How To Eat Like A Local In Beijing – For A True Taste Of Tradition

In any country, food will serve as a wonderful way by which you can fathom and begin to appreciate the surroundings that you are in. In most instances, regions will have their own takes on cuisine with complementing methods of preparation. Thus, such adventures will leave you with a newfound love and admiration for a country’s culture and its values. Such is the case with China and more specifically, it's the capital city of Beijing. For insights on how to eat like a local, do refer to the information detailed out below.

Comb all corners of the city

As a rule, never be satisfied with what meets the eye and consider going off the beaten path in search of authentic eateries and restaurants that are sure to be to your fancy no sooner than you have settled down. Your average Chinese restaurants together with fancy Western restaurants ought to be avoided at all costs as the food will be standardized for most parts with little authenticity included.

How do you locate the best restaurants?

A clear indication of a traditional and authentic Chinese restaurant will be its vibe or surrounding ambiance. Should you be welcomed by scenes of people queuing up or hear loud noises drifting out of a particular establishment, chances are that you have indeed hit the jackpot. Always opt for the noisiest and busiest eateries in the city and you will be treated to a spectacle beyond your wildest imaginations.

Knowing what to order

Blending in and doing so effortlessly takes plenty of practice and patience but remain focused on the job at hand and you will soon be tucking into flavourful cuisine. After you have been directed to your table, have a look around and how you get about this is by wandering through the restaurant in a way that doesn’t come off as being offensive or disrespectful. Also, if you happen to be struggling to come to terms with communicating in the local language of Mandarin, then an easy way to connect with the person serving you will be to point out the best-looking dishes on the tables of other diners. By employing such an approach, you will hardly go wrong.

Choose a good helping of staples

Chinese Meat Dumplings | Image via freepik

From all types of cuisine that you will savor during your time in Beijing, Peking Duck or Beijing Roast Duck will feature as its most sought after. Known mostly for its serving of skin with sprinklings of succulent meat, this dish is best had at facilities such as Da Dong Duck Restaurant at Wangfujing Street where accompaniments ranging from cucumber and scallion can be considered. Should you be residing at Pan Pacific Beijing which also houses some of the best restaurants in Beijing, you may inquire about the exact location of a famed eatery named Quanjude which serves a great take on a culinary specialty that is very much Chinese. 

To have eaten in Beijing without having sampled some Chinese dumplings will be a criminal offense so to speak. Imagine watching on as these tasty treats are rolled and filled which is sure to work up one almighty appetite. For some of the best dumplings in town, do venture towards 88, Baochao Hutong, Gulou Dong Dajie where you will find Mr. Shi’s Dumplings eagerly awaiting its next hungry customer. Furthermore, you may take a trip back in time to ancient Mongolia and to the Mongolian Hotpot! With a history spanning 100 years, the main ingredient of this dish is lamb and is prepared by including same in a boiling pot coupled with a host of fresh ingredients and spices that result in a steaming soup, worth every penny that you pocket out. The local food stalls cannot be excluded and for this purpose, make a beeline towards Wangfujing Snack Street where lines of crowded food stalls and its pungent aromas will coax you into buying more than your tummy can handle. Shaped in the form of a full moon and paper-thin to the core, Tuckahoe Pie is one such treat that must be given a go. With a pancake at its base, foodies will be able to taste sugar, honey, and a generous portion of nuts all neatly wrapped and presented for a sugar rush like no other.