Juicy Pockets of Flavor

Chaoyang Park | Baoyuan Jiaozi Wu

With one full-color bilingual menu devoted exclusively to jiaozi, you can be sure that Baoyuan is serious about dumplings. The jiaozi here are made to order and stuffed with every filling imaginable–from your typical pork with cabbage and pork with green chili (￥6) to fancy purple, green, and orange dumplings colored with vegetable juice. A bright interior, wooden tables and friendly waitresses put this restaurant a cut above your average jiaozi joint. Baoyuan also features smoking and non-smoking dining rooms, a rarity for Beijing, but one that is always appreciated by those who don’t like their dumplings with a side of zhong nan hai.

Find it: Chaoyang Park, 6 Maizidian Jie, 朝阳区麦子店街6号楼侧, Tel: 6586-4967

Dongcheng | Xian Lao Man

Don’t be put off by the jars of bright blue garlic floating in vinegar lining the walls (thanks to a chemical reaction), Xian Lao Man is a small restaurant with a large variety of jiaozi. The menu lists 45 types of dumplings, but, if for some reason you can’t find what you like, the friendly staff will happily make whatever you fancy. The Pork Three Specialties (猪肉三鲜) (￥6) was a big hit, as well as the House Specialty (老满饺子) with shrimp, chicken and veggies (￥5.5).

Find it: Dongchengqu 252 Andingmennei Dajie, 东城区安定门内大街252号, Tel: 6404-6944

Chaoyang | San Yuan Shui Jiao Cheng

If you love cheap yet delicious dumplings and can forgive a slow and disinterested waitstaff, San Yuan Jiao Cheng is the spot for you. The jiaozi here are inexpensive, plentiful, and downright tasty, with a yet-to-be-beaten pork and eggplant (￥5). Vegans and non-egg eating vegetarians will have trouble getting their dumpling fill here, as the dumplings are almost exclusively of the egg/meat variety. However a large selection of non-meat dishes means you won’t go hungry if you do stop by. Don’t miss the zucchini and egg dumplings (￥3)–they’re not on the English menu, but their delicate flavor is a great balance to the spicier pickled mustard pork jiaozi (￥4).

Find it: 35 Xiaoyun Lu, 朝阳区霄云路35号, Tel: 6468-8815

Emma Starks