A funny and somewhat snarky look at some of Beijing’s most unique restaurants... Diners choose restaurants according to tastes, environment and services; and in the current “service first” society, services become more and more important. However, are there any original restaurants left? Do you see any restaurants with signs like “No entry without reservation” or “No credit cards! More cash is needed due to high prices”? If these kinds of restaurants exist would you go there for dinner? Would you visit them because of their different and unique nature? The following restaurants are my recommendations for the five most unique and chockfull of character restaurants in Beijing.

1. Red Capital Club新红资俱乐部餐厅

Reservations required. Red Capital Club is located at No. 66 Dongsi Jiutiao. Follow the Jiutiao Hutong eastward for 150 meters until you reach a mansion with black tiles, a red gate and no other signs. An old 70s Red Flag Car is parked by the entrance. Open the door and you can see a delicate four-sided courtyard laid out before you, filled with the mysterious atmosphere of a political corpse. The side room contains a bar filled with massive sofas in the Zhongnanhai updated version of the former Soviet Union’s style. Even the single sofas could seat two polar bears at the same time. It is said that many state leaders have sat upon those sofas. The north room, marked big characters reading “New Red Capital”, meaning “New Red Capitalists”, is the dining room. The cooks all used to be the family chefs for former Zhongnanhai political VIPs, and they serve up dishes beloved by classic communists, such as Deng’s stir-fried eel shreds with red peppers, Yang’s sour and hot bean seedling, Liu’s quick fried beef filet, as well as Cao Xueqin eggplant strips – the first dish served for Grandma Liu after she entered Grand View Garden in the book Dream of Red Mansions. The last dish has a burning taste and is very unpalatable. Whoever orders it is Grandma Liu.

Red Capital Club新红资俱乐部餐厅View In Map
Add: 66 Dongsi Shitiao, Beijing 北京东四的九条66号
Tel: 010-64027150, 84018886

Tips:
1. Remember to reserve seats in advance; otherwise, there’s no way you’re getting in. Diners are mostly the staff of foreign embassies in China, senior managers of international companies in China and reporters from foreign media outlets in Beijing.

2. Dishes are on the expensive side. Remember to bring a lot of cash as credit cards can’t be used here.

2. Shiheyuan四合院

Located at No. 95 Donghuamen, 50 meters east of the Forbidden City, the Siheyuan is a unique restaurant. The first floor is a simple and uncomplicated hall that mainly serves Western food. Try to get a table on the left side because you’ll be sitting next to the Donghua Gate of the Forbidden City. Looming outside of the window, at night, the black tower over the city gate really seems torn from an ancient civilized nation. There is a small bar on the second floor with only 6 to 7 seats. From here, just outside of the window you can see the small bells hung on the watchtower of the Imperial Palace. Just sitting here, memories of the past will float into your mind. There is an underground oil painting exhibition hall more than 30 meters square, which displays only difficult-to-understand works.

 

Siheyuan Restaurant 四合院 View In Map
Add: 95 Donghuamen, 50 meters east of the Forbidden City, Beijing 紫禁城以东50米之遥的东华门95号

Tips:
1.You’ll need to use English here – the manager is a white American who doesn’t speak much Chinese.

2.This is a great place for those who love America, while those with attitudes left over from the Boxer Movement had better stay at home. The head cooks are all Chinese Americans whose eyes always turn red when talking about Sino-American friendship and who gnash their teeth while talking about Bin-Laden after 9/11. Added up, it’s enough to make anti-American people lose their appetites.

3.There are a great number of foreign diners here who are mostly experts on China, so remember to use dialects and slang of different provinces when you want to make fun of them in Chinese.

Stay tuned for part 2 of “Top 5 Most Unique Restaurants in Beijing”.

Read the original in Chinese here

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