Food & Cuisine in Beijing

Food info sections | Eating locally

Beijing restaurants have a meal to suit every purse and every palate. Beijing is indeed an epicurean’s delight. From the distinctive cuisines of the various provinces of China to the traditional Beijing restaurant specialities of roast duck, hot pot, and imperial cuisine. Restaurants in Beijing cover the entire gamut of world cuisines.

Beijing is a gourmet's delight, with restaurants offering great food to suit all tastes and all budgets!

In our Beijing restaurant guide below you will find information about great places for eating out in Beijing, the perfect end to a day of shopping in Beijing. Relax and experience the exotic food & cuisine in China.

Food & Cuisine in Beijing

Chinese cuisine includes many renowned provincial cuisines like Sichuan, Canton, Fujian, Hunan and so on. With a continuous influx of people from the provinces to Beijing, there emerged restaurants that began serving these provincial cuisines. At the same time, with a rise in the number of tourists and business visitors, restaurants also began serving a variety of international cuisines. If you are a vegetarian, then step into any of the numerous vegetarian restaurants of Beijing where the range is extensive.

It is believed that when you visit Beijing, there are two things you should not miss. One is to take a walk on the Great Wall while the other is to sample the typical Beijing roast duck. Beijing roast duck is a delicacy where the bird is stuffed with millet sticks and herbs and roasted slowly over an aromatic fire. You can choose the order in which you do these (a brisk walk on the Great Wall can whip up a great appetite for the roast duck), but you must do them!

Eateries spill out of every corner in China, especially Beijing. Food and eating is ingrained in the psyche of the Chinese and gastronomy is serious business here.  Beijing may be a pale cousin of Shanghai, which is known for its pulsating restaurants and international mix of cuisines, but the capital is catching up soon and is adding its own unique trademark.

With the onset of Olympic fever, food is only getting better and going international. The eagerness to reap the economies of scale has led to a sudden surge of new eateries mushrooming all over the city. Unlike their older kin, these new eateries have innovative menus and cater to the international palate.

While in Beijing, tourists don’t have to walk too far to find an eatery. Sidewalk restaurants and small restaurants dish up local delicacies like Peking duck, fried pigs trotters, duck’s tongue and other regional specialities from China and Tibet all through the day.  You can also find an interesting mix of international cuisine in Beijing, given that it is the capital city. Diners can choose from an array of cuisines like French, Thai, African and Indian.

Surprisingly Peking duck, which is the signature dish of Beijing, is overshadowed by other fare that is associated more with Shandong cuisine, which is also known as lucai. Shandong cuisine is largely wheat based and uses strong-flavoured vegetables like cabbage, kale and potato. The cooking technique is often the simple steaming, stewing and stir-frying. However, when they are combined with the strong flavours of garlic, soy sauce, and scallions, they emit mouth-watering smells and taste absolutely delicious.

Eating hours

Lunch hour is 11am–2pm and dinner is 5pm–8pm. The hours in hotels and private restaurants, though, are flexible. Expect packed eateries during the lunch hour.

Good Eating Places

Chao Yang district in the east and Dong Cheng district in central Beijing are considered the best. Yong An Li vegetable market is known for its interesting ambience of market and restaurants. Donghuamen night market, off Wangfuijing, is great for an authentic local spread.