This elegant Japanese restaurant, a favorite of many Shunyi-residents, has opened a new branch in the heart of Sanlitun. The menu’s emphasis is on capturing the essence of quality ingredients, which in turn means higher prices. Each of the several small private rooms feature a teppanyaki grill as the centerpiece (hence the restaurant’s suitability for group dinners), and regulars give the entertainingly prepared (by a private chef) and artistically presented food high ratings.

With another branch on Guanghua Lu, this new Wangjing restaurant delivers decent Italian cuisine in a charming, unpretentious setting. The prices don’t compare to Annie’s, but the food, decor and service have a distinctly homey-rather-than-chain-feel – from the vintage wallpaper and dimly lit candles to the congenial, well-informed staff.

Located at the top of Qianhai lake, in Houhai, this restaurant offers palatable Yunnan cuisine, to go with a stunning view of the lake. Predominantly wooden furnishings compose the minimalist decor, while service is friendly and helpful. The hand-written, hand-sewn menu presents a varied sampling of Yunnan dishes, such as the traditional steamed clay pot chicken (RMB 48), with rich, hearty mingling flavors of chicken meatballs, mushrooms and melon, and old Kunming’s braised beef (RMB 58), which provides a tasty kick of spice balanced with refreshing mint and spinach leaves. This is a great spot for escaping the Houhai bar scene to take in the view and enjoy a decent meal. Daily 9:30am-11pm. 10 Qianhai Dongyan, Xicheng District (8404 8710)云海肴.
西城区前海东沿10号(什刹海银锭桥头)

We were surprised a few months back when Luga opened a Vietnamese restaurant. With Luga’s Pho Pho off the ground, its tireless proprietor set about planning the next phase in his campaign for world domination. Finding the space was easy – the upper floor of Luga’s Villa has never really been used to any effect. But what about the food? There was talk of a Brazilian menu, but ultimately Luga has settled for ... Thai food. The menu is still a work in progress, but currently features an unwieldy selection of curries, stir-fries, soups and Thai desserts. The deep-fried shrimp cakes (RMB 32) were decent enough, and the yellow chicken curry (RMB 48) was surprisingly rich and flavorsome. Luga even goes fusion on us with a red curry roast duck (RMB 48). As with Luga’s Villa, it’s happy hour from 4-9pm daily.

Daily 10am-midnight. 3/F (above Luga’s Villa), 7 Sanlitun Beijie (behind 3.3 Shopping Center), Chaoyang District. (6416 2575)
朝阳区三里屯北街7号3层

If this place were a cop, it would be Eliot Ness. Meaning it’s “by the book” – the book being The Nanluogu Xiang Manual to Opening a Cafe. It reads something like this. Step 1: Beautify a traditional courtyard with Christmas lights, leafy things and vintage radios. Step 2: Craft an unwieldy “status” menu packed with pricey coffee, brand name liquors and pizza. Step 3: Hire at least 27 staff. Step 4 … you get the picture. Hutong’r has sensibly remained true to that surefire formula, so you can expect festive lighting, heavily marked-up drinks, acceptably cheesy pizza (RMB 42-78), passable “Italian noodles” (RMB 30) and overzealous service. Thereupon, besides the sheer scale of the joint, there’s little to distinguish Hutong’r from its many rivals. Case closed.

Daily 11am-1am. 105 Ju’er Hutong, Nanluogu Xiang, Dongcheng District. (6400 6782) 东城区南锣鼓巷菊儿胡同105号