Step into the plush surroundings of the Compass Grill at the Hilton Beijing Capital Airport Hotel to savor the very best steaks and seafood, as well as eastern specialties like teppanyaki and tandoori dishes, all prepared in a glass-fronted open kitchen.

Right Direction

Dining isn’t a strong point of Beijing’s Capital Airport, so it’s fortunate for those spending time around T3 that the Hilton Capital Airport’s Compass Grill offers a tasty, healthy alternative. The restaurant boasts a comfortable, classy environment, excellent service and well executed food from a range of cuisines. We wouldn’t take a trip out to the airport just to eat here, but it’s a great choice if you’re in the neighborhood.

The menu has Indian dishes, and a variety of interpretations of Beijing duck, but Compass Grill is primarily a steakhouse. The quality and prices of steaks are similar to those in other good hotels. The 200g local tenderloin (¥148) was nicely cooked and spiced up with a very peppery sauce. The black cod fillet (¥158) is topped with a lovely sea urchin cream sauce and is moist and flavorful. Our favorite dish was the Australian endive and orange salad (¥52), a colorful, healthy, delicious bowl of freshness. In addition to the crunchy pieces of endive, the salad comprises mixed greens, radishes, apple slices, pieces of fresh orange and big chunks of blue cheese. It’s just the kind of vitamin boost you want before a long flight. The desserts are gorgeously presented, but our passion fruit mousse (¥32) could have had a bit more fruity zing.

Airports are impersonal places, but Compass Grill offers a warm, relaxing environment, with small private rooms, cushy seating and a soundtrack of 1950s-style jazz. Servers are magically there when you need them but refreshingly unobtrusive when you don’t.

Sienna Parulis-Cook