KEY2 Pick
Peking Duck • $$$
Da Dong Roast Duck
The restaurant credited with reinventing Peking duck as a lean, crisp-skinned modern classic.
Best for: Special Occasion
Best restaurants in Beijing
Counters, dining rooms and neighbourhood favourites, chosen for the way they actually eat — not for how loudly they market.
KEY2 Pick
Imperial Cuisine • $$$$
Jing Yaa Tang
A Temple Hotel dining room reworking Qing-dynasty court recipes with contemporary technique.
Best for: Date Night
KEY2 Pick
Vegetarian • $$$$
King's Joy
A Michelin-starred vegetarian restaurant near the Lama Temple, drawing on Buddhist cuisine with fine-dining plating.
Best for: Special Occasion
Dumplings • $
Baoyuan Dumpling Restaurant
A no-frills Gulou dumpling house famous for translucent, hand-pleated jiaozi in a dozen fillings.
Best for: Budget Eats
Peking Duck • $$
Bianyifang Roast Duck
A 1416-founded roast duck house using the closed-oven method, older than its rival Quanjude across town.
Best for: Classic
Hot Pot • $$
Ding Ding Xiang
A polished hot pot chain that Beijingers actually rate, known for its sesame-based dipping sauce.
Best for: Group Dinner
Contemporary Chinese • $$$$
Green T. House
A theatrically designed Sanlitun dining room serving artfully plated contemporary Chinese cuisine and tea pairings.
Best for: Special Occasion
Home-Style Chinese • $$
Huajia Yiyuan
A courtyard restaurant near Ditan Park credited with popularizing the now-ubiquitous Beijing home-style tofu dish.
Best for: Casual Dinner
Street Food Court • $
Jiumen Xiaochi
A courtyard food court gathering Beijing's classic street snacks - noodles, offal soup, fried dough - under one roof.
Best for: Budget Eats
Yunnan • $$$
Lost Heaven
A Sanlitun outpost of the Shanghai favourite, serving Yunnan and Southeast Asian-influenced cooking in a moody dining room.
Best for: Date Night
Manchu Cuisine • $$
Najia Xiaoguan
A courtyard restaurant serving Manchu-Qing family recipes handed down through the owner's household.
Best for: Group Dinner
Peking Duck • $$
Quanjude Roast Duck Restaurant
The 1864 original that put Peking duck on the map, still carving tableside on Qianmen Street.
Best for: Classic
Peking Duck • $$
Siji Minfu Roast Duck
A locally loved chain serving reliably good duck without the queues or price tag of the big names.
Best for: Casual Dinner
Vegetarian • $$$
Susu Vegetarian
A Gulou-area vegetarian restaurant serving inventive plant-based takes on regional Chinese dishes.
Best for: Casual Dinner
European Fine Dining • $$$$
Temple Restaurant Beijing
A Michelin-starred tasting menu set inside a restored 600-year-old temple courtyard near the Forbidden City.
Best for: Special Occasion
Xian Noodles • $
Xian Lao Man
A casual Xian-style biang biang noodle shop popular for its wide hand-pulled noodles and lamb skewers.
Best for: Budget Eats
Sichuan • $$
Yuxiang Renjia
A reliably fiery Sichuan chain popular with expats and locals alike for its mapo tofu and boiled fish.
Best for: Group Dinner
More Beijing guides