Must-see restaurants in Forbidden City & Dongcheng Central

Dadong could be the best meal of your trip or an occasion to forget, and it all comes down to expectation. Less Peking duck restaurant and more temple to…

Mount your culinary camel and traverse the Silk Road sands to this singular Central Asian food fest. Grilled lamb doused in cumin and chilli, baked…

Beijing's most refined destination for duck, where perfectly bronzed birds are announced to the dining room by the chiming of a gong. Maybe it's the 30…

Occupying a Qing dynasty building beside the Forbidden City's moat, this is the sister restaurant to upscale TRB Hutong, with the same flawless service…

Set back in the corner of the parade ground on the old US Legation, Lost Heaven presents the dreamy flavours of exotic Yunnan province. Sour-spicy dishes …

Beijing's most famous international fine-dining experience, TRB (Temple Restaurant Beijing) serves modern European dishes with a French twist – house…

Divine dim sum draws the crowds to this clubby outpost of the multi-Michelin-starred Hong Kong chain. Order from a check-box menu of classic Canto treats …

Every Chinese province has its own government office in Beijing, usually furnished with a hotel and restaurant for visiting cadres. With some exceptions,…

The infamously testy boss here is the fifth son (wǔ gē) in his family, hence the name. Jīchì means chicken wings, and they're worth braving his ire for –…

A marvellous, messy microcosm of Beijing at its most boisterous, this old-school canteen slings giant platters of traditional grub, which tastes more…

A relative newcomer to the Peking duck scene, this local chain boasts some of the best birds in town, and this branch in particular is a beauty, with a…

Perhaps it's due to Yunnan's exotic culinary allusions to Southeast Asia, but this crossover cuisine has long been held dear by foreign foodies in China…

Order the namesake dish (一哥牛肉面; yī gē niúròu miàn; ¥38) at this mom-and-pop eatery and you'll get a whacking great bowl of chewy noodles floating in a…

Dine on Vietnamese fare such as fresh spring rolls and phở (beef noodle soup) at this well-loved hutong eatery with a tree-shaded courtyard. The…

The good: delicious Hangzhou-style dishes are astonishing value at this popular chain restaurant. The bad: it's in Beijing's busiest shopping mall and the…

Inside Beijing apm is one of several Beijing branches of this world-famous dumpling chain born in Taiwan. Line up for lovingly wrapped xiǎolóngbāo …

This upscale chain turns out delicious versions of Shanghai's famous soup dumplings, sweet-and-sour pork ribs and spring-onion-oil noodles (葱油拌面; cōngyóu…

A busy branch of Peking duck maestro Dong Zhenxiang's casual concept eatery where a portion of his famous fowl (¥119) comes with Instagrammable additions…

Deconstructed dishes are based around a single ingredient at this clever European bistro inside the sumptuous PuXuan Hotel. The eight-hour cooked beef…

Thick with the funk of charred mutton, this food alley is a scrum of bodies and bins overflowing with discarded skewers, where tourists gorge on fried…