Best Beijing Food 2026: 14 Restaurants for Peking Duck & Hot Pot

Short on time? A guided food walk covers ten dishes at five local eateries in one evening, with a guide to explain what you are eating.

Peking Chamber is the busy branch of the Siji Minfu chain, and it earns its queues: fruitwood-roasted duck with crackling skin, carved at the table and wrapped with pancakes, scallions and sweet bean sauce. The dining room looks straight at the walls of the Forbidden City, so lunch here doubles as a sightseeing stop. Arrive before 11:30 or book ahead, especially at weekends.

Address: No. 11 Nanchizi Street, Dongcheng District (next to the Forbidden City)

Phone: +86 10 6526 7369

Price: around US$22 per person, without drinks

Hours:

Must order: half or whole roast duck, the duck-bone broth, and fried dough sticks with duck-liver pate. If you are planning a day around the palace, pair lunch here with our Jingshan Park guide for the classic view over the roofs.

Quan Ju De is the name most Beijingers mention first when you ask about roast duck, and the Hepingmen branch has been serving it since the 19th century. The duck is roasted over fruitwood in a hanging oven, then carved beside your table - the slice-by-slice ceremony is half the appeal. Book for dinner, as walk-ins often wait an hour.

Address: No. 14 Qianmen West Street, Xicheng District

Phone: +86 10 8319 3101

Price: around US$23 per person

Hours: 11:00-14:00 and 16:00-20:30 daily

Must order: a whole roast duck, duck liver, and the cold plates that arrive before it.

Made In China sits on the ground floor of the Grand Hyatt, a short walk from Wangfujing. Duck is baked in a brick oven behind glass, then paired with Cantonese and northern dishes, so one table can share duck, seafood and noodles. The room is quiet and formal - the place to bring colleagues or parents.

Address: 1F, Grand Hyatt Beijing, No. 1 East Chang'an Avenue, Dongcheng District

Phone: +86 10 6510 9608

Price: around US$42 per person

Hours: 11:30-14:30 and 17:30-21:30 daily

Must order: roast duck, hand-pulled noodles and the duck-bone soup.

Inside the Kerry Hotel in Chaoyang, The Horizon is the calm, carpeted counterpoint to Beijing's crowded duck houses. The duck is glazed and roasted until the skin shatters, and the menu adds Huaiyang dishes such as smoked fish and braised pork. Private rooms make it a favourite with families and business groups.

Address: Beijing Kerry Hotel, No. 1 Guanghua Road, Chaoyang District

Phone: +86 10 8565 2188

Price: around US$36 per person

Hours: 11:30-14:30 and 17:30-21:30 daily

Must order: roast duck, smoked fish and the seasonal cold plates.

Set in a converted factory courtyard off Jinbao Street, 1949 - Duck de Chine treats duck as a tasting menu: crisp skin dipped in sugar, sliced breast, duck soup and a duck-liver dessert. The room is dark, modern and photogenic, and the pace is slower than at the traditional houses.

Address: No. 98 Jinbao Street, Dongcheng District (near Jinbao Place)

Phone: +86 10 6521 1949

Price: around US$46 per person

Hours: 11:00-14:30 and 17:00-22:00 daily

Must order: the duck tasting set, duck soup and the duck-liver dessert.

Jiu Men Xuan serves old-style roast duck at a price that surprises visitors: a whole bird for a fraction of what the famous houses charge. It is a few minutes from Qianmen Street and Dashilan, so it fits neatly into a sightseeing afternoon. Decor is plain, service is quick, and locals fill the tables at lunch.

Address: 1F, No. 17 Liangshidian Street, Xicheng District (near Qianmen)

Phone: +86 135 5287 4970

Price: around US$8 per person

Hours: 10:30-21:30 daily

Must order: a whole roast duck and a couple of home-style Beijing stir-fries.

On Niujie, Beijing's Muslim quarter, Man Heng Ji has been feeding the neighbourhood for generations. Lamb is sliced by hand and cooked in clear water in a tall copper pot, then dipped in sesame sauce with chive blossom - no chilli, no heavy spice. It is cheap, loud and thoroughly local.

Address: Southwest corner of Ping'anli West Street and Zhaodengyu Road, Xicheng District

Phone: +86 10 6651 7188

Price: around US$15 per person

Hours: 11:00-24:00 daily

Must order: hand-cut lamb, the sesame dipping sauce, and sesame-seed flatbread.

Nan Men has been ladling hot pot for thirty years, and its branch beside the Temple of Heaven is the easiest for visitors. Charcoal heats a tall copper pot, lamb slices go in for a few seconds, and the broth stays clear and light. Come after a morning at the temple and let the afternoon slow down.

Address: Building 13, Units 1-2, Yongdingmen East Street Dongli (south gate of Temple of Heaven Park)

Phone: +86 10 6701 7030

Price: around US$14 per person

Hours:

Must order: hand-cut lamb, frozen tofu and the sesame-sauce platter.

Man Fu Lou is a halal hot pot chain that gets the details right: consistently good lamb, a mild clear broth and a long table of free side dishes. The Parkview Green branch is roomy, with plenty of four-person tables, and the staff are used to families and older diners.

Address: Shop 01, LG2, Parkview Green, No. 9 Dongdaqiao Road, Chaoyang District

Phone: +86 10 6405 3088

Price: around US$17 per person

Hours: 10:30-22:00 daily

Must order: hand-cut lamb, sesame flatbread and the pickled cabbage.

PeKing Hotpot updates the copper-pot ritual for Sanlitun: enamel pots, retro tiling and a young crowd. The lamb is tender without being fatty, and the menu adds handmade meatballs and fish balls for anyone who wants more than meat. Book at weekends, when the queue runs down the stairs.

Address: 1F, Block C, Yaolai Center, Xingfu Ercun, Chaoyang District (near Sanlitun)

Phone: +86 10 5335 5333

Price: around US$31 per person

Hours: 11:00-24:00 daily

Must order: hand-cut lamb, handmade meatballs and the sesame dipping sauce.

Ti Du takes the flavours of old Beijing - sesame, vinegar, fermented bean paste - and plates them like a modern restaurant. The fourth-floor terrace looks over the old city, which makes it one of the prettiest dinner spots in the centre. Portions are small and meant for sharing.

Address: 4F, Building W9, No. 21 Langfang Toutiao, Dongcheng District (enter from Building W7)

Phone: +86 10 8315 5188

Price: around US$25 per person

Hours: 11:00-21:30 daily

Must order: the duck, the sesame-spinach salad and anything from the charcoal grill.

Da Dong is the showy face of modern Beijing cooking: ducks roasted to a glassy finish and carved at the table, alongside dishes plated more like gallery pieces than canteen food. The Wangfujing branch is the easiest for visitors, with a calm dining room and a menu that runs well beyond duck. Book for dinner.

Address: 6F, Jingxin Lv Mansion, No. 301 Wangfujing Street, Dongcheng District

Getting there: about 5 minutes on foot from Wangfujing station, Line 1

Price: around US$40 per person

Hours: 11:00-21:30 daily

Must order: the roast duck, sea cucumber with scallion and the dry-fried green beans.

Poetry - Wine is a small, chef-led restaurant where classic Beijing dishes are rebuilt with better ingredients and lighter sauces. The dining room is minimal, the pace is unhurried, and the small plates let a table try a dozen flavours in one meal.

Address: East Third Ring Middle Road at Guanghua North First Street, Chaoyang District (opposite Melody KTV)

Phone: +86 152 1019 7105

Price: around US$31 per person

Hours:

Must order: the seasonal small plates and the caramelised duck.

King's Joy, a Michelin-starred vegetarian restaurant in a courtyard near the Lama Temple, is the most ambitious Beijing cooking on this list. Mushrooms, tofu and vegetables stand in for meat in dishes that look like classical paintings, and the tea pairing is worth the extra. Book well ahead and allow two hours.

Address: No. 2 Wudaoying Hutong, Dongcheng District (near Lama Temple)

Reservations: book online or through your hotel, a day ahead at weekends

Price: set menus from around US$100 per person

Hours: 11:30-14:00, 14:30-17:00 and 17:30-21:00 daily

Must order: the seasonal set menu and the tea pairing.

Between the sit-down meals, Beijing's street food deserves a slot in your itinerary. Most of it is mild rather than spicy, and a snack crawl costs less than one restaurant dinner.

Braised pork offal with baked wheat cake (luzhu huoshao), donkey rolls (lvdagun), stir-fried liver (chaogan), fermented mung bean juice with fried dough rings (douzhi), candied hawthorn skewers (tanghulu), pea-flour cake (wandouhuang) and ai wowo rice cakes.

Still planning your trip? Read our guides to Jingshan Park for the view over the Forbidden City and to Prince Kung's Palace Museum for one of the best-preserved princely mansions in China.