Wok The F**K? No Beijing Restaurants In Asia's Top 50

For followers of Beijing's burgeoning and explosive food scene, China's capital is once again markedly absent from Restaurant magazine's latest list, this time for Asia's 50 Best Restaurants.

We reported on their "World's Best" list back in 2011 when Beijing was nowhere to be found – fair enough. This year for the inaugural Asia list, they've asked 900 "trusted and well-travelled gourmets" to help with the decision making for the task of identifying Asia's premier dining venues. And we still failed to make the cut. Adding insult to injury, one restaurant in Hangzhou did. Well, as a devotee to Beijing dining, it seems dubious enough to me. You may wonder if they've ever even made it up to Beijing or is it the pollution keeping them at bay? Have you not tried my corner chuanr stand?

The Middle Kingdom is creeping in, though. In 2011, Hong Kong scored one position but not a single Mainland city was recognized for its dining. Now two years later, Shanghai and even Hangzhou have thrown down, with five and one respectively, recognized restaurants. And if you add in our neighbors to the south, Greater China stole the show – or at least 80% of it. Food has always been a big consolation to temper the irritation of a Hong Kong visa run, but seriously, nine?

But let's keep the focus here. Naturalized Beijingers know that the food is a big reason to stay in Beijing. Corner shop bowls of zhajiangmian convinced me to move here, and places like Najia Xiaoguan and later, Home Plate and Susu, convinced me to settle. Another year may have passed without the regional spotlight, but Beijing still is a city for eaters. Fine dining or casual, Beijing encompasses it all. Each of you have your favorites, so let's hear it. I'm a strong believer in the lived-in knowledge of locals. Do you really trust someone who doesn't understand the nuances of a crispy center to your morning's jianbing for the final word on our city's dining scene? We surely don't.

Voting for the Beijinger's tenth annual Reader Restaurant Awards is still open and you have a few days left to let your most beloved restaurants know they're appreciated. Visit here before Monday March 4th to cast your ballot.

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I think you're outnumbered, Admin Wink

Agreed with the other comments above.

I don't think any of my top dining experiences have occurred in Beijing on strength of a restaurant alone (cuisine + service), which is likely how this list was compiled.

Why the **? What's wrong with the word fork? I know, I know - this is China, so chopsticks are de rigueur, but c'mon. I've seen people forking in restaurants, forking on sidewalks, even forking in the road! With 1.5 billion people, there's a lot of forking in China!

come on people, did you look at the list? There's top 50 restaurants in Columbo, Mumbai and Hangzhou and not Beijing? Please. They just didn't have a correspondent that made it this far.

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Sure there are some good places in Beijing, Admin mentioned some, but imagine these restaurants in Singapore, NY, London, Paris, they would do okay maybe but not real competition. Home Plate is a good example, sure maybe the best American burger place in town, but nothing unique, not outstanding, like wow I went to Beijing to have a burger at Home Plate. This city has a long way to go when it comes to dining. I think all the buzz about eating out in Beijing is that most expats dont know what else to do and are too lazy to cook and it is cheap. As soon as a restaurant is doing okay the corner cutting starts as owners have to cash in before the landlord beefs up the rent. Sure there are some beacons of good service out there but exeptional mind-reading servers I never found in this city.

Yes, those are all awesome. But they're awesome in the environment in which they find themselves. I realize when I visit back home or another country that my tastes have really been downgraded living here. Not that Maison Boulud isn't awesome. Just in comparison to awesome restaurants abroad, it would be "good", not "Top 50".

Doubt wisely; in strange way / To stand inquiring right is not to stray; / To sleep, or run wrong, is. (Donne, Satire III)

Really? TRB, Maison Boulud, Mosto, Da Dong ... gutter oil? Terrible service?

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Terrible service and gutter oil. Two reasons why Beijing restaurants aren't on the list.

not surprised either. Beijing has lots of TYPES of food. most of the types of food from different parts of the country, including Hong Kong and Taiwan, taste quite good, and is relatively cheap. but most of the food types from abroad is expensive and terrible. but for one restaurant to stand out--no way. food service is probably the worst in Beijing, and any place trying to be fancy overcharges for the same poor service and food you could get for 1/3 the price at another restaurant--not worth it!

not really a surpise...