Beijing's food scene is as rich and varied as the vast country it has ruled for so long. The capital's cuisine boasts a wealth of dishes influenced by centuries of China's eight great culinary traditions. While Beijing Imperial Cuisine and Aristocrat Cuisine were developed for emperors and high officials by the best chefs from around the empire, common Beijingers created their own light snacks and hearty dishes, perfect fuel for a long day's work in either steamy summer heat or bitter winter cold. Unlike the south with its vast rice paddies, Beijing's staple is wheat, frequently made into flour used to make noodles and buns.

Of course, today's dining options extend far beyond China's boundaries, as foreign restaurants—from fast food to fine dining—open around the city at a rapid rate. From cheap and delicious street food to endless banquets of dishes once reserved for emperors to the latest in global fusion, Beijing offers the hungry visitor a wonderful range of choices.

Beijing Roast Duck

Slow roasted and succulent, this famous dish (Beijing kao ya) is served with thin crepe-like "lotus leaf pancakes" (heye bing), sweet noodle sauce (tianmianjiang) or hoisin sauce (haixianjiang) and finely sliced green onions. Often an adept chef slices the freshly roast duck table-side before serving, separating the skin from the meat. Once served, the meat is wrapped in a pancake with all the fixings and quickly enjoyed. There is, of course, much debate about where to get Beijing's best roast duck, but Quanjude and Li Qun are always at the top of the list.

Street Food

Carts, stalls and stands selling Beijing's delicious street food dot the city. For breakfast try the sweet and healthy douzhi (a kind of soy milk) and a jian bing, which consists of a quick-fried crepe-like pancake topped with a scrambled egg and various condiments—typical options include sweet soy paste, chili sauce, pickled vegetables, chopped green onions and a crispy strip of fried dough. Other snacks include a steamed wheat bun (mantou) or a baozi (stuffed steam bun) made with any number of fillings, the most typical being seasoned pork. Alongside bamboo steamers and flat jian bing frying pans, you'll often find immigrants from western China—often Uighurs from Xinjiang—grilling yangrou chuanr (lamb skewers seasoned with cumin and other spices) or stalls selling the sandwich-like roujiamo made of a sliced bun accommodating shredded meat—pork or lamb—along with lettuce and seasonings.

There are a number of areas in the city that are, essentially, devoted to food. Try Wangfujing Food Street for its large collection of stalls and locally owned restaurants. Longfusi Snack Street offers snacks specific to Beijing, and if you're in the mood for a midnight treat, try Gui Street or Donghuamen Snack Night Market (located on the north end of Wangfujing) both open all night long.