This branch of one of the CBD sushi restaurant offers up a diverse range of creative rolls, including one topped with pop rocks candy and one cooked before your eyes with a mini blow torch, both well worth a try.
This trusty Sanlitun standby serves up addictive burgers and sandwiches on crunchy baguettes accompanied by Beijing's best thick-cut fries. The chicken sandwich with roasted red peppers is truly excellent, and Kiosk is the only place we know of in town that can make a Mexican Michelada beer cocktail.
This place, with its staggering array of South Indian curries at reasonable prices, is not for the indecisive or curry-virgin. If you're not concerned about your waistline, ask the charming staff for a richer curry. Try the chicken pepper fry and wash it down with some fantastic masala tea.
Modeled after a food-station concept, this brightly lit restaurant prepares food items to order after the swipe of a pre-paid card. Standard execution on a broad range of offerings, like pizza, sushi or dim sum, is Joy Luck’s strength. The breadth of choice makes this place well suited for a large group or family outing.
Come enjoy western food in a casual atmosphere. Modeled on a traditional US diner, Connections offers western food, exotic drinks, good music and a great atmosphere.
I really enjoyed this place before, when it was a chill little bar called Lugar. That said, I always thought one its biggest weaknesses then was that it didn't have a more substantial menu, as the vibe of the interior seemed to favor a "stop and sit" cafe rather than a "stand and mingle" bar. It appears that the owner's a mind reader, as he brought in Fu Rui, owner of a little Italian cafe just down the street on Nanluoguxiang (name escapes me at the moment), to develop a more complete menu. Leafing through it, I was really impressed by what was on offer, especially given the prices, with most main dishes somewhere between 20 and 35 kuai. I decided to go with a vegetable gnocci salad and a bowl of pumpkin soup. They were both pretty good, but I've had better salad and better soup elsewhere in Beijing. What really impressed me afterwards though was how Fu Rui came up and quizzed me afterwards about what I liked and didn't like about the meal. Sometimes owners and chefs, despite their protests to the contrary, can be defensive about others critiquing their food. There was none of that here. Bottom line: the food is good and cheap (and likely will improve as the owner continues to solicit suggestions), the wifi is speedy (if a little wonky sometimes), they have a cozy little open roof, they still have the same great drinks menu from Lugar, and they're open, kitchen and all, until 2am _every freaking day_. I look forward to spending a significant part of my summer here.