Beijing's Hottest New Restaurants

Before embarking on the Beijing dining circuit, it's a good idea to write down the address of your hotel and restaurant in Chinese characters for the taxi. It will save time, money and frustration.

Once at the restaurant, remember that gratuity is included on most restaurant bills. Be sure to carry cash for those that don't accept credit cards or are experiencing connection issues.

Lastly, don't judge a restaurant by its picture-enabled menu; even the finest establishments love a good photo of their food.

The Embassy of Starck

LAN
It may be old hat to purveyors of the New York dining circuit, but a Philippe Starck-designed eatery is still a noble destination within Beijing social circles. The designer pulls out all the stops in one of his largest restaurant spaces to date, located within a voluminous 60,000-square-foot dining complex owned and named after one of Beijing's most fashionable and successful businesswomen.

Far more bourgeois than one would expect, the space has canopy lounge chairs, chaises, winged statues and ceiling-mounted frescoes. If the décor hasn't satiated your appetite, a Szechuan feast awaits, like a modern interpretation of Asia de Cuba.

The Beijing Hotspot

Whampoa Club

Hot on the heels of ever-popular Whampoa Shanghai, chef Jereme Leung brings his hip spin on traditional Chinese cuisine to a historic courtyard within Beijing's financial district. The restaurant is arranged around an elaborate central dining room with glass ceiling suspended with some-10,000 illuminated, metal-encrusted disks.

More Shanghai than traditional Beijing cuisine, Leung creates a contemporary Chinese menu available as a full tasting or a la carte. Menu items mix classic European ingredients with traditional Chinese cuisine like black mushroom salad with chrysanthemum petals, prawns with ginger and garlic, braised pork knuckles and Beijing pancakes stuffed with foie gras.

The Must-Have Reservation

Maison Boulud
One of New York's most famous chefs debuts his first restaurant in Mainland China in the newly refurbished Legation Quarter just east of Tiananmen Square, within a turn-of-the-century compound once home to the U.S. Emissary. Visitors enter via a main reception flanked by a dramatic white double staircase -- perfect for grand entrances and hasty departures.