Alameda

The look is LA or Sydney, the food is Brazilian. The well balanced menu includes good- value set lunches and dinners that change with the availability of fresh ingredients but great steaks are standard (see Alameda).

Cafe Sambal

Sambal, a sauce made with chillies, features on the menu at this stylish Malay restaurant, along with other Southeast Asian specialties. The food is complemented by a beautiful courtyard-house setting (see Cafe Sambal).

Hatsune

Hatsune has a dedicated following for its beautiful sushi rolls, prepared with fresh fish flown from Japan. It also looks gorgeous and has superlative service. On top of which, it is also a lot cheaper than you might imagine (see Hatsune).

Aria

Contemporary Western cuisine that combines top-quality ingredients with impressive cooking skills. A multi-course option with wine pairings provides a tour of an inventive but never pretentious Asian-French fusion menu that’s pure pleasure (see Aria).

CourtYard

The location (facing the east gate of the Forbidden City) vies with the food (international fusion) for top honors. For the best views ask for a window table; if they are taken, instead enjoy the striking contemporary art on the walls (see CourtYard).

Green T. House

With its vast empty spaces and furniture so over-designed that the chairs and tables are scarcely recognizable as such, Green T. House seems more gallery than restaurant. The strangeness extends to the menu: from roast lamb with oolong and fennel, to green tea wasabi prawns, everything contains tea (see Green T. House).

Nuage

The setting is a two-story wooden mansion on the banks of Qian Hai, overlooking the lake. The Vietnamese food is variable but as a romantic night-time dining spot this takes some beating (see Nuage).

Jing

A beautiful modernist restaurant dominated by a vast gleaming open kitchen. Watching a team of white-hatted chefs searing, caramelizing, and flash- frying is a sure way to build up an appetite, and the wine list is exemplary (see Jing).

The Olive

Enjoy healthy Mediterranean cuisine in a relaxed setting. Week-end brunches are popular with local families. In summer, diners can sit on the front terrace.

• 17 Gongti Bei Lu (opposite Workers’ Stadium North Gate)

• 6417 9669

• Subway: Dong Si Shi Tiao

Morel’s

One of the oldest Western restaurants in town is this homely spot serving simple, high-quality Belgian fare. As an accompaniment to the food, the list of Belgian beers is second to none (see Morel’s).

The Tree

Popular Sanlitun pub that does excellent wood-fired pizzas (see The Tree).

Fish Nation

Fish and chips English style in an old hutong setting (see Fish Nation).

Schlotzky’s

US-style deli for pastrami on rye and all the rest of it.

• Pacific Century Place, Gongren Tiyuchang Bei Lu

The Bookworm

Lending library, bar, and a great place for healthy, light lunches.

• Building 4, Sanlitun Nan Lu

S.I.T

Beijing’s five Sculpting In Time cafés are a haven for students, offering coffee and cakes, pasta, and pizza.

• www.sitcafe.com

Kiosk

Excellent meaty subs and sandwiches in an open-air setting.

• Na Li Mall, off Sanlitun Bei Lu

AT Café

Quirky café in the 798 Art District with a limited but appealing menu (see AT Café).

Du Yichu

Age-old restaurant that specializes in baozi (steamed buns).

• 36 Qian Men Dajie, corner of Dazhalan Jie

Wangfujing Snack Street

Kabob, noodle, and soup stalls fill a narrow alley off the bottom end of Wangfujing Dajie.

Café Zarah

German-style breakfasts and a wonderful view of Gulou Dong Dajie.

• 42 Gulou Dong Dajie