• 1001 Nights
• Middle Eastern
• Sanlitun
• $

Palatial Middle Eastern restaurant famous for its promising authentic eats and a wild floorshow.

• Alameda
• Brazilian Fusion
• Sanlitun
• $$

Execs and jetsetters flock for Alameda’s sophisticated Brazilian-fusion menu and sleek environs.

• Aria
• European
• Chaoyang
• $$$

Posh European enclave drawing business bigwigs for some of the swankiest fare in town.

• Assaggi
• Stylish Italian
• Sanlitun
• $$

Sophisticated Italian eatery drawing outdoor dining aficionados with its leafy roof terrace.

• Beijing Da Dong Roast Duck
• Peking Duck
• Chaoyang
• $

This famed duck restaurant hits the spot with some of the best Peking duck in town.

• Bellagio
• Trendy Taiwanese
• Sanlitun
• $

Slick Taiwanese joint drawing the late-night clubbing set with sweet shaved ice sundaes.

• Café Sambal
• Malaysian
• Xicheng
• $$

Authentic Malaysian eats served in a hip remake of an old Beijing courtyard.

• Crescent Moon
• Authentic Uighur
• Dongcheng
• $

Hidden-in-a-hutong Uighur joint delivers hearty halal fare.

• Dali Courtyard
• Bespoke Yunnan
• Gu Lou (Drum Tower)
• $$

Traditional courtyard eatery offering bespoke set menus of Yunnan classics.

• Din Tai Fung
• Stylish Dumplings
• Chaoyang
• $

Scrumptious Beijing outlet of the famed soup dumpling empire.

• Ding Ding Xiang
• Haute Hotpot
• Chaoyang
• $$$

Swank hotpot joint favored by local A-listers for its ultra-fresh five-star fixings.

• Element Fresh
• Healthy American Café
• Sanlitun
• $

This sunny salads-and-smoothies import from Shanghai draws cool kids and office lunchers in droves.

• Fei Teng Yu Xiang
• Authentic Sichuan
• Sanlitun
• $

Lines are out the door for the house specialty spicy fish at this trendy Sichuan joint.

• Grandma’s Kitchen
• Homestyle American
• Ritan Park
• $

Kitsch, Americana-filled café serving up generous helpings of comfort food to homesick expats.

• Green T House
• Avant-Garde Fusion
• Sanlitun
• $$$$

Exclusive avant-garde restaurant that astounds with eye-popping design.

• Hatsune
• Stylish Japanese
• Chaoyang
• $

This cool California-style Japanese joint is the rock star of Beijing’s straight-laced sushi scene.

• Huang Ting
• Upscale Cantonese
• Wangfujing
• $$$$

Deluxe Cantonese fare served in an elegant hutong-inspired space.

• Jazz-ya
• Funky Japanese
• Sanlitun
• $$

Smooth Tokyo-boho jazz bar-cum-fusion restaurant famed for its dishy cocktails.

• Jin Gui Gui Jie Xiao Shan Cheng
• Sichuan Hotpot
• Dongcheng
• $$

Super-spicy, no-frills Sichuan hotpot served up in the buzzing Ghost Street dining district.

• Karaiya Spice House
• Modern Hunan
• Sanlitun
• $

Chilled-out eatery serving hip Hunan fusion fare to a devoted expat crowd.

• Kong Yiji
• Shaoxing
• Houhai
• $

Atmospheric, perpetually packed Houhai courtyard restaurant serving Shaoxing cuisine.

• LAN Club
• Modern Chinese
• Central Business District
• $$$$

Starck-designed LAN wows with opulent interiors and a smoking scene.

• Lao Hanzi
• Hearty Hakka
• Houhai
• $

Bustling, rough-and-ready Hakka joint on the shores of Qianhai.

• Le Quai
• Nouveau Chinese
• Sanlitun
• $$$

Chic lakeside restaurant, gallery, and lounge set in an atmospheric 250-year-old house.

• Li Qun Roast Duck Restaurant
• Peking Duck
• Qianmen
• $$$

Tumbledown courtyard restaurant with some of the juiciest duck in town.

• Loft 3 Café
• Artsy Café
• Dashanzi
• $

Industrial chic café in the trendy Dashanzi art district.

• Made in China
• Northern Chinese
• Wangfujing
• $$$$

Swanky hotel restaurant famed for its Peking duck and action-packed show kitchens.

• Maison Boulud
• Nouveau French
• Qianmen
• $$$$

Designer menu à la chef superstar Daniel Boulud served in elegant former embassy surrounds.

• Metro Café
• Cozy Italian
• Sanlitun
• $

Laidback Italian eatery with romantic vibes and a nifty mix-and-match menu.

• My Humble House
• Fusion
• Wangfujing
• $$$$

Decadent feng shui-inspired Singaporean fusion in a "bring-the-outdoors-in" space.

• Naoki
• French Kaiseki
• Haidian
• $$$$

Exquisite French fusion haute cuisine served in atmospheric Summer Palace (Aman Hotel) surrounds.

• Noodle Loft
• Shanxi Noodles
• Chaoyang
• $

Stellar noodles and creative cocktails dished up in industrial-chic digs.

• Nuage
• Vietnamese
• Houhai
• $

Atmospheric Vietnamese restaurant and nightclub on the shores of Qianhai Lake.

• Pure Lotus
• Buddhist Vegetarian
• Chaoyang
• $$$

Rebalance your karma as you indulge in vegetarian delights at this posh Buddhist retreat.

• SALT
• Contemporary Eclectic
• Chaoyang
• $$$

Sleek contemporary bistro whose set menus have won the hearts of Beijing’s power lunchers.

• Schindlers Tankstelle
• German
• Ritan Park
• $

Endearingly kitsch German restaurant with excellent outdoor biergarten.

• Sichuan Provincial Government Re...
• Authentic Sichuan
• Dongcheng
• $

State-run Sichuan joint whose fiery authentic eats more than make up for the uninspired décor.

• Sorabol
• Korean
• Chaoyang
• $

Posh Korean chain popular for its gourmet take on barbecue.

• Source
• Atmospheric Sichuan
• Nan Luo Gu Xiang
• $$$$

Sichuan eats meet feng shui vibes in the tranquil courtyard of this Qing Dynasty mansion retreat.

• South Beauty
• Swank Sichuan
• Wangfujing
• $

Upscale chain of Sichuan restaurants popular with business power lunchers for their VIP amenities.

• South Silk Road
• Chic Yunnan
• Sanlitun
• $

Boho-chic Yunnan restaurant popular with hipsters and creative types.

• The Bookworm
• Literary Café
• Sanlitun
• $

The sofas are deep and the bookshelves overflowing at this popular lending library-cum-café.

• The CourtYard
• Continental Chic
• Dongcheng
• $$$$

Sophisticated fine dining in an elegant courtyard setting overlooking the Forbidden City.

• The Den
• Late-Night Noshes
• Sanlitun
• $

24-hour greasy spoon-cum-sports bar famed for its hangover-cure brunches.

• The Orchard
• Organic European
• Shunyi
• $$

Lush countryside garden estate serving fresh organic fare provides a respite for the urban-weary.

• The Xinjiang Red Rose
• Festive Uighur
• Sanlitun
• $

Boisterous Xinjiang joint famed for its juicy kebabs and camp folk performances.

• Three Guizhou Men
• Funky Guizhou
• Sanlitun
• $

Trendy chain of boho-chic Guizhou-themed restaurants serving spicy bites.

• Whampoa Club
• Modern Beijing
• Xicheng
• $$$$

Tradition meets a sexed-up take on modernity at this glam courtyard restaurant.

• Xiang Man Lou
• Peking Duck
• Chaoyang
• $

Peking duck joint prized by locals for its roasted-to-perfection birds.

• Xiao Wang Fu
• Homestyle Chinese
• Chaoyang
• $

High-end chain of homestyle eateries offering a “safe” menu of Chinese classics.

• Yu Xiang Ren Jia
• Authentic Sichuan
• Chaoyang
• $

Laidback chain of Sichuan joints famed for their authentically fiery flavors.