Dongcheng District
Jingsi Vegetarian Restaurant Big Buddha Temple Branch
Jingsi Vegetarian Restaurant Big Buddha Temple Branch is located in a traditional Beijing Hutong, and is very tidy and clean. The restaurant is elegant and quiet, and is affordable. The restaurant is close to the National Art Museum.
Chinese name: 静思素食坊 (大佛寺店) Jingsi Sushi Fang Dafosi Dian
Recommended dishes: Er Zhi Chan (二指禅, fried gluten and bean products with the appearance and taste of sausage), pumpkin paste (南瓜羹), shredded "pork" in a sweet bean sauce (京酱肉丝, fried mushrooms with a pork taste), Zi Qi Dong Lai (紫气东来, agar-agar and bean products with a meat flavor), sweet and sour "fish" (糖醋鱼, bean products with the appearance and taste of fish), vegetarian "fish" (素鱼, water gluten with the appearance and taste of fish), spicy "kebabs" (羊肉串, roasted gluten with a kebab taste), braised bamboo shoots (油焖鲜笋), vegetarian noodles (罗汉面)
- Average price per person: 50-100 yuan
- Opening hours: 10am – 10pm
- Address: A18, Big Buddha Temple East Street, Art Gallery, Dongcheng District (东城区美术馆北大佛寺东街甲18号), the west exit of Yuqun Hutong (育群胡同)
- Tel: 010-64008941
Transportation:
- 1. Take Bus 104 or 108 and get off at Big Buddha Temple station (大佛寺)
- 2. Take Bus 103, 109, 111 or 846 and get off at Art Gallery station (美术馆)
Lily Vegetarian Restaurant Caoyuan Hutong Branch
Lily Vegetarian RestaurantThere are two kinds of dishes in this restaurant; pure vegetarian, and vegetarian dishes that are inspired by meat dishes. This restaurant, based in Caoyuan Hutong, is elegantly and traditionally decorated. The staff are kind and the restaurant is known for its great service. There is free parking at this restaurant and you can pay by card.
Chinese name: 百合素食 (草园胡同店) Baihe Sushi Caoyuan Hutong Dian
Recommended dishes: pumpkin paste (南瓜羹), multi-layered steamed bread (千层饼), vegetarian "sausage" (素肠, gluten and bean products with a sausage taste), yam paste (山药羹), vegetarian "chicken drumstick" (素鸡腿, bean products with a chicken taste), boiled "fish" (水煮鱼, bean products and vegetables with a fish taste), sweet and sour "spare ribs" (糖醋排骨, lotus roots with a spare rib taste), vanilla multi-layered bread (香草千层饼), fried soybeans with a "sausage" (甜豆炒腊肠, gluten and cucumber with a sausage taste)
- Average price per person: around 100 yuan
- Opening hours: 10am – 10pm
- Address: A23 Caoyuan Hutong, Dongzhimen North Street, Dongcheng District (东城区东直门北小街草园胡同甲23号)
- Tel: 010-64052082, 010-64054282
Transportation:
- 1. Take Bus 406, 612 or 674 and get off at the southern exit of Dongzhimen Northern Street (东直门北小街)
- 2. Take Subway Line 2 or 13 and get off at Dongzhimen Exit A (东直门站A口) to the west
- 3. Take Subway Line 5 and get off at Beixinqiao Exit B (北新桥站B口) to the east
King's Joy
King's Joy is undoubtedly one of the best vegetarian restaurants in town. The dishes are made using the freshest vegetables and ingredients, generally from closeby organic farms or from the special regions they came from.
It has been awarded a couple of awards by the local magazines for its service as well as its food, as its dishes are inventive and tasty. Perfect for groups where not everyone is vegetarian too. The restaurant is conveniently located close to Yonghegong Lama Temple and thus conveniently follows a visit to the temple.
Chinese name: 京兆尹 Jingzhaoyin
Recommended dishes: sauteed matsutake and celtis leaf, wild mushroom sushi, chilled papaya milk
- Average price per person: over 250 per person
- Opening hours: 10am – 10pm
- Address: 2 Wudaoying Hutong, Dongcheng District (东城区五道营胡同2号)
- Tel: 8404 9191
- Transportation: Take Subway Line 2 or 5 and get off at Yonghegong Lama Temple Exit D (雍和宫站D口) to the west
Veggie Table
For Western style vegetarian food, try this vegan restaurant, one of the only restaurants exclusively serving vegan fare in Beijing. It serves up a wide range of vegan food using the finest ingredients, and is very popular with both the local and the international community.
This restaurant is located in one of Beijing's famous Hutongs, and is great to start off or end a Hutong tour.
Recommended dishes: a range of different vegan burgers, vegan pizza
- Average price per person: 100-200 yuan
- Opening hours: 11am – 11pm (Wednesday-Monday)
- Address: 19 Wudaoying Hutong, Dongcheng District (东城区五道营胡同19号)
- Tel: 6446 2073
- Transportation: Take Subway Line 2 or 5 and get off at Yonghegong Lama Temple Exit D (雍和宫站D口) to the west
Xuxiangzhai Vegetarian Restaurant
This restaurant is decorated in an antique style and the dishes are cooked to look like meat-style dishes but only vegetarian ingredients are used to cook. There is a buffet service and a direct ordering service for the dishes. The ingredients are all fresh, organic and healthy. The environment is quiet and this restaurant is especially suitable for family events. There is also free parking and a credit card facility is provided.
Chinese name: 叙香斋素食 Xuxiangzhai Sushi
Recommended dishes: wrapped rice with medicago (苜蓿手卷), spicy "kebabs" (羊肉串, roasted gluten with a kebab taste), boiled "fish" (水煮鱼, bean products and vegetables with a fish taste), desserts (甜点), "pastel de nata" (葡式蛋挞), sushi (寿司), twice-cooked "pork" (回锅肉, eggplants cooked in sauce with a pork taste), steamed gluten (烤麸), roasted "duck" with a crispy skin (脆皮烤鸭, bean curd skin wrapped around mushroom with the appearance and taste of duck)
- Average price per person: around 100 yuan
- Opening hours: buffet lunch: 11.30am – 2pm, buffet dinner: 5.30 pm – 9pm, ordinary cuisine order: 10am – 9pm
- Address: A 26-1, Guozijian Street, Dongcheng District (东城区国子监大街甲26-1号), opposite to the Confucian Temple (孔庙)
- Tel: 010-64046568
Transportation:
- 1. Take Bus 612 or 635 and get off at Beixinqiao Exit West (北新桥路口西)
- 2. Take Bus 13, 116, 117 or 684 and get off at the Lama Temple station (雍和宫), and then go through the Guojijian west gate (国子监西门) for 100 meters to the west
- 3. Take Bus 104, 108, 113, 124, 201, 758 or 850 and get off at Andingmen (安定门), and then go through the west exit of Guojijian Street (国子监西口) for about 550 meters to the east
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Chaoyang District
Jingsi Vegetarian Restaurant Hepingli Branch
From the same chain as mentioned above, Jingsi also has a branch in Chaoyang District, at Hepingli.
- Chinese name: 静思素食坊 (和平里店) Jingsi Sushi Fang Hepingli Dian
- Average price per person: 50-100 yuan
- Opening hours: 10am – 9.30pm
- Address: Huagong Dayuan, Heping West Street, Chaoyang District (朝阳区和平西街化工大院社区内), exit of Heping North Street (和平北街口)
- Tel: 010-64206839
- Transportation: 75, 104 (express bus), 119, 123, 125, or Subway Line 5
Boweitang Natural Vegetarian Lohas
This vegetarian restaurant is known for its quiet and clean environment, and the dishes also taste great. Er Zhi Chan Er Zhi Chan (二指禅, fried gluten and bean products with the appearance and taste of sausage) is one of the dishes that is most well known from this restaurant, and is recommended by customers. The fire tofu (火焰豆腐) is also a popular dish at this restaurant.
Chinese name: 博味堂自然素食 Boweitang Ziran Sushi
Recommended dishes: sizzling "beef" in black pepper (铁板黑椒牛柳, bean products with a beef taste), tomato soup (番茄浓汤), wrapped rice with fresh vegetables (蔬菜手卷), twice-cooked "pork" (回锅肉, eggplants with a pork taste), stewed lily, taro and pumpkin (百合香芋南瓜), eggplant noodles (茄子面), crispy durian cake (榴莲酥), crispy papaya cake (木瓜酥), pumpkin paste (南瓜羹)
- Average price per person: around 100 yuan
- Opening hours: 11.15am – 9.30pm
- Address: 14-9 Anhuili 1st Area, Beiyuan Road, Chaoyang District (朝阳区北苑路安慧里一区14-9号), west of Jiali Dasha (加利大厦西)
- Tel: 010-57127280, 010-64927559
Transportation:
- 1. Take Bus 1, 386, 419, 479, 656 or 696 and get off at the east side of Anhui Bridge (安慧桥东)
- 2. Take Bus 2, 387 or 464 and get off at Huizhong Road east exit (慧中路东口)
- 3. Take Bus 108, 124, 426 or 849 and get off at Beichen Shopping Center (北辰购物中心)
Haidian District
Jingsi Vegetarian Restaurant Xizhimen Branch
From the same chain as mentioned above, Jingsi also has a branch in Haidian District, at Xizhimen.
- Chinese name: 静思素食坊 (西直门店) Jingsi Sushi Fang Xizhimen Dian
- Average price per person: 50-100 yuan
- Opening hours: 10am – 9.30pm
- Address: Floors 1 and 2, Meiyuan Hotel, A30 Gaoliangqiao Xie Street, Haidian District (海淀区高粱桥斜街甲30号梅苑饭店1-2楼), near to the south gate of the Beijing Jiao Tong University (北京交通大学)
- Tel: 010-62255792
- Transportation: Bus 26, Yuntong Bus 16, 103 or 105
Chongwen District
Gongdelin Vegetarian Restaurant
Gongdelin Vegetarian Restaurant is a restaurant based in the Buddhist vegetarian tradition, and was originally set up in Hangzhou decades ago. It is the same as many other Chinese vegetarian restaurants in the sense that it serves 'normal' looking meat dishes but actually everything is craftfully made using vegetarian ingredients, particularly tofu.
This restaurant is perfect if you want to try Peking duck but are a vegetarian, you'll be surprised how much the tofu duck looks like an actual Peking duck!
Chinese name: 功德林
Recommended dishes: cumin 'lamb' shashlik, gongdeli 'duck'
- Average price per person: around 100 yuan
- Opening hours: 10.30am – 9pm
- Address: 2 Qianmen East Street, Chongwen District
- Tel: 6702 0867
- Transportation: Take Subway Line 2 and get off at Chongwenmen Station
We Can Organize a Vegetarian Trip!
Are you vegetarian? Not a problem, we can make sure that all your meals are fully vegetarian, and include any restaurants you'd like. Please let us know when you contact us about creating your itinerary, especially if you're particularly interested in trying Buddhist vegetarian restaurants.
Further Reading
- We can also arrange a gluten-free tour of China if you are allergic or sensitive to it.
- Just because you don't eat meat, doesn't mean you have to miss out on Chinese culture.
- The vast majority of Chinese desserts are vegetarian too, check them out here.