For a city of its size and regional importance, Beijing’s streets should be teeming with the bright, halcyon flavours of Southeast Asia. Yet we are locked in a constant search for good Thai, Vietnamese and Singaporean. A recent arrival from San Francisco via Shanghai, Saigon Mama looks set to fill the void. The Vietnamese fast-casual joint has swooped in with a line-up of greatest hits, hip digs and an everyday price point.

From its Taikoo Li South perch, midday sun floods the lofty space populated with well-dressed office types. A retro-style graffiti sign telling us to 'Get your pho on' and references to the street scenes of Saigon set the vibe here. The walls are packed full of Vietnamese foodstuffs: sacks of coffee beans, cans of sweetened condensed milk and bottles of hot sauce paint a picture of the offerings, as wafts of anise and beef stock whet our appetite.

The menu is as polished and well put together as the rest of the place. Stunning matte photography of staple fare tempt ever more cruelly with each page until we cave and order one of each. Service is cheery, attentive and eager to please, guiding us through the finer points of the menu as if in an attempt to curb our zeal. We compromise and settle for only half the menu as the Vietnamese-style coffee arrives.

The starters are served just in time to save us from over-caffeinating. The portions are generous and despite the lightness of nearly all the dishes, the ingredients have a way of filling you up quick. The fried egg rolls arrive first and vanish with a flourish of sweetened chilli and fish sauce; the crisp rice wrapping adding a pleasing crunch to juicy minced pork, savoury mushrooms and tender veggies. Fried cuttlefish cakes are a more mild choice, with the spongy interior offering not much by way of seafood flavour but a pleasing chomp nonetheless, and any vessel for the house-made hoisin and chilli sauces is welcomed.

Cafe Zarah is the king of all Gulou cafes -- no small feat considering that it's a neighborhood full of them. Basically, when you move into Gulou, they just give you a cafe right off the bat as like a signer's incentive. They just give you one for free. That and a free Bob Dylan poster to hang on the wall. And a curated Velvet Underground playlist. 

But Cafe Zarah yeah... let's see... Cafe Zarah combines a hip minimalist concrete industrial space with carefully home-spun Euro cafe fare. A few months back, they shuttered the venue up and underwent some pretty expansive renovations, thereby launching this massive diaspora of Macbook owners who wandered off vaguely in the direction of Alba and Amilal. They opened back up just a few weeks ago, and the diaspora's been wandering back since. 

For renovations, they opened up the courtyard in the back and redid the surrounding rooftop space overlooking said courtyard. It's still a skeleton of what it purportedly will become, but, goddamn, it's looking pretty beautiful. It manages to be coolly modern-ish and minimal, while at the same time offering a peaceful and airy natural environment. Fresh coat of paint on all that Gulou history. It's 2014, let's do this. 

Currently, they're hosting a soft launch menu, which is a very paired down selection of European cafe standards: a few snacks, sandwiches, salads, pastas, deserts, variations on continental breakfast, juice, coffee, wine, and cocktails. There's definitely room to expand on that though if they can get the service and kitchen in gear. It's this beautiful and large outdoor space now, just crying out for someone to create some sort of classy, classy, classy pan-Euro-Mediterranean-Asian high-end restaurant & cocktail bar out of it's hitherto humble cafe focus. 

Atmosphere: Cool and sunny concrete cafe by day, intimate, flickering candles and shadows at night. As I say, the renovations are still an ongoing thing -- looks like they're planning a 20-year slow burn on that front -- but despite how bare it all is, it's a pretty big range in terms of atmosphere. It's a decent enough snacks, wifi, and coffee space in the daytime, and it's still chic, chic, chic enough to make you feel like your out doing wonderful things if you're drinking alcohol there at night. 

But, yeah, the courtyard and roof are pretty bitchin' as far as those go...

Damage: Sort of cheap but sort of not really. The menu relies heavily on imports across the board and it's reflected in prices at the higher end. Coffee 25rmb to 45rmb. Iced coffee 38rmb. Salad, 35rmb to 50rmb. Pasta, 45rmb. Sandwiches, 50rmb. Breakfast, 45 to 95rmb. Wine at 35 or 50rmb a glass. 

“Indian Cuisine In Beijing”

We were staying in the Russian district of Beijing and the variety of food in the area was amazing. Our dinner at Mo Di Taj Mahal Indian Restaurant was exceptional, with personalised service from the owner. Suggestions were made abut the different items on the menu and it was perfect service and food service. Recommended.

"Tasty food, good service”

I was introduced to this restaurant by my cousin who is very regular at this place and I think it's a good place to have decent Indian food in China. This restaurant is among a bunch of other restaurants so could be difficult to locate. We ordered a lot of food like Lamb, Butter chicken, Dal tadka, Tandoori chicken, varieties of naan and what not. All the dishes were done right especially Dal tadka was super delicious. Although Butter chicken was good but there is a room for them to improve it. You can find Kingfisher beer and authentic real Indian Chai (Offered to us twice by the owner (Jay) since it was raining). I gave excellent rating to this restaurant because it serves the purpose of your visit,food is tasty and priced reasonable. I saw many Chinese and expats visiting the place to eat plus management seems to be friendly.

“Had a great time at Moti Mahal !”

Recommended by a friend went to Motion Mahal. After long time had a delicious Indian food. dal tarka and butter chicken with garlic naan was yummy ..... Had a great time.

The mid-day crowds in the dining rooms of the different branches (Sanlitun, Haidian, Lido and The Place) attest to the popularity of this popular chain's lunchtime buffet. Choose from a selection of North and South Indian classics (tandoori meats, shahi korma, curries, lamb saagwala, aloo mutter, chana masala etc.) and enjoy fresh naan bread and imported Kingfisher beer. Winner of "Best India/Pakistani" in the Beijinger's 2011 Reader Restaurant Awards.

Ganges Indian Cuisine brings you a variety of dishes from different regions of India. You can enjoy the warmth of Indian hospitality through its cuisine and a variety of beverages. It is not just a place to eat and drink, but to have fun and relax. It is our commitment to use fresh ingredients. We do not use any preservatives or food color.

Our Services

We’re one of the longest established family run Indian Restaurants in the area. Our success has stemmed from our values of offering deliciously authentic Indian cuisine, genuine value for money with a unrivalled personal service. Our menu is designed using century-old recipes by our family of chefs. We make almost everything ourselves using fresh, seasonal and sustainable produce that, wherever possible, is bought from local suppliers. Our takeaway and delivery service means you can enjoy all our fantastic Indian dishes from the comfort of your own home. We also offer private functions and outside catering for weddings and parties, simply drop us an email or call to find out more.

Catering

We cater for parties, office functions and special occasions; you can also use our 70 seating restaurant to host a party.

This unique restaurant and culinary school offers cooking classes, tea workshops, and "communal dinners," where guests are encouraged to dine with strangers at a table of 12-14. The lunchtime cooking classes take place every Wednesday and Sunday at 11 a.m., and the full program is available on the website.

Join us on Tuesdays and Friday nights* from 7-10pm for our famous communal dining event. The meal includes 10 courses plus generous pours of two wine pairings for 300RMB per person. Book early to secure a seat in our open kitchen, where you will see Executive Chef Zhang Aifeng and Chef Wang Kaiyun in action at the wok. We encourage single diners or small groups to book on these evenings to enjoy a family-style meal together.Whether you want to dine or learn to cook privately with family and friends, celebrate an occasion, or holding a meeting or conference, we assure that you will have a memorable experience. We offer the following:

Our Classic Wine n’ Dine experience (our most popular option, ten courses and two wine pairings) for 300RMB per person. (4-person minimum charge for lunch; 8-person minimum charge for dinner).

Our Deluxe Wine n’ Dine experience (the Classic experience + a mini pre-dinner dumpling class and cocktail reception) for 390RMB per person. (8-person minimum charge, dinner only).

Our Private Cooking experience (a hands-on cooking class, lunch, and non-alcoholic beverages) for 450RMB per person. (4-person minimum charge, daytime hours only).

Our Chinese Tea experience (unlimited tea and snacks for 1.5 hours) for 100RMB per person. (4-person minimum charge, between 10am-noon and 3-6pm).

“Great food and cheap!”

Value for money! Food is absolutely great! The queue can be very long so go early. Located inside the APM mall. Steam prawn with garlic is one of my favourite! Lots of spicy choices too! Fish is chilly oil is great too!

“Great & Cheap Chinese Restaurant ”

Don't let the shopping center fool you, Grandma's isn't a standard mall food at all. Great service, good atmosphere and fantastic Chinese food for few bucks. Free hot tea is available for people waiting and during the all meal. We order 4/5 different dishes and we spend only 20$ for both of us. Great dinner

“Great food and very reasonably priced”

The menu is very extensive with many choices of local Chinese dishes, prices are very reasonable and the food is delicious. However there may be a long queue during peak dining hours.

“Good food, long w

The restaurant is on the sixth floor of the mall above the Apple Store. Similar to the Cheesecake Factory, for those who know it, you get a number and wait for a table. The wait is obviously determined by how many people came before you. 

They have one English menu, it has pictures, everything else is in Mandarin. There are not many English speaking staff, however you are in China so that shouldn't bother you.The food was very good and quite reasonably priced. Time your visit and you can minimize the wait. 

From the first steps through the courtyard's mist-covered entrance to the small grove of bamboo trees in the back, the focus at this elegant, upscale restaurant is on the bounty of nature. Vegetables reign supreme here. The "monkey's head" mushroom, cooked in a sweet and sour sauce, is satisfyingly chunky. The truffle-grilled crispy rice squares are a crunchy mouthful, while the braised spicy tofu leaves a kick with its Sichuan peppercorn flavoring. The wine list is lengthy, but the more interesting drinks are healthy infusions of hawberry juice, palm juice, or chilled papaya milk. Though a traditional courtyard on the outside, the restaurant's interior is a modern melding of natural elements like wood and stone. Dining spaces are separated by stacked wood panels that create a sense of privacy while maintaining an airy feel. Reserve seats in the tranquil outdoor courtyard when the weather is good.

   This place was set up by a German lady, who traveled to Dali a few years ago, loved here, and settled here, with her genius care for quality of food. The material of food here are based on organic farming resources, and some even imported from other countries.

   The staffs are all very sweet and friendly local young people, who serves you with smile always.

  They also offer space to exhibite local artists' work, from time to time, mainly paintings and creative stuffs.

  The palce is simply and beautifully designed, very cosy space for reading, working on laptop, or just enjoying your afternoon tea with friends.

  The location is very easy to find too, next to the biggest Mosque in the old town, on the charming Renmin Road.

  Have a good time there!

Walk to Upper reach of Renmin Road, you'll see the sign easily.

This Shunyi staple run by a Chinese-American native of Brooklyn, New York offers Beijing’s best bagels (in a variety of flavors, including jalepeno cheddar, sesame and cinnamon raisin), as well as burgers, sandwiches(served on a choice of pita, ciabatta or bagels) salads, artisan pizza, cheeses, breads, cakes, cookies, ice cream and an extensive breakfast menu. Produce and other organic products from the owner's other venue Green Cow Farm are also available. The venue also includes a large children’s playroom is equipped with toys, kid-sized chairs and tables and an entire Chinese kitchen in miniature. There is also a new location in Jiuxinqiao called Green Cow City Cafe.

It is a hotpot restaurant. The hotpot is diffrent with other ones, where you can have your own golden individual pot for yourself. You can choose your won hotpot base with diffrent taste and your own hotpot saurce by yourself. And also there are lots of choice of food, like the beef, sheep ,noodle,dumplings, vegitables. You can cook your own food while eating. 

The restaurant is very popular, where you can taste the very delecious food. If you eat here with your own, you can oder the food by half ones. They also have the set for individials about 80Yuan each, but it is olny for the Lunch time. 

Take the subway to "Jinqiao road" or take the taxi to "The bolck of Zhangyang road and Jinqiao road. "