Five nights in Beijing!

[foodpro13]

Arriving in Beijing the evening of December 12, leaving the morning of December 16th. My hotel is near Tien'an Men Square. What are my must eats? Not looking for upscale -- I want local places and street food.

Thanks,

Dennis

[Steve]

I think the one dish you should seek out is Zha Jiang Mian, noodles in a bean paste sauce. A standard in Beijing. Also, you probably don't have acess to great Muslim Chinese food in Texas, so you should try that as well. Here is a copy of my Beijing report, previously posted:

Thanks to fellow Chowhound James G for showing us some terrific food. Went to Noodle Loft, Three Guizhou Men, Zi Shia Sichuan Restaurant, and Xinjiang Muslim Restaurant. The last two are hole-in-the-wall places on Xinzhong Jie near the Workers' Stadium.

At Noodle Loft, had three types of noodles. Long pulled noodles in a vinegary sauce, flicked noodles ja jiang mien (bean paste sauce), and in a kind of honeycomb pattern with a fatty meat sauce. All the sauces were exceptional. We also loved the lotus root (served thinly shaved), and a stir fry featuring walnuts. Excellent wok skills.

At Three Guizhou Men, tried a large variety of items and had great success. Particularly loved the fried ribs and a fried eggplant dish, featuring sticks of eggplant that were crisp on the outside and creamy on the inside. Everything was beautifully presented and carefully prepared. Sensational.

Had an outstanding bowl of shweiju (fish boiled in oil) at the Sichuan restaurant. This was the only place we ate where some of the offerings could be duplicated in my hometown near Washington, DC. In fact, I have an even higher regard now for the really good Sichuan options that have come along in the DC area.

Maybe the meal I adored the most was at the Muslim restaurant, where you see this type of food often but never done so well. Lamb and bread in a spicy red sauce, lamb and bread dry fried, and tender skewers of ribs, lamb, and chicken wings. A salad featuring cucumber and tomato. Impossible not to love this food.

[modernleifeng]

Obviously the number 1 must eat is peking duck, which is best at one of the branches of Da Dong. There are lots of traditional, local, Beijing dishes, but too many of them aren't very popular with foreigners. Not sure what other cities you'll be in during your time in China, but there are some worthwhile Sichuan, Yunnan, and Xinjiang spots that you should check out during your time. There isn't a lot of "street food" especiall considering its the middle of winter and the one real spot, the Donghuamen market, is worth avoiding, that said, a lot of the street food has moved indoors and a ton of little neighborhood spots all over the city offer "street food".

[hels]

I'm not a huge fan of Da Dong mostly because I've had more bad visits than good. Yes the duck is fantastic but I think the side dishes can be a let down and over priced for what you get. The queues drive me bonkers and the wait staff tend to be forgetful and rushed off their feet. I realise that I'm in the minority with this view but there we go.

I think that Xiao Wang Fu is a better experience and a better meal overall if you want duck etc. It's certainly a hell of a lot cheaper.

Din Tai Fung is great for dumplings and soups. Lots of people rave about Green Tea House but I haven't been so can't offer an opinion.

The Noodle Bar in 1949 is tiny but brilliant. The table is U shaped around the open kitchen where the 2 chefs make the noodles by hand. The menu is short but the beef brisket noodles are perfect when you're chilled. The vegetables there are also worth an order.

I've never been sick from street food in China but I suspect I have a pretty good belly having lived in some pretty dodgy parts of the world. In regards to streetfood the best advice is to just dive in, try everything, point to what you want, smile a lot and learn to say thank you. Modernleifeng is right that there isn't a vast amount of "street" food about but there are lots of hole in the wall places and tiny local restaurants (if you can call 4 tables a restaurant) that serve the locals. You do tend to have to get off the main streets to find this sort of thing though now and they aren't the kind of place you can give a street address or even a name to.

Best of luck! Hope I helped...

[FourSeasons]

I feel the same way about Da Dong based on my one visit there, none of the dishes impressed me. On top of that, we queue for more than an hour. So two minority votes here.

[modernleifeng]

Xiao Wangfu is a real expat favorite and the food is decent, but a lot of the dishes skew similar to American Chinese food and nothing is too special. Part of the problem with Da Dong is the absolutely crazy insanely massive menu, it's like a book, actually it could very easily be sold as a coffee table chef's book with all the food porn pictures inside it. The duck is hands down the best in Beijing and while the other dishes come in fairly small portions and are pricey, there are far more hits than misses. I can't remember all the great dishes I've had there, but there was an unbelievable venison soup as well as the pork neck, which is an absolute must. Plus, for two people, a duck, a cold dish, and a vegetable is probably more than enough and considering their prices, their veggies (I believe all under RMB40) are a damn good deal.

Green Tea House is an abomination and should be avoided at all costs, it is really pretentious, really unimpressive food at incredibly expensive prices, for "fusion", Courtyard is much better (as are countless other places).

There are a couple hole-in-the-walls not far from where you're staying, I'd skip the Donghuamen night market (other than for pictures) and head toward the forbidden city on that street, across from the Hotel Kapok is a place called 二姐门钉肉饼 (erjie mending roubing) which serves really great local Beijing dishes and "common home dishes", there's also a kebab stand a few doors down that will deliver excellent grilled chicken wings and lamb kebabs. Also on that street (the same side of the street actually) is an excellent lanzhou lamian (hand pulled noodles) spot (much better than Noodle Bar and more than half the price).

[hels]

Yes my husband feels exactly the same way as you about Green Tea House but I do know some people who go so I've never known who has the better taste. Clearly my husband :-)

Yes again, Xaio Wangfu is an expat favorite but the price isn't too outrageous and the food is always decent so it gets a vote there. I suspect you're right with Da Dong that you need to know what to order. I went once with friends and had a great meal. The next time I went we ordered and had a dreadful time of it. Even with items that are usually raved about. So I don't know... I suspect it's like Marmite - you love or hate it.

I'll try to head to the noodle place you suggest in the new year - god I love noodles.

I am nothing but a poor expat but I do try! :-)

[modernleifeng]

the noodle place is more for the OP as he's staying in that neighborhood. There are Lanzhou lamian places all over the city, almost every neighborhood has one and so I wouldn't travel to the one I mentioned specifically, unless you are in the neighborhood for some reason (though I would consider making a trip to Erjie's, surprisingly even on dianping it gets a 24-25 rating for the food). I absolutely love Lanzhou lamian, a very simple dish and its almost always done well, plus its typically under RMB10/bowl.

With Xiao Wangfu, "the price isn't too outrageous" requires a caveat, the one on Guanghua Lu (thats kind of hard to find) is reasonably priced, the one in Ritan Park is not, especially considering you're getting the same dishes.

[hels]

Ah yes I see re the noodle place and agree with the Xaio Wangfu point! The ritan park location is always cold too. I'll do my best to get to Erjie's in the New Year.