Beijing is a gourmand's delight since just about every style of Chinese cooking is represented by the capital's restaurants: adventurous diners can tour the country without ever leaving the city!  More than this, Beijing also boasts its own cuisine, which combines features of Liaoning cuisine with all the cosmopolitan influences befitting Beijing's status as a mega-city. This inclues the famous ''Imperial Cuisine,'' which could not be sampled outside of the Forbidden City until 1925, when former imperial chefs opened Fangshan Restaurant. Today, the restaurant remains a city landmark offering grand banquets fit for an emporer's palate.

Besides Imperial Cuisine (Yushanfang), Beijing is best known for Beijing Roast Duck and for Hot Pot, favorites with both locals and the city's large expat population. Those visiting Beijing for the first time will want to sample Beijing Duck at Quanjude or Bianyifang; both restaurants have secret recipes and cooking methods that capture all the crispiness and flavor Beijing Duck is famous for. Hot Pot, usually with mutton or beef, is a winter favorite for its delicious, warming soup; cooking and eating at your own pace makes it the most social of Beijing's dining options. Beijing is also famous for its snacks and street food such as lamb skewers (yang rou chuanr), purchased at any corner where vendors set up shop.

With restaurants representing every corner of mainland China, as well as Taiwan and Hong Kong, it'd be possible to live in Beijing for years and never eat at the same place twice. On top of this, though, there are many excellent restaurants serving every kind of international food and to suit all tastes and budgets. Whatever you're craving, you're sure to find it somewhere in Beijing!