Beijing Food Guide: 12 Dishes and Where to Eat

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Start with Beijing roast duck in Qianmen

Order 北京烤鸭 and ask whether the menu offers a half duck (半只), a whole duck (整只) or a set for one person. Check whether the thin pancakes (荷叶饼), sauce (甜面酱) and vegetables come with it. Put a little sauce on a pancake, add a piece of duck and a few scallion or cucumber strips if served, then fold. Ask what the kitchen does with the remaining carcass and whether an optional soup costs extra.

Quanjude’s Qianmen branch (全聚德前门店), 30 Qianmen Street (前门大街30号), is the group's original branch and serves duck roasted in an open hanging oven (挂炉). For the closed-oven tradition (焖炉), the city’s dining directory identifies Bianyifang’s Xianyukou branch (便宜坊鲜鱼口店), 65–77 Xianyukou Street (鲜鱼口街65至77号). Save the branch you want. Ask about seats and portion options before a special dinner, especially if you are eating alone. Quanjude’s branch page Qianmen branch cooking profile Beijing’s restaurant directory

Find the right door for zhajiangmian

Search 方砖厂69号炸酱面（方砖厂胡同店） near Nanluoguxiang. A Dongcheng district report gives the shop address as 1 Fangzhuanchang Hutong (方砖厂胡同1号). The 69 in the brand name refers to its former stall address. The shop’s fried sauce (炸酱) contains meat. Mix a little into the wheat noodles, then add the shredded vegetables (菜码) and more sauce to taste. If you want a plant-based meal, ask for a separate dish the kitchen can confirm. Dongcheng report and interview with the owner Municipal overview of Beijing cuisine

Share copper-pot lamb in Wangfujing

Save 东来顺新东安饭庄. Beijing lists the Donglaishun main branch on the fifth floor of Beijing APM at 138 Wangfujing Street (王府井大街138号). Ask for 涮羊肉 and confirm whether your table will use a traditional copper pot. Begin with one plate of sliced lamb and one vegetable or tofu order. Add small batches to the hot broth and cook the lamb through before dipping. Use separate utensils for raw and cooked food. Sesame paste (麻酱) is a common dip. If you avoid sesame or an ingredient in the broth, ask which separate preparations the kitchen can offer. Municipal branch directory Beijing’s Donglaishun hotpot profile

Try a few Beijing snacks at Huguosi

Huguosi Snacks’ main branch (护国寺小吃总店) is at 93 Huguosi Street (护国寺大街93号) in Xicheng. Look at the counter before ordering. The shop’s tourism listing includes the following traditional items, with daily availability to confirm. Choose two or three to share so you can compare them while they are fresh. Visit Beijing branch and menu profile Beijing’s traditional snack descriptions

• Douzhi (豆汁) and jiaoquan (焦圈). Order a small bowl of the sour fermented mung bean drink with a crisp fried ring. Pickles may come on the side. Ordinary soy milk is written 豆浆.
• Yellow pea cake (豌豆黄). Try one piece of this smooth, softly set pea sweet. A piece is enough to compare it with a sticky rice dessert.
• Donkey rolls (驴打滚). Look for a rolled glutinous rice sweet with red bean paste and roasted soybean flour. Ask about the coating if you avoid soy.
• Aiwowo (艾窝窝). The white sweet has a soft rice-based wrapper. Ask about the filling. The municipal recipe profile includes options with sesame, walnuts and seeds.
• Miancha (面茶). Order this warm grain porridge as a savory snack. The usual topping includes sesame paste. Ask before the topping goes on.

Add shaomai, candied hawthorn and a plum drink

Duyichu’s Qianmen branch (都一处烧麦馆前门店), 38 Qianmen Street (前门大街38号), is a stop for shaomai (烧麦). Ask about the filling and the number of pieces in one order before adding other dishes. For a short walk afterward, try a hawthorn tanghulu (山楂糖葫芦) if you see it at a stall. Expect a hard sugar shell and check for pits. Sour plum drink (酸梅汤) offers a tart option. Ask whether it is cold and how sweet the shop makes it. Duyichu branch directory Beijing cuisine and tanghulu profile City account of sour plum drink

Build two days around the meals you want

Spend one outing around Qianmen. Save Quanjude and Duyichu as separate pins on Qianmen Street. Xianyukou is an adjacent street, and Dashilar (大栅栏) offers another lane walk in the wider district. Have a small basket of shaomai or a snack earlier, then use the duck reservation or confirmed wait as the anchor for dinner. Municipal Qianmen walking guide

On another morning, go to Huguosi for the snack counter, then take a separate ride or walk using current directions to the Fangzhuanchang noodle shop. Give the Wangfujing hotpot its own evening if you still want another long meal. With one day, pick Qianmen or the Huguosi and Fangzhuanchang pair. If a queue is too long, check another named branch and its menu, or choose a nearby dish that suits the time you have.

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