Specific Beijing restaurants, and what to order in each
Beijing food writing usually stops at "try the roast duck". This does not. Each card is a specific restaurant with the order, the price band, the thing that goes wrong, and photographs of the room and the plate.
Copper-pot mutton · since 1994Nanmen Instant-boiled Mutton
Sesame paste, a copper pot of clear water, hand-cut lamb.
- Price
- CNY 100–150 per person
- Where
- 东城区 · 永定门东街东里 13-1-2（近天坛公园南门）
Old Beijing snacks · since 1989Yaoji Fried Liver
Fried liver that is not fried, and a queue at the Drum Tower.
- Price
- CNY 25–50 per person
- Where
- 东城区 · 鼓楼东大街 311 号（鼓楼店）
Halal roast duckZiguangyuan Roast Duck
Halal roast duck at a third of the famous-house price.
- Price
- CNY 70–100 per person · duck CNY 158–168
- Where
- 连锁多店 · 牛街总店、王府井、前门大栅栏
Imperial dairy · intangible heritageSanyuan Meiyuan
Palace milk sweets, light rather than sweet.
- Price
- CNY 15–30 per item
- Where
- 连锁多店 · 前门大街、台基厂、地坛公园
Palace pastries · Beijing old brandFuhuazhai Pastry Shop
Qing palace pastries, still made by hand.
- Price
- CNY 8–19 per piece · about 30 per person
- Where
- 西城区 · 护国寺大街 85 号（护国新天地），鼓楼、三里屯有分店
External photo: vixyao · CC BY-SA 2.0 · full credits in articleRoast duck, closed-oven · since 1416Bianyifang
600-year-old closed-oven duck, an intangible-heritage old brand.
- Price
- About CNY 140 per person · whole duck CNY 198–254
- Where
- 连锁多店 · 哈德门（崇文门）、前门鲜鱼口、和平里、大兴兴创
Fine dining, plant-based · Michelin two starsKing's Joy
Two Michelin stars in a hutong courtyard — the one splurge on this list.
- Price
- Set menus CNY 999 / 1,399 / 1,999 per person, plus 15%
- Hours
- 11:30–14:00 · 17:30–22:00
- Where
- 东城区 · 五道营胡同 2 号（雍和宫旁）
Roast duck · the queue everybody namesSiji Minfu Roast Duck
The duck the city queues for, and the queue is part of it.
- Price
- CNY 120–150 per person
- Where
- 东城区 · 故宫店、王府井东安门店等多店
Douzhi · Bib Gourmand, closes at 12:30Yin San Douzhi
Fermented mung bean, warm, with a fried ring beside it. Breakfast, and then it closes.
- Price
- CNY 15–20 per person
- Where
- 东城区 · 东晓市街 176 号（天坛北门向北 150 米）
Snack shop · since the temple fairHuguosi Snacks
A hundred Beijing snacks behind one counter, at prices that are not a decision.
- Price
- CNY 20–40 per person
- Where
- 西城区 · 护国寺街 93 号（人民剧场对面）
Beijing food · the fish head is the reasonWangshunge
Fish head braised until the broth thickens, and flatbread to soak it up.
- Price
- CNY 120–180 per person
- Where
- 朝阳区 · 奥体店、魏公村店等多店
Old establishment · founded 1741Shaguoju
White-boiled pork sliced thin, three hundred years of it, in an old room by Xisi.
- Price
- CNY 80–110 per person
- Where
- 西城区 · 西四南大街 60 号