Dinner
Although many street
food stalls may be getting ready for another shift at night, dinner in Beijing
is definitely marked by the hums of the steam and sizzle of 70,000 restaurants
showcasing the country's best regional cooking. Diners can eat their way through
China without leaving the capital city. Scrumptious sweet and sour duck laid
out on a platter of ribs drenched with black bean sauce will make your mouth
water, but don’t splash out on your entire trip allowance yet!
Here’s my
list of Beijing’s best eateries made for all budgets for you to get your
evening fix of true Chinese cuisine.
Although many street
food stalls may be getting ready for another shift at night, dinner in Beijing
is definitely marked by the hums of the steam and sizzle of 70,000 restaurants
showcasing the country's best regional cooking. Diners can eat their way through
China without leaving the capital city. Scrumptious sweet and sour duck laid
out on a platter of ribs drenched with black bean sauce will make your mouth
water, but don’t splash out on your entire trip allowance yet!
1. Duck de Chine (全鸭季)
In
a city famed for roast duck, Duck de Chine stands neck and feathers above the
rest.
What started as a father-son restaurant has now
flourished into one of Beijing’s prized places for duck. After 11 years in
preparation, a renowned recipe for the perfect Peking Duck will leave your
wallet empty once slices of duck dipped in homemade hoisin sauce and folded
into gently steamed pancakes reach your taste buds. The results can’t be
refuted. And with the dazzling surrounding scenery and elegantly decorated
building, Duck de Chine never ceases to awe.
Even the price of your food will leave you
dumbstruck but for true value, who can dispute?
Address
Duck de Chine Duck de Chine
56 Dong Xinlongjie 东兴隆街56号
Dongcheng District 东城区
Beijing 北京
2. Spicy Little Thing (Crayfish) – Ghost Street
For Beijingers, its more than the food and the drink - it’s a way of life.
Although it’s known as “Ghost Street” because of the ghostly spectacle of the grocery and produce night market formerly located there, Gui Jie is now one of the most alive places you can find in the city.
The structure of
Guijie Street is like a dumbbell - bigger both ends and smaller in the middle.
Restaurants at the ends are flourishing businesses, but the centre area is
rather dull. Either way, this guide will lead you to some cultivating cuisine
regardless of the stereotypes of the shops.
Here is my guide to
eating out on Ghost Street for all food-lovers:
1. Best Place for Spice
For the hot pot experience, there is none which can
compete with Jingui XiaoShanCheng; a chain restaurant from Sichuan which serves
up some of the best seafood found in Beijing within the medium price range
bracket. What more could you ask for? It is most renowned for its ‘Ma la xiao,’
the nickname for Guijie’s Spicy Crayfish. At a meagre ¥6 each, seafood lovers who
were disappointed with Beijing’s mainly pork precedence can eat their fill.
With 3 exquisitely ornamented adjoining courtyards and large private rooms,
this is the must-go-to location for old Beijing ambiance.
TIP:
Always make reservations on the weekend as although the restaurant itself can hold a staggering 400 customers, it is also always full.
Average
Price: Less than ¥100 per couple.
Address
No. 253
Dongzhimen Inner Street 253号东直门内大街
Dongcheng District 市东城区
Beijing 北京
Dongcheng District 市东城区
Beijing
*If travelling by taxi, print out the Chinese address and make sure to show it to your driver.
Opening Times:
24Hours!
Telephone: +84 6407-6570
Subway
Take
Subway Line 5 to Beixinqiao and exit from Exit D.
Turn
right as soon as you exit the station and walk up the road until
you reach the main road. (Dongsi North Street)
Once
you reach the main road, turn left and walk up the road
until you reach the intersection.
Turn
right and cross the bridge to the other side of the road.
Turn
right again and walk up the street until you see the bright
lanterns in the picture above. - It shouldn't be hard to miss!
Bus:
Take any bus which goes towards Jing Zhuang (静安庄).
From
that bus stop, get the 201 towards Jijiamao (纪家庙).
- The bus service runs every 10 minutes
so the wait shouldn't be too long!
Get
off at 交道口南.
Head
north up that street (In the opposite direction as the bus) and
turn right.
Walk
straight up the road until you reach the bridge. Then follow
step 5 under the Subway heading.
2. Best Chuan’er
{See an example of 'La zi ji' on the top right}.
Make sure that you try their
‘La zi ji’, (Chicken with Peppers)
as time and time again, the La zi ji is served at an outstanding standard:
nicely crisped on the outside and almost juicy on the inside, swimming in a sea
of red dried capsicums. Honest to goodness, this spicy heaven is most definitely worth the
trek to the Dongzhimen area of Beijing.
Address
XiaoYu
Shan 小渔山
No.195 Dongzhimen Inner
Street 195号东直门内大街
Dongcheng
District 市东城区
Beijing 北京
Beijing 北京
Opening Times: Every day from 10.00am – 8.00am
- Yes, it is open overnight!
Bus:
Take any bus which goes through Dongzhimen Bridge (静安庄).
Then
get either the 106 | 107 | 117 | 635 towards Wuluju (五路居).
- The bus service runs every 10 minutes so the wait shouldn't be too long!
Get
off at Dongnei Xiaojie. (东内小街)
Head
north up
that street (In the same direction as the bus).
On
your right, you
should see XiaoYu Shan (小渔山).
Subway
Take Subway
Line 2 to Dongzhimen Station
(东直门站) and exit from Exit A.
Head
west as
soon as you exit the station and walk up the road until you pass
the 3rd bus stop.
Keep
walking up the road until
on your right, you see XiaoYu Shan (小渔山).
So
that’s it for the ‘A Chef’s Chopstick Challenge’ series. If you just happened
to open this post and haven’t seen the others, go to my Frugal Feast page here
to find the previous posts. Keep watching that blog-roll for some more Beijing
Tourism posts!
Any
questions, just drop a line!
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