Xicheng

Manchurian cuisine. This restaurant has been around for centuries, but surprisingly the service is still good and the prices low despite the increasing popularity. Specialties include Boiled Pork Casserole (砂锅白肉 shā​guō​bái​ròu​), which is said to have been served for Emperor Qing in the 18th century. Also the Nine Pig Guts (九转肥肠 jiǔ​zhuàn​féi​cháng) is worth a try.

Restaurant specialising in hot pot with a large selection of meat to choose from.

Cantonese restaurant popular with Hong Kong expats and tourists.

Simple and cheap Beijing cuisine, eg fried noodles. Busy serving elderly locals who appears to come here almost every day.

Xi'an cuisine. Serves halal dishes. This restaurant has a long history, and is said to have been a favorite of Chairman Mao. Specialties include mutton soup and steamed mutton.

Serves Beijing cuisine specialising in chicken wings.

Busy small restaurant specialising in beef noodles and Xinjiang noodles.

Small restaurant popular with locals. Serves Beijing cuisine, specialising in rice casserole and rice noodles.

Traditional Zhejiang cuisine in modern surroundings.

Traditional authentic Malaysian cuisine and flavours.

Sichuan cuisine.

Small courtyard restaurant serving both typical and more sophisticated pizzas. Quite limited selection of beers.

Halal restaurant specialising in Beijing-style roast lamb/mutton and beef, but best known for the lamb/mutton. This restaurant has been around for more than 100 years and has great views of the lake from the second floor. A favourite of the Prince Regent Zaifeng in the 19th century. In the early 20th century it was one of three famed roast meat restaurants in Beijing.

Since 1921, diners have been coming to the time-honored restaurant to enjoy its authentic, no-frills Huaiyang cooking made by chefs who cooked for the first banquent on the founding night of China in 1949, with dishes like scorched eel with garlic and soy, stir-fried prawns with vegetables, fried yellow fish with chopped vegetables, and Huangqiao sesame cake.

Mongolian hot pot restaurant with branches nationwide and abroad. Richer soup and, therefore, no dipping sauce.

Primarily serves spicy Sichuan hotpot with fish or meat.

One of the contenders in the ongoing competition for Beijing's best Szechuan cooking, Yuxin delivers on authenticity, flavor, and service. It's always busy, and always good.

Xinjiang cuisine specialising in roast meats.

Hunan and Hubei cuisine.

Cantonese cuisine.

Beijing cuisine specialising in hot pot served in the traditional copper cone pots with coal.

Sichuan cuisine as hot as you will find it in Sichuan.

Beijing cuisine. The restaurant is in the former royal ice house.

Shandong cuisine. This restaurant has been around for centuries. It is spacious with large tables.

Beijing cuisine specialising in dumplings.

Salads and sandwiches with good quality ingredients with a seating area in the open space area of a shopping mall

A true travellers café, with three floors, meals, drinks and desserts, filled with souvenirs from the four corners of the globe.

Hong Kong cuisine served in courtyard restaurant. Offers a classic 10-course menu.

Imperial cuisine. This is a small family run restaurant in a hutong. The set menus consist of ten cold dishes and eight hot. The dishes are small and quite simple, but very tasty. There are only three tables in the restaurant, so book in advance.

Small courtyard restaurant serving French Teppanyaki. There are great views of the lake from the four private rooms. Modern and stylish decor. Reservations are needed.

Modern Chinese cuisine. This is a romantic restaurant with views of the lake.

Zhejiang-French fusion restaurant with views of the lake.

Zhejiang cuisine served ub courtyard restaurant with trees, pond and views of the lake.

Located just north of Taoranting Park in the south west corner of Beijing, this isolated vegetarian restaurant is situated inside a series of old courtyards that house the restaurant and a small temple.

Jin Yang Restaurant serves Shaanxi cuisine. Four Star Restaurant.

The oldest and most venerable of the roast duck restaurants. Quanjude is slipping these days, but its fame still brings many customers, mostly tourists eager for the classic experience. Quality varies by location. The most reputable of Quanjude's 14 branches is the listed Qianmen location, which has been rebuilt as part of the changes taking place in Qianmen Dajie. Other branches are at Hepingmen (south of the subway stop), the east side of Tian'anmen Square, and Qinghua Science Park near Wudaokou.

Serves modern Chinese food based on the old traditions of Beijing cuisine.

A modern palace with exquisite style and traditional imperial service. Suitable for small group dining.

Only bar in the area that caters to younger expats. Home base for popular local band Tavey Lean & the Solid Gold Dream Machine. Vietnamese restaurant during the day.

Lounges primarily frequented by cigar smokers. First class interior with deep upholstered armchairs.

Large tea house from 1988 named after the writer, Lao She. Serves tea and traditional snack. Live performance every night with acrobatics, opera and other traditional art.

This hostel is spread over three buildings, but all have a good reputation. The "West Yard" is a beautiful courtyard house with indoor and outdoor areas for socialising. It has a great friendly atmosphere. The courtyard at this hostel's center is a great place to hang out, talk to new friends or just sit by yourself and read. Located in a hutong. They offer airport pickup for ¥160.

Located in the middle of the tourist area west of Qianmen Pedestrian Street. Free internet available but not in the rooms.

Hotel in a traditional Chinese courtyard. During summertime you should book one week in advance.

One of the cheapest places in the Qianmen Hutong. It has traditional architecture and is just next door from Far East and Leo's. May be difficult to find on a map, and best located by asking.

A beautiful 200-year-old courtyard. Free wifi, tasty restaurant. Staff is wonderfully friendly and speaks pretty good English. Gets a bit cold later in the year, but beds are very comfy and thick quilts are provided. Lots of good bao shops within walking distance.

Rooms with aircon, coffee facilities and satellite TV. Meeting facilities, karaoke and beauty salon available. Restaurant with Sichuan and Lu cuisine.

Small rooms with free internet. Business center and ticket office. Chinese restaurant.

The hotel is in traditional courtyard. The staff do not speak much English but are very friendly. There are two PCs available.

A good alternative to the Far East and is just around the corner. It has a Playstation 2, an internet bar, free wi-fi in the lobby and bar, and more. It is well-known for its friendly English-speaking staff and lively bar atmosphere. One downside is the noise level of the bar late at night.

Qian Men Hostel is conveniently located within 5 minute walking distance of Tiananmen Square. It offers both private and dorm style rooms. It has a dvd room, a cafe, and bar. It also offers tours to numerous places around Beijing. Bikes can be rented for ¥20 a day.

Located just outside the tuoristy area west of Qianmen Pedestrian Street. Aircon, internet, laundry service and bike hire available. Restaurant and bar.

A stone's throw from Houhai, this is one of the most interesting hotels in Beijing. It located in a large complex of courtyards, was residence of Sheng Xuanhuai, a Qing Mandarin, and later was home to Kang Sheng, head of the secret police of Communist China.

This four-star hotel is near SOGO Department Store, Oriental Plaza, and Tiananmen Square. It offers air-conditioned rooms, each features a contemporary European design. It also has a Banquet hall that can accommodates 50 persons. You can also check out their rooftop garden, indoor swimming pool, and sauna.

Rooms with internet available against a surcharge. Bar, business center, gift shop, beauty salon, karaoke and chess/poker room available. Chinese restaurant.

Four star hotel with rooms with internet access against surcharge. Business center, gift shop, beauty salon, ticket office, disco, karaoke, pool, table tennis and fitness available. Chinese and Western restaurants, as well as coffee shop, bar and room service.

This is a real estate company that renovated several ancient houses in the legendary hutongs around Houhai Lake (just behind the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square), and rented them out during the Olympics.

The hotel was built in 2000 and offers the latest in state-of-the-art facilities. There are 486 rooms: Deluxe Room, Superior Room, Suite, etc.

Four star hotel with rooms with free internet, aircon, mini bar, fridge, safety box and satellite TV. Conference room, billiards, table tennis, gym, night club, karaoke, chess and cards room and sauna available. Seafood restaurant.

Enjoys a prime Xuanwu District location. Business and leisure facilities including banquet halls and function rooms.

Formerly Zhong You Department Store (中友百货). Has a lot of fake brands (mostly clothes). Very affordable if you bargain hard. There is a Sanrio gift shop on the fifth floor.

One of Beijing's oldest commercial streets with a 500 year old history, situated south of Qianmen, the old southern gate of the city. Now, this street has been reconstructed to bring it back as it was in the 1920s. Furthermore, there are trolley cars (¥50 for a ticket) that have re-appeared on the street, after being absent for 40 years. The street is a popular destination for tourists as of 2021. Many of the famous shops are concentrated in the main street, but things become cheaper as one gets further away from the main street. Features many silverworking shops and a bookstore (books sold there are expensive, but the collection of English-language books is expansive and there is a discount section and a cafe), as well as various restaurants. Buses can be taken from here to the Great Wall.

Dashilan (and surrounding streets) is a shopping area dating back to the Ming dynasty. The name means big fences, which in earlier times were in place in both ends of the street. Everything burned down during the Boxer Rebellion in 1900, but the area has since been reestablished as a shopping area.

Famous shop established in 1895. Best known for its wide selection of southern style cakes. More than 20 branches around the city.

Famous shop established in 1530. Sells pickled vegetables.

There is no production here any more, but rather antique stores, selling Chinese painting, handicrafts, and used books. The area was popular back to the Tang dynasty, but the small shops were amalgamated into state-operated units during the 1950s. It was redeveloped as a tourist area after 1979, but has failed to regain its former popularity. Nevertheless, it is picturesque and you can still find interesting things here. In the Chinese New Year, there's a 15-day folk fair here. Not far from the Hepingmen Subway Station.

Very large silk store established in 1840. Claims to be the biggest silk professional store in China.

The street has 8 wholesale tea markets and more than 600 tea shops. Tea sets also for sale here.

Shopping mall with Japanese and European shops.

French supermarket.

One of the most popular markets for locals is located in Xizhimen, next to the zoo. To get there, in front of the zoo there is a new huge building, which is just another big market, but behind it, there is the wholesale market, with the best prices, and a lot of genuine goods (clothing). This market is much more local than others listed here, and is perhaps not ideal for the less adventurous traveler. There is also a similar market nearby in the pedestrian underpass under the parking lot at the Yushuguan Bridge with good bargaining possibilities.

Raw food whole sale market.

40,000-m² market offering a wide range of products including fashion, gifts, leather goods and toys.

Jewelry market.