The restaurants worth a reservation in Beijing, from neighbourhood bistros to the new classics.
The restaurants worth the trip in Beijing. bistros, neo-classics, neighbourhood favourites, and the rooms locals book first.
Da Dong at Jinbao Place on Jinbao Street serves Beijing roast duck on the fifth floor of the mall, a short walk from Wangfujing in central Beijing.
OrderOrder a whole roast duck and wrap the slices in pancakes with sweet bean sauce, spring onion and cucumber.
TipThis Da Dong branch is on the fifth floor of the Jinbao Place mall on Jinbao Street, within walking distance of Wangfujing.
Siji Minfu by the east gate of the Forbidden City hang-roasts Beijing duck and serves Beijing-style dishes such as zhajiangmian, close to Wangfujing.
OrderOrder the hang-roasted duck, then a bowl of zhajiangmian (noodles with fried bean sauce) on the side.
TipThe branch stands next to the east gate of the Forbidden City and is a popular choice, so book ahead or arrive off-peak.
Liqun Roast Duck, a casual duck house on Beixiangfeng Hutong near Qianmen, serves Beijing kaoya with duck gizzard and intestine dishes in Beijing.
OrderOrder the Beijing roast duck, then try the duck gizzard and duck intestine dishes alongside it.
TipThe room is modest and a little hard to find; follow the duck drawings on the walls of nearby streets, and reserve in advance.
Dongxinglou on Dongzhimen Inner Street, founded in 1902, cooks Shandong classics such as braised sea cucumber with scallions near Ghost Street in Beijing.
OrderOrder the braised sea cucumber with scallions and the braised prawns, then fried diced chicken with soy sauce.
TipFounded in 1902, it was the best known of the Ba Da Lou, eight famous Shandong restaurants, and stands near the Ghost Street strip.
Donglaishun in Beijing APM on Wangfujing Street is a halal house for charcoal copper-pot instant-boiled mutton, a brand founded in Beijing in 1903.
OrderOrder the instant-boiled mutton cooked in a charcoal copper pot and dip each slice in the house sesame sauce.
TipThis branch is on the fifth floor of the Beijing APM mall; the brand dates to 1903 and is known for halal instant-boiled mutton.
Jubaoyuan on Niujie is a time-honoured Muslim hot pot house serving fresh sliced mutton and beef in coal-fired copper pots in the Hui quarter of Beijing.
OrderOrder thin slices of mutton and beef for the coal-fired copper pot and dip them in sesame sauce.
TipThe shop sits next to the Muslim market on Niujie, so pair a meal here with a walk along the street and its halal shops.
Man Heng Ji holds a Bib Gourmand for charcoal copper-pot instant-boiled mutton from Sunite lamb, with sweet sesame shaobing, in Ping'anli, Beijing.
OrderOrder the instant-boiled mutton, choosing lean or fatty cuts, and finish with sweet sesame-sugar shaobing.
TipThe branch stands on the south-west corner of Ping'anli West Street and Zhaodengyu Road; book ahead or come off-peak.
Kaorouji on Qianhai Dongyan beside Shichahai grills beef and lamb on an iron griddle in the Beijing zhizi kaorou style, a time-honoured barbecue house.
OrderOrder the zhizi kaorou, beef and lamb grilled on an iron griddle, with a bottle of Beibingyang soda.
TipIt stands on Qianhai Dongyan beside Shichahai; the city's food guide suggests pairing the grilled meat with erguotou liquor or Beibingyang soda.
Tianxingju on Xianyukou Street near Qianmen, founded in 1862, serves Beijing-style stewed liver with steamed stuffed buns from early morning in Beijing.
OrderOrder the Beijing-style stewed liver with steamed stuffed buns, the shop's classic pairing.
TipFounded in 1862 as Huixianju, the shop opens at 07:00 on Xianyukou Street near Qianmen, so it works as a breakfast stop.
Shaguoju on Xisi South Street, founded in 1741, specialises in ceramic casserole dishes such as boiled pork and stewed pork hock at its first Beijing branch.
OrderOrder the boiled pork in casserole from the ceramic pot series and add the stewed pork hock.
TipThis is the founding branch at 60 Xisi South Street near Gangwashi, a restaurant established in 1741 that specialises in ceramic pot dishes.
No. 69 Fangzhuanchang Zhajiangmian holds a Bib Gourmand for one dish, chewy noodles in a deep soybean pork sauce, in a hutong near Nanluoguxiang in Beijing.
OrderOrder the zhajiangmian, the only dish on the menu, and add pickled garlic and cumin chilli sauce.
TipDiners queue from opening to closing for the single dish, so go outside the lunchtime rush.
Tong Chun Yuan, a state-owned Jiangzhe restaurant founded in 1930, is Michelin Selected for river fish from live tanks and regional dishes in Beijing.
OrderPick a live river fish from the tanks, then add the Zhenjiang pork trotter aspic and the stir-fried swamp eel.
TipReservations are accepted only for bookings made before noon, so call in the morning.
Country Kitchen at Rosewood Beijing is a Michelin Selected restaurant for Beijing and Shandong dishes, with hand-pulled noodles and wood-oven duck.
OrderOrder the hand-pulled noodles, the Beijing duck from the wood oven and the dumplings.
TipThe kitchen is open-air with a wood oven and there is a relaxed terrace; the restaurant is on the third floor of Rosewood Beijing.
Jia at NUO Hotel Beijing is a Michelin Selected Cantonese restaurant with ink murals, a daily soup menu and sauteed grouper on Jiangtai Road in Beijing.
OrderOrder the sauteed grouper fillet with green chilli and wild rice stems; at lunch add the shrimp roll.
TipThe slow-boiled soup menu changes daily, and the high-ceilinged room inside NUO Hotel Beijing has ink murals and carved wood windows.
Turkish Feast in Xinyuanli serves lamb and beef grills with stone-oven pide and lahmacun, from the team behind Georgia's Feast, in Chaoyang, Beijing.
OrderOrder the grilled meat platter with stone-oven pide or lahmacun, the thin flatbread with minced beef.
TipBlack tea arrives before the meal and desserts follow; the Xinyuanli branch is at unit 115 on the ground floor of the Shang mall.
Cinnara in Chaowai SOHO cooks home-style Sri Lankan food, with black curry crab, kottu, hoppers and coconut roti, near Chaoyangmen in central Beijing.
OrderOrder the black curry crab, kottu and hoppers, with coconut roti to mop up the curry.
TipThe restaurant is unit 03015 on the third floor of Building A, Chaowai SOHO; hoppers are usually served at dinner only.
Latina Brazilian Steakhouse at The Grand Summit in Liangmaqiao, Beijing, serves rodizio-style beef cooked over an open flame; it began in China in 1998.
OrderTake the rodizio service of large beef cuts grilled on skewers over an open flame, then the salad buffet.
TipThe Liangmaqiao branch is unit 201 on the second floor of The Grand Summit; the chain has served Brazilian barbecue in China since 1998.
Quanjude on Qianmen Street is the first restaurant of the Peking duck brand, serving roast duck with mustard duck feet and stuffed mushrooms in Beijing.
OrderOrder the Peking duck, with the webbed duck feet in mustard and the stuffed mushrooms as sides.
TipThis Qianmen restaurant is the first Quanjude; service runs in two sessions, with a break between 14:30 and 16:30.
Bianyifang on Xianyukou Street, a brand founded in 1416, roasts Beijing duck in a closed oven and sells crispy duck varieties near Qianmen in Beijing.
OrderOrder the closed-oven roast duck, or the vegetable-scented crispy duck the kitchen has patented.
TipFounded in 1416, the brand roasts duck in a closed oven without an open flame; this Xianyukou branch is near Qianmen.
Moscow Restaurant on Xizhimenwai Street is a classic Russian dining room serving Moscow borscht and braised beef, long listed by Beijing food guides.
OrderOrder the Moscow-style braised beef and the Moscow borscht, then the baked fish with cream sauce.
TipThe city's autumn food guide names it as the classic Moscow restaurant for beef stew; the capital salad with foie gras is on the menu too.
Hua's Restaurant in restored courtyards near Beixinqiao serves updated Beijing dishes such as Eight Banners lamb ribs and crayfish in Beijing.
OrderOrder the Hua Family cabbage, the Eight Banners lamb ribs and the spicy crayfish.
TipThe restaurant fills a warren of restored courtyards near Beixinqiao, and its evening service runs until 02:00.
Huaiyang Fu in a period mansion on Andingmenwai Street is Michelin Selected for Huaiyang classics such as braised pork belly and lake shrimps in Beijing.
OrderOrder the braised pork belly with arrowroot and the hand-peeled lake shrimps with fox nuts and aged vinegar.
TipBookings are essential; the period mansion has a stone garden and carved wooden windows, and a seasonal menu runs alongside the classics.
Huai Xiang Guo Se in CP Center is Michelin Selected for Huaiyang cooking, with lion's head meatballs in a Jiangnan garden-style room in Beijing.
OrderOrder the sauteed river shrimps with chickpeas and the slow-cooked lion's head pork meatballs in broth.
TipThe kitchen team from Jiangsu sources produce from their home province; seasonal dishes and a chef's tasting menu are also offered.
Duck de Chine, a courtyard house on Jinbao Street, is Michelin Selected for Peking duck roasted over date wood and served to a gong in Beijing.
OrderOrder the Peking duck roasted over date wood, then the deep-fried king oyster mushrooms.
TipThe operator lists last orders at 22:15 and offers private rooms, a bar area and parking; booking ahead is available.
Brasserie 1893, on the ground floor of the Waldorf Astoria, is Michelin Selected for French cooking with Chinese touches such as tea-smoked pigeon in Beijing.
OrderOrder the tea-smoked pigeon, or the Deluxe Degustation tasting menu that shows the chef's culinary vision.
TipLunch and dinner are closed on Monday, and weekend lunch runs to 15:00. A private room seats 8 beside the open kitchen at the centre of the room.
Oyster Talks, on the ground floor south of Yingke Center, is a French seafood restaurant on the 2025 Black Pearl guide, serving oysters in Beijing.
OrderStart with oysters, then the halibut with caviar or the blue lobster baked with garlic and olive oil.
TipIt sits at ground level south of Yingke Center, near the Workers' Stadium, and serves from noon until 23:00 every day.
Xin Ming Yuen at Parkview Green is Michelin Selected for Cantonese classics such as crispy skin chicken and double-boiled soups in a modern room in Beijing.
OrderOrder the crispy skin chicken and the osmanthus scrambled egg with conpoy, then a double-boiled soup.
TipThe menu is concise. A veteran chef cooks roast meat, stir-fries and seafood with traditional techniques, in a mall room at Parkview Green.
Ji Chuan, on the ground floor of the Atour Hotel on West Dawang Road, is Michelin Selected for Chongqing-leaning Sichuan cooking and bingfen in Beijing.
OrderOrder the mapo tofu with marbled beef and the pickled chillies with peach kernels, then the bingfen.
TipExpect an intense tingly numbness from the signatures; the bingfen dessert and the array of alcoholic drinks help put out the flames.
Rong Cuisine on Baiziwan South Er Road is a Bib Gourmand spin-off of Xin Rong Ji serving Taizhou yellow croaker and sauteed squid at modest prices in Beijing.
OrderOrder the famous yellow croaker, then the sauteed squid with wild rice stems and salted potherb mustard.
TipThis branch serves a larger menu with more single-serving choices than its sibling branches, from an open kitchen in a seafaring-themed room.
Guided tour · 5 - 10 hours
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Day trip · 8 hours
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Guided tour · 8 hours
Visiting Tian'anmen Square and the Forbidden City, two iconic spots in Beijing. Hike the scenic Mutianyu Great Wall. Enjoy tasty Chinese dumplings for lunch.