This laid-back eatery serves up Yunnanese that’s so authentic, you’ll think you’re on holiday—although admittedly, that might be due to Haney's location inside a youth hostel. It’s run by the people behind the much-loved Gulou institution Dali Renjia, and aside from a few missteps ... Read more »

We expected a high-end, private room kind of experience from this China World Summit Wing restaurant, but instead found a buzzy, modern place with tasty, affordable food.

The menu is mostly Cantonese, but other Chinese cuisines are also represented. Off the dim sum menu, the steamed rice flour rolls with ... Read more »

This two-story venue, opened by a Spanish-Chinese owner, offers an extensive list of Spanish sparkling, red and white wines, as well as a basic menu of salads, soups and tapas. While you’ll find plenty of imported products here, Real Vino seems more targeted to a local clientele.

There’s ... Read more »

A visit to this hutong café/bar is not far off from drinking in your friend’s courtyard home. The converted siheyuan is well furnished with wicker furniture around a gorgeous outdoor courtyard, making The Other Place a nice quiet spot for a late-night drink. Inside, sit on plush couches ... Read more »

Smack in the middle of Sanlitun Village, the new location of Yunnan restaurant favorite Middle 8th intimidates with a massive menu of modern Chinese food, but thankfully there are more hits than misses.

The Yiliang duck with matsutake mushroom and tender bamboo shoots (RMB39) is a delicious starter. Rich mouthfuls ... Read more »

There’s no getting around the fact that Al Safir is a hole in the wall. But the divey venue belies a standard of food that is rare for Beijing’s Middle Eastern restaurants and left us truly impressed.

The place is run by two veterans of the Beijing restaurant ... Read more »

Shunyi’s center at Pinnacle Plaza has recently been graced by this new restaurant and bar. This is a quintessential English pub, with pub food served all day. There are five big screens and bar stools downstairs, with a pool table, foosball and booths upstairs. Best of all, there’s ... Read more »

The original Geba Geba is the Japanese restaurant we recommend most to our friends. But despite having an identical menu and solid food quality, the second branch didn’t impress us the same way.

The odd location of the first branch and its labyrinthine layout makes diners feel like they ... Read more »

This cute American roadside diner is a step back to Route 66, but the sleek presentation and extensive menu masks mediocre food that only manages to tease you about the real thing. This is the second installation of the Shuangjing stalwart which has been satisfying the foreigner desire for burgers ... Read more »

There really are no frills at this hutong joint. There’s no Wi-Fi and no fancy décor. What Mr. Beer does have, though, is dirt-cheap prices. The racks at this supermarket, tended by the always-cheery Mr. Huang, are stocked with an extensive selection of imported stouts, ales and lagers, all ... Read more »

If you live in Gubei, Bamboo7 is a great choice for pampering, rest and relaxation. The prices are slightly steeper than those at other local massage joints—RMB98 for a one-hour foot or Chinese body massage and RMB188-388 for a one-hour oil massage—but it’s well worth it for ... Read more »

The latest on the growing hot dog vendor scene is Dog on Fire in the Sanlitun Village South. The hot dogs are either beef or pork sausage imported from the U.S., or soy-based veggie dogs. In addition to regular-sized hot dogs, you can order the mini combo (¥78), a ... Read more »

We thought Twilight was the only worthwhile bar in Jianwai SOHO. We were wrong. This Japanese-style whiskey bar is hidden in an apartment on the 23rd floor in the west area. When you do find it, you’re welcomed into an inviting bar with soft lighting, black wood paneling and ... Read more »

Beijing’s first-ever Kazakh restaurant offers a delicious taste of Central Asia. The menu, ambiance and location are likely to draw a largely Kazakh and Russian crowd, but you definitely don’t need to be post-Soviet to enjoy this place.

With a Kazakh owner and chefs from Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan ... Read more »

One of the city’s fanciest dim sum dining destinations, Cuisine Cuisine focuses on seasonal ingredients, private luxury dining and dishes created by the Michelin-star chef who heads the restaurant’s original location in Hong Kong. The Beijing branch is a maze of private dining rooms ornately decorated with hand-painted ... Read more »

Neighbor to Temple and Jam, this new bar is easy to miss above a motorcycle dealership. Confusion carries into the branding: posters proclaim iBeer, cards say Eje Beer Club, but Chinese punters call it Zhou—Chinese for “axis.” Beyond the Spanish name, it carries Belgian beer, plays reggae music and ... Read more »

The newest arrival to the small Japanese restaurant enclave off of Xinyuan Xili, Hideyoshi is a tiny, four-table joint that serves up okonomiyaki, a Japanese-style omelette loaded with pork, seafood and other good stuff, lightly brushed with sweet sauce, and topped with mayonnaise and bits of seaweed. The décor is ... Read more »

Khajuraho joins Beijing’s Indian dining scene with quite a few memorable dishes to make up for a name so hard to remember. It’s the fourth branch of an international chain that also has outlets in Russia and Mongolia. Khajuraho boasts sophisticated though eclectic décor and a Western-influenced menu ... Read more »

This new Mongolian music bar has some drawbacks—hard-to-find location in the basement of Sanlitun SOHO behind Moment Café, and fluorescent light streaming in from the hallway—but overall it’s a nice, chilled-out place. The menu is simple: baijiu, beer (¥25-35) and Mongolian horse milk alcohol (¥25-188) and the ... Read more »

When the Yi House Hotel became Grace Hotel, its restaurant changed its name from Fennel to Yi House Bistro. Although it has new owners, most aspects of the restaurant have stayed the same, from the commendable aesthetics to the sophisticated European menu.

The seafood platters are truly impressive, with exceptionally ... Read more »

The environment at this rustic hutong trattoria couldn’t be better for an after-dinner espresso and dessert, but the gourmet Italian cuisine might leave you hungry going home.

Located in the hutongs around the corner from Great Leap Brewery, the restaurant has a somewhat limited handwritten menu which is constantly ... Read more »

One might find it hard to visit this mini sushi bar after it actually opens (which is in most cases after 5pm—no matter what opening hours are listed on the door) and before its seating capacity—10 people—is filled. You House only has three tables, a waiter who ... Read more »

The Wudaokou original of this bastion of cheap beer (and pizza) makes sense given its location. But in a Gongti back-alley, it’s just a place to get drunk for next to nothing. The famously inexpensive Tsingtao draft (¥5) is still cheap, but for the moment tastes stale. They also ... Read more »