Day-by-day eating plans for Beijing. weekend classics, family routes, vegan plans, on-a-budget editions.

Day-by-day plans

Beijing weekend: duck, noodles and copper-pot lamb ★ 4.7

First-time visitor, weekend2 days

A weekend of the dishes the city is known for: stewed liver and buns at Xianyukou, fried-sauce noodles, a hutong roast duck, griddle barbecue at Shichahai and a copper-pot mutton dinner on Wangfujing.

  1. Day 1: Saturday: Xianyukou breakfast, zhajiangmian lunch, hutong roast duck

    Morning
    Tianxingju on Xianyukou Street opens at 07:00. Order chaogan, the thick stewed liver, with a pork and scallion bun, then walk Qianmen Street as the shops open.
    Afternoon
    Lunch at Fortune Long on East Xinglong Street by 12:00, before its three floors fill. Order the zhajiangmian, with soybean sauce made fresh each day, and add the fried pork balls.
    Evening
    Dinner at Liqun Roast Duck on Beixiangfeng Hutong from 17:30. Tables are not reserved in advance, so choose your seat in the courtyard, then order the duck, the mustard duck feet and a mixed vegetable salad.

  2. Day 2: Sunday: Dongsi shaobing, Shichahai griddle barbecue, Wangfujing lamb

    Morning
    Shi Cheng Ji Shaobing Shop on Dongsi Liutiao opens at 06:30. Buy a sesame-paste shaobing, which cost ¥1 plain and ¥7 stuffed with beef in 2025, and eat it warm in the hutong.
    Afternoon
    Lunch at Kaorouji on Qianhai Dongyan beside Shichahai at about 12:30. Order zhizi kaorou, beef and lamb seared on the round iron griddle, with a bottle of Beibingyang soda.
    Evening
    Dinner at Donglaishun in Beijing APM on Wangfujing Street from 18:00. Order sliced mutton for the charcoal copper pot, with sesame sauce and sweet garlic on the side.

Hutong breakfasts and street snacks, on a budget ★ 4.4

Street food and breakfast, one day, on a budget1 day

One day of Beijing's cheap eating, from douzhi at opening to a meat pie, a small bowl of offal stew and charcoal skewers, with the first three stops at ¥15 to ¥45 a head.

  1. Day 1: Saturday: douzhi at opening, meat pie, luzhu, charcoal skewers

    Morning
    Yin San Douzhi on Dongxiaoshi Street opens at 05:30 and closes at 12:30, so arrive by 08:00. Order douzhi with jiaoquan and the braised meatballs, about ¥15 a head, and share a table.
    Afternoon
    Lunch at Jingdong Chengji Roubing in Xingfu Beili at 11:30; it serves 11:00 to 14:00. Order a beef pie, about ¥45 a head. At 15:30 take a taxi to Chen Ji Luzhu on Langfang Ertiao for a small bowl of luzhu.
    Evening
    Jie Bian'er Beef Skewers near Shuangjing reopens at 17:00 and runs to 02:00. Arrive by 18:30 for charcoal beef skewers and the condensed-milk bread, about ¥100 a head.

Imperial pastries and the two duck ovens, one day ★ 4.5

Time-honoured brands, one day1 day

A day among the old brands: palace pastries and snacks on Huguosi Street, a closed-oven duck lunch at Bianyifang and a hung-oven duck dinner at Quanjude, a short walk apart near Qianmen.

  1. Day 1: Saturday: Huguosi pastries, closed-oven lunch, hung-oven dinner

    Morning
    Fuhuazhai Pastry Store on Huguosi Street opens at 09:00; its founder cooked in the Qing imperial kitchen. Buy a box of palace pastries, then walk to Huguosi Snacks for wandouhuang and a cup of douzhi.
    Afternoon
    Lunch at Bianyifang on Xianyukou Street at 12:00; the kitchen serves until 14:00. Order the duck from the closed oven, which roasts without open flame, and note how the skin differs from tonight's.
    Evening
    Dinner at Quanjude on Qianmen Street from 17:30, when the kitchen reopens at 16:30. Order the hung-oven Peking duck, which the house serves in the shape of an open peony, and the duck feet in mustard sauce.

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