01 Food tours
Original food tours, curated with our local tastemakers to showcase the neighbourhood kitchens, markets and family-run eateries that define Beijing.
No tours listed for Beijing yet — check back soon.
Peking duck lacquered in a wood fired oven, jianbing scallion pancakes, black sesame paste, sharp Zhenjiang vinegar. Beijing still eats like a former imperial capital.
04 The pantry
- Peking duck, corn-fed birds raised for the classic roast
- Sweet bean sauce, dark tianmianjiang smeared on pancakes
- Chinese chives, folded into dumplings and stir-fries
- Sesame paste, thick and nutty for cold noodles and hotpot
- Zhenjiang vinegar, dark aged black vinegar for the dipping bowl
05 In the kitchen
- Roasting Peking duck in wood-fired ovens for the lacquered skin
- Rolling and steaming jianbing pancakes on flat cast-iron griddles
- Hand-pulling zhajiangmian noodles for the classic bean-paste sauce
- Boiling jiaozi dumplings in giant pots for the winter table
- Stir-frying with the deep wok hei favoured in the northern capital
06 Eat this first
- Peking duck, roasted duck sliced tableside with pancakes and sweet bean sauce
- Jianbing, savoury scallion crepe wrapped around crispy crackers
- Zhajiangmian, thick wheat noodles with soybean-paste sauce
- Baodu, quick-boiled tripe with sesame-paste dip
- Tanghulu, hawthorn berries on skewers glazed with rock sugar
What happens inside a hammam kitchen
A morning with the cooks who feed the neighbourhood before dawn. Charcoal, dough, the smell of a bakery working its second oven.
10 Field Notes
Quick field notes to help you get accustomed to Beijing.
Weather
Four sharp seasons — hot, humid summers (30°C-plus), bitterly cold winters (near freezing), and short, spectacular springs and autumns. September and October are the sweet spot.
Currency
The Chinese yuan (CNY); cards rarely used at street level — WeChat Pay and Alipay dominate. Set up either before you land, or bring cash and a Union Pay card.
Language
Mandarin Chinese is universal; English coverage is thin outside major hotels and tourist sights. A translation app helps enormously — signage is often bilingual around the sights.
Etiquette
Respect for elders and hierarchy runs deep; queueing can be loose but is expected in official settings. Don't stick chopsticks upright in rice, and always accept business cards with two hands.
Getting around
The subway is huge, cheap, and clean — signage is bilingual and lines colour-coded. Didi is the local ride app; taxis are cheap but drivers rarely speak English.
Prayer
Officially secular. Buddhist, Daoist, Muslim (Hui), and Christian communities all quietly practice; visit the Lama Temple or the Niujie Mosque for a glimpse.