Beijing Food Guide 2026: Best Dim Sum & Peking Duck Spots
Embark on a culinary journey through Beijing! This guide highlights the top three must-visit restaurants for authentic dim sum, spicy crawfish, and classic Peking duck.
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Embark on a culinary journey through Beijing! This guide highlights the top three must-visit restaurants for authentic dim sum, spicy crawfish, and classic Peking duck.
China's culinary culture is incredibly rich and developed, so I had huge expectations for what to eat while planning my Beijing trip.
While there are iconic regional dishes like **Peking Duck**, there's also a fantastic array of other options like dim sum and mala longxia (spicy crawfish) that are definitely worth trying at least once when you travel in China.
During this **Beijing trip**, I visited **Jindingxuan for delicious dim sum, Huda for incredible crawfish (longxia), and Siji Minfu for authentic Peking Duck.**
I've compiled Gaode Map links for each restaurant, along with my dining reviews and a breakdown of Beijing's must-try foods.
Beijing Restaurant Guide: Top 3 Must-Try Dishes & Gaode Map Links for Your Beijing Trip
1️⃣Dim Sum Hotspot: Jindingxuan
2️⃣Mala Longxia & Garlic Longxia: Huda Restaurant
3️⃣Peking Duck: Siji Minfu
4️⃣Iconic Beijing Dishes
1. Dim Sum Hotspot: Jindingxuan
Beijing Dim Sum Hotspot: **Jindingxuan**
Operating Hours
6:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Open from early morning until late evening, and with multiple branches, this restaurant was super convenient to fit into our Beijing travel itinerary.
Gaode Map Link for Beijing Dim Sum Hotspot Jindingxuan
For dim sum, I tried the **Red Rice Cheung Fun and Shrimp Har Gow.**
I've had regular Cheung Fun at dim sum restaurants during my Taiwan travels, but the **Red Rice Cheung Fun** here had fried rice flour inside, which gave it a unique and delightful **crispy texture**.
The **Shrimp Har Gow** had such delicate skin that the vibrant color of the shrimp inside was clearly visible. It was so thin and fragile that it was tricky to pick up with chopsticks, so each dim sum was served on its own small stand.
The thin, chewy wrapper was generously filled with plump, succulent shrimp, and *this was hands down my favorite dish at Jindingxuan!*
I also ordered **Steamed Chicken Feet, Spare Ribs, and Hongshao Rou (Braised Pork Belly).**
In Korea, chicken feet are often grilled or served in a spicy soup, but in China and Taiwan, it's common to find them **steamed with a savory sauce.**
Jindingxuan's **Steamed Chicken Feet** were perfectly seasoned throughout and incredibly tender, with the meat practically melting off the bone with just a slight pull.
I wanted to try a Chinese-style braised meat dish like **Hongshao Rou**, so I ordered it, and the portion was quite substantial.
If you're focusing on dim sum but want to add a hearty, comforting meat dish to your meal, this is an excellent choice.
At Jindingxuan, you can **order your meal by scanning the QR code on your table with Alipay or WeChat**.
While you can also order directly from the staff, scanning the QR code brings up pictures of the dishes and allows you to use translation features, making it much easier to choose your food even if you don't speak much Chinese.
When traveling in China, **data connectivity** is absolutely crucial because you'll constantly be using the internet for food orders, payments, Didi Taxi, and Gaode Maps.
I've been to China seven times, and I've always used USIMSA's China SIM or eSIM, which has consistently provided reliable data without any connection issues during ordering and payment processes.
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#BeijingRestaurantRecommendations #PekingRestaurantRecommendations
2. Mala Longxia & Garlic Longxia: Huda Restaurant
If you're craving **bold and spicy Chinese food** in Beijing, Huda is an absolute must-visit.
**Huda** is a renowned restaurant famous for its **longxia, a freshwater crawfish dish**, and it has several branches along Beijing's vibrant **Guijie Street**.
Operating hours vary by branch, with some even open 24 hours, so it's a good idea to check the specific opening times on Gaode Maps before you head over.
Branch 5 Operating Hours
11:00 AM - 02:00 AM
Gaode Map Link for Huda, the Longxia Hotspot on Guijie Street
The three of us ordered both **Mala Longxia (spicy numbing crayfish) and Garlic Longxia**.
We ordered more of the famous Mala Longxia, but when we actually tasted it, it was **much more numbing** than the mala I'd had in Korea.
It was incredibly delicious, but even for someone like me who loves Malatang and Mala Xiangguo, it was so numbing that I kept reaching for the side dishes.
If you love the unique aroma and numbing sensation of mala, you'll be satisfied, but if you're sensitive to spice, it's better to order a smaller portion first.
Personally, I think **Garlic Longxia** suits the Korean palate better than Mala Longxia.
The **sweet crayfish meat and savory garlic sauce** paired perfectly, and the rich, distinctive garlic flavor kept me going back for more.
It's delicious even just mixing the sauce with fried rice, and I hear many people add noodles to mix with the sauce as well.
If it's your first time visiting Huda (Hú Dà), I recommend ordering a bit more Garlic Longxia than Mala Longxia.
Since longxia is a rich and stimulating dish, ordering a lemon iced tea made it even more enjoyable.
#BeijingFoodieList
3. Beijing Duck at Sijiminfu
The most highly recommended dish for a Beijing trip: Beijing Duck.
Among Beijing's best restaurants, the most famous for Beijing Duck is **Sijiminfu**, which has many branches.
The Wangfujing branches are very popular, but the one we visited was the **Wangjing branch**, which was also the meeting point for our Great Wall tour that day.
Around Wangjing Station, there are many affordable massage shops, making it a good area for tourists to visit.
Sijiminfu Wangjing Branch Operating Hours
10:30 -21:30
Sijiminfu Wangjing Branch, Beijing Duck Restaurant Amap
The chef carves the **Beijing Duck** right at your table.
Watching them expertly prepare everything from the crispy, fatty skin to the lean meat and leg portions, it definitely felt like a luxurious dining experience.
I hadn't properly tried Beijing Duck before, so I was a bit worried it might be too greasy, but once I tasted it, it was **light and delicious.**
The **savory thin pancake, the rich flavor of the duck meat**, and the refreshing crispness of the cucumber and green onions all came together in one bite. With different sauces, the flavor changed, making it fun to enjoy one dish in multiple ways.
To show us the proper way to eat it, a **staff member** brought another set of pancakes and literally **demonstrated how to wrap it!**
Also, the first part served, the skin, is made up of crispy skin and a layer of fat with no meat, so its characteristic is a melt-in-your-mouth texture.
They told us to dip it in sugar, and the sweetness really cut through the richness, enhancing the savory flavor.
Unlike the previous two restaurants, Sijiminfu is considered a high-end restaurant even in China, so you don't order via QR code, but they do check midway if the menu items are correct.
Since I couldn't understand Chinese, I **took a picture of the staff's order tablet and translated it**.
#BeijingDuckRestaurant
4. Other Representative Beijing Dishes
If you're looking for other representative Beijing dishes to try during your trip, I recommend the following:
✔️Kaoya (Beijing Duck)
A dish where crispy roasted duck skin and meat are wrapped in a thin pancake with shredded green onions, cucumber, and sauce.
✔️ Donglaorou
A Beijing-style hot pot where thinly sliced lamb is blanched in a clear broth from a brass pot with charcoal in the center.
✔️ Beijing-style Zajiangmian
Noodles mixed with stir-fried black bean sauce and fresh vegetables like cucumber and bean sprouts. It's less sweet and saltier than the Korean-style Jjajangmyeon.
✔️ Tanghulu
A crispy, sweet, and sour dessert made by coating hawthorn berries or other fruits with a hardened sugar syrup.
At Jin Ding Xuan, you can order by scanning the QR code on your table using Alipay or WeChat. You can use food photos and translation features, making it convenient to choose dishes even if you don't speak much Chinese.
Huda Branch 5 operates from 11 AM to 2 AM. Other branches may have different operating hours, so it's advisable to check the specific branch's business hours on Gaode Maps before visiting.
The Peking Duck, carved right in front of your table by the chef, is best enjoyed by wrapping the meat, cucumber, green onions, and sauce together in a thin pancake. Especially, the crispy skin, which is served first, becomes even more savory when dipped in sugar, as the sweetness balances out the richness.
The author's most highly-rated dish at Jin Ding Xuan was the shrimp har gow. It featured plump shrimp packed inside a thin, chewy wrapper, and it was served on a small saucer as it was difficult to pick up with chopsticks.
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