Vegetarian And Tea Restaurant

Vegetarian And Tea Restaurant
103 West Dianmen St. (DiAnMenXi DaJie)
XiCheng District (In the second ring road, just outside the north entrance to Beihai park)

The outside is nothing special, just a light-up sign saying “vegetarian restaurant”, but the inside is a wonderful haven away from the crowds of Beijing.

The dishes are simple glazed pottery or color glass, and the waitstaff are fast and thoughtful. But after a day of Tiananmen vendors and shoulder-to-shoulder bus riders, the restaurant is relaxing and peaceful.

Meat eaters needn’t worry, this is no rabbit food. Even dedicated carnivores will feel full after the meatless versions of traditional dishes (Beijing roast tofu, anyone?), or some of the tasty dumplings and fried rice dishes. Careful, though, when they say a dish is spicy, they’re not kidding! The menu is in English, and the staff makes a huge effort to understand my limited Chinese and make sure we have everything we could need.

Try any of their amazing teas. Although the Chinglish descriptions of their health benefits can be laughable, the teas are tasty and the thoughtful staff keeps replenishing the pot.

To get here, take bus 13, 107, 111, 118, 204, 810, 823 or 850 to Dianmen, or walk west out of Beihai park’s north gate.