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Since imperial times, Beijing has drawn citizens from all corners of China, and the country's economic boom has only accelerated the culinary diversity of the capital. These days, diners can find food from the myriad cuisines of far-flung regions of China, as well as just about every kind of international food.
Highlights include rare fungi and flowers from Yunnan, chili-strewn Hunan cooking from Mao’s home province, Tibetan yak and tsampa (barley flour), mutton kebabs and grilled flatbreads from Xinjiang, numbingly spicy Sichuan cuisine, and chewy noodles from Shaanxi. And then there are ethnic foods from all over, with some—notably Italian, Japanese and Korean—in abundance.
You can spend as little as $5 per person for a decent meal or $100 and up on a lavish banquet. The variety of venues is also part of the fun, with five-star hotel dining rooms, holes-in-the-wall, and refurbished courtyard houses all represented. Reservations are always a good idea, especially for higher-end places, so ask your hotel to book you a table.
Beijingers tend to eat dinner around 6 pm, and many local restaurants will have closed their kitchens by 9 pm, though places that stay open until the wee hours aren’t hard to find. Tipping is not the custom although some larger, international restaurants will add a 15% service charge to the bill, as do five-star hotel restaurants. Be aware before you go out that small and medium venues only take cash payments or local bank cards; more established restaurants usually accept credit cards.
Yanjing, the local beer, together with the ubiquitous Tsingtao, is available everywhere in Beijing. A growing number of imported beer brands have entered the market, and Beijing has a burgeoning craft beer scene of its own. And now many Chinese restaurants now have extensive wine menus.
Beijing’s best all-round Japanese izakaya-style restaurant is the place to go for frothy mugs of Asahi draft, sublime soba noodles, and some of the best sushi and sashimi in the city for the price. The slow-cooked pork belly in miso broth with a poached egg gets rave reviews.
This tiny, unassuming restaurant serves arguably the best sushi in the city. The seafood is flown in from Tokyo's Tsukiji fish market; the daily chef's selection (about Y280) is a wooden board of sushi made from the best catches of the day.
Fusion-style California rolls are the name of the game at this hip and trendy Japanese eatery in the heart of Sanlitun. At this Beijing institution, the long list of unconventional rolls are made with everything from crab and avocado to imported foie gras. Fresh sashimi, crisp tempura, and tender grilled fish go well with the extensive sake menu; ask the manager for pairing recommendations. A cocktail list and range of imported beers makes this recently renovated spot popular with a well-heeled, pre-party crowd. The original location is on Guanghua Lu in the CBD.
Few restaurants in the capital are able to approach the level of refinement found at this Japanese haven, set in the restored imperial grounds of the Aman Resort at the Summer Palace. The set menus introduces diners to chef Naoki Okumura's multi-course meals (kaiseki), which marry French cooking techniques to Japanese traditions, such as seared foie gras served on steamed egg custard. If the weather is fine, sit outside by the reflecting pool for a calming, romantic experience.
This upscale sushi bar, restaurant and cocktail joint is the work of Max Levy, a New Orleans native who became the only non-Japanese sushi chef at New York’s famous Sushi Yasuda. Daily kaiseki (traditional set menus) star pearlescent sushi and sashimi, dainty hot dishes like slow-cooked octopus, and countless other classy snacks, like the signature yakitoro—charcoal-roasted fatty tuna with leeks, garlic, and grill sauce—or the roasted eel and avocado, artfully wrapped in a thin slice of cucumber. The sparse, simple decor doesn't quite match the sophistication of the food; if you like to watch the chefs slicing and dicing up close, book a spot at the seven-seat sushi bar.
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