; Y30). The restaurant has no English sign, but it is opposite the building with the sign on the roof saying ‘Hualong Street’.

Xiābǔ Xiābǔ (6025 9312; www.xiabu.com; 2nd fl, Henderson Centre, Jianguomennei Dajie; meals Y25)  Itching for a solo hotpot without the stress of a vast circular table and similarly sized bill? Xiābǔ xiābǔ(see-ya-boo see-ya-boo) is fast-foot hotpot, where diners sit in rows over their own small stainless steel hotpots.  Order your soup base (the spicy version akin to a shot of Tabasco up each nostril), tick off what you want and start your solitary swelter.  A short primer to get you started: soup base (锅底; guōdǐ; Y3), lamb (羊肉; yángròu; Y12); beef (肥牛; féiniú; Y12), mushrooms (香菇; xiānggū; Y8), tofu (豆腐; dòufu; Y4), cabbage (大白菜; dàbáicài; Y5), spicy (辣; là), not spicy (不辣; bú là). Over 40 branches in town.

Ajisen Noodle (Wèiqiān Lāmiàn; 8518 6001; FF08, Basement, Oriental Plaza) Ajisen’s flavorsome noodles – delivered in steaming bowls by fleet-foot black-clad staff – will have your ears tingling and your tummy quivering.  Dishes are miraculously as tasty as they appear on the photo menu and tea comes free with cups punctiliously refilled. Further branches around town and nationwide.

Biànyìfáng Kǎoyādiàn; 6712 0505; 2a Chongwenmenwai Dajie; economy/standard half duck Y44/69; lunch & dinner) Dating back to the reign of the Qing emperor Xianfeng, Biànyìfáng offers midrange comfort reminiscent of a faded Chinese three-star hotel. The duck is nonetheless excellent, roasted in the menlu style, but be on your guard if waiting staff immediately steer you towards the pricier huáxiāngsū-style fowl (half/whole Y84/168). It’s next to the Hademen Hotel.

Quanjude Roast Duck Restaurant (Quánjùdé Kǎoyādiàn; 6525 3310; 9 Shuaifuyuan Hutong; set menu incl duck, pancakes, scallions & sauce Y168; lunch & dinner) Less touristy than its recently revamped Qianmen sibling, this branch of the celebrated chain has a handy location off Wangfujing Dajie for shopping-laden diners.  The roast duck (half duck Y54, minus pancakes, scallions and sauce) is flavoursome and a key ingredient to a Běijīng sojourn.

Expat lifeline Jenny Lou’s; Ritan Beilu; 8am-midnight) has an excellent selection of cheeses, sausages, cereals and pasta, plus an entire wall of wines and spirits.

Dongcheng

Donghuamen Night Market (Dōnghuámén Yèshì; Dong’anmen Dajie; snacks from Y3; 3-10pm, closed
Chinese New Year) A sight in itself, the bustling night market near Wangfujing Dajie is a food zoo: lamb kebabs, beef and chicken skewers, corn on the cob, chòu dòufu (臭豆腐; smelly tofu), cicadas,  grasshoppers, kidneys, quails’ eggs, squid, fruit, porridge, fried pancakes, strawberry kebabs, bananas, Inner Mongolian cheese, stuffed aubergines, chicken hearts, pita bread stuffed with meat, shrimps and more.

Zero in on the vendors with dragon-spouted copper kettles of xìngrén chá (杏仁茶): a bowl of this sugary almond-flavoured paste, seeded with peanuts, berries and sesame seeds, will leave the sweet-toothed doing cartwheels. It’s for tourists, not locals, so expect to pay rather inflated prices.

Bāguó Bùyī ; 6400 8888; 89-3 Di’anmen Dongdajie; dishes from Y8; lunch & dinner) This popular
Sìchuān restaurant has a marvelous Chinese inn–style setting with balconies and a central stairway, and dolled-up waiting staff in attendance. The ambience bursts with both character and theatre, and there’s   range of good-value dishes.

Alba Café; 6407 3730; 79 Nanluogu Xiang; snacks Y15; 9am-midnight) Sweet spot and a real treat, with scrummy breakfast deals including coffee and homemade scones or coffee and tasty apple pie plus an assortmentof gourmet sandwiches.

Sequoia (Měizhōu Shān Kāfēiwū; 6501 5503; 44 Guanghua Lu; sandwiches Y25; 8am-8pm) A steady stream of customers arrives in Sequoia for its satisfying coffee and deservedly popular sandwiches. The vegetarian sandwich we had was a stunner, crisp and filling on fluffy bread; the cappuccino’s a corker.  Another branch (6415 6512) in Sanlitun.

Grandma’s Kitchen (Zǔmǔ de Chúfáng; 6528 2790; 47-2 Nanchizi Dajie; meals Y40) ‘There’s no place like home except Grandma’s’ goes the blurb, and this place is certainly homely, with an excellent no- nonsense menu and efficient staff. Two further branches in town.

Otto’s Restaurant (Rìchāng Cānguǎn; 6405 8205; Di’anmen Xidajie; meals Y60; 11am-2am) Loud and cavernous with a bright menu, harried staff and constant waves of diners piling in for its flavoursome Hong Kong dishes, Otto’s offers no-nonsense and tasty food in decent helpings. The fiery hēijiāo zhūpái (黑椒 猪排; pork in black pepper sauce) hits the spot.  It’s east of the north gate of Beihai Park.

Xiao Wang’s Home Restaurant (Xiǎo Wángfǔ; 6594 3602, 6591 3255; 2 Guanghua Dongli; meals Y70; lunch & dinner) Treat yourself to home-style Běijīng cuisine at this excellent restaurant and go for one of Xiao Wang’s specials. The piāoxiāng páigǔ(deep-fried spareribs with pepper salt; Y38) are gorgeous: dry, fleshy, crispy chops with a small pile of fiery pepper salt. Xiao Wang’s fried hot and spicy Xīnjiāngstyle
zīran jīchì (chicken wings; Y35) is deservedly famous and the Peking duck is crispy and lean (Y88 per duck, Y5 for sauce, scallions and pancakes). There’s outside seating and a further attractive branch can be found in the Ritan Park .

Café Sambal; 6400 4875; 43 Doufuchi Hutong; set lunch Y80; 11am-midnight) In an uncomplicated but trendy grey brick, concrete and wood setting with rickety tables, Café Sambal brings Malaysian food to Běijīng with style and panache. The Kumar mutton with vegetables and rice set (Y80) is satisfying, and the menu embraces a wide range of Malaysian treats from nyonya curry chicken (Y60) to beef rendang (Y60). Good wine list.

Hutong Pizza; 6617 5916; 9 Yindingqiao Hutong Hou; meals Y80; 11am-11pm) Although we had to wait 20 minutes for our anchovy and olive pizza (Y68), it was worth it. There’s a large choice of meaty pizzas and burgers, and nonmeat eaters can order the vegetarian pizza (Y58). The hútòng house interior is funky and upstairs is lovely, with old painted beams.

Huáng Tíng 8516 2888, ext 6707; Peninsula Beijing, 8 Jinyu Hutong; meals Y150; lunch & dinner) Faux old Peking is taken to an extreme in the courtyard setting of Huáng Tíng. Despite its artificiality and location (in a five-star hotel), the ambience is impressive.  Dishes include chasiu barbecued pork (Y68) and roasted crispy duck (Y100).

Courtyard (Sìhéyuàn; 6526 8883; cyrest@95777.com; 95 Donghuamen Dajie; meals from Y200; lunch & dinner) The Courtyard enjoys an excellent location by the east gate of the Forbidden City. The cigar divan upstairs is the perfect conclusion to a meal, but it’s the view and international menu that hog the limelight. Sunday lunch is an affordable option at Y15 per person.

Chaoyang

Purple Haze (Zǐsūtíng; 6413 0899; dishes from Y24) A chilled-out, smooth and snappy finish, a small library of foreign literature and an enticing bar area for aperitif-sinking make this a stylish foray into the world of Thai cooking.  It’s along the small lane opposite the Workers’ Stadium north gate.

Xinjiang Red Rose (6415 5741; 5 Xingfuyicun; meals Y40; 11am-11pm) The full-on gregarious Uighur dining experience with nightly Xīnjiāng tunes and dancing goes down a treat with roast mutton fiends citywide.  Opposite the north gate of the Workers’ Stadium.

Dōngběirén (6415 2855; www.dongbeiren.com.cn; 1a Xinzhong Jie; meals Y50) The hearty northeastern
bandwagon rumbles into Běijīng, its smiling gaggle of rouge-cheeked and pigtailed xiǎojiě (waitresses) in tow, hauling in dumplings bursting with flavour, a garrulous atmosphere (with periodic singing from the waitresses) and trademark festive spirit.

Beijing Dadong Roast Duck Restaurant (Běijīng Dàdǒng Kǎoyādiàn; 6582 2892/4003; 3 Tuanjiehu Beikou; duck Y98; lunch & dinner) A longterm favourite of the Peking duck scene, this restaurant has a tempting variety of fowl. The hallmark bird is a crispy, lean duck without the usual high fat content (trimmed down from 42.38 to 15.22 for its ‘Supermeat’ roast duck, the brochure says), plus plum
(or garlic) sauce, scallions and pancakes. Also carved up is the skin of the duck with sugar, an imperial predilection.

In the basement of the enormous Lufthansa Center Youyi Shopping City, a multi storey shopping mall in the northeast of town, there is a branch of the Yansha Supermarket; 9am-10pm) that’s chock-a-block with imported goods.

Carrefour (Jiālèfú; 8460 1030; 6b Beisanhuan Donglu, 8am-9.30pm) Stocks virtually everything you may need, takes credit cards and provides ATMs and a homedelivery service. There are also branches in Fengtai (6760 9911; 15 No 2 district Fangchengyuan Fangzhuang), Haidian (8836 2729; 54a Zhongguancun Nandajie); Xuanwu (8636 2155; 11 Malian Dao) and Zhongguancun.

April Gourmet (8455 1245; 1 Sanlitun Beixiaojie; 8am-9pm) An expat-oriented deli with fine wines and cheeses; four branches in town. Does deliveries. Further Afield

Turpan Restaurant (Tǔlǔfān; 8316 4691; 6 Niujie Beikou; meals Y40-50; lunch & dinner) Round off a trip to Běijīng’s Hui Muslim district with a bone fide Xīnjiāng meal at this spacious restaurant that’s overhung
with plastic grapes: not intimate, but authentic (lamb kebabs Y8, whole lamb Y988, roast leg of lamb Y80, nang bread Y5).  Alcohol is served, so reach for a beer – the Maotai (Y1080) or far, far cheaper Red Star Erguotou (Y10).

DRINKING

Běijīng has a glut of drinking options and a judicious appraisal is recommended before diving in willy-nilly.  New bars trip over themselves to cash in on the latest fad, swinging open doors onto samey interiors where a palpable sense of bankruptcy hangs in the air. After folding, a month passes and
the bar reopens under new management.  The bandwagon rolls on and after the dust settles, enough spots with a dose of character and a shot of style find themselves occupying a profitable niche in the fickle and easily bored expat scene. Any bar with 10 years on the ticker is a sure-fire veteran.

Principle bar areas include a now-scattered collection in Sanlitun, a long string of bars along the northern and southern shores of Houhai Lake (Houhai Nanyan and Houhai Beiyan), nearby Yandai Xiejie and a long slew of bars along Nanluogu Xiang, southeast of the Drum Tower; other outfits are doing their own thing, in their own part of town including student bars in the university areas. Wi-fi is increasingly available in Běijīng’s bar world.