2015 Year in Review: Best New Casual Dining

Casual dining is probably the most hotly contested category in Beijing, since these are the restaurants that we eat, drink, and make merry at on a regular basis. Below are some of our favorite new openings from the past year. 

TRB Bites
TRB's self-described casual dining offshoot is perhaps a controversial entry on this list, since anyone who has dined there will know that it's not exactly casual in the "grab a quick burger at the bar" sense of the word. However, the design-your-own-menu concept and approachable, tie-less staff do make for a much more casual experience than TRB Bite's elder sibling. Either way, a great addition to the Beijing dining scene this year. 

Rong Xiao Guan
A spinoff from subtly elegant fine dining restaurant Xin Rongji, Rong Xiao Guan embodies the trend of big name restaurants launching cheaper, “popular” brands in the wake of China's crackdown on corruption and extravagance (see also: Da Dong Duck). Rong Xiao Guan might be a casual restaurant, but they aren’t resting on their laurels when it comes to the quality of the food – the Jiangsu-style dishes sing with sweet and savory flavors. 
 

Pizza View
When a restaurant like Opera Bombana announces they're working on a casual pizza restaurant, you sit up and listen. And when Pizza View opened in Parkview Green, we were glad we did. Pizza View specializes in Roma-style pizza by the slice, with a thicker, more substantial base made from a dough that is lovingly fermented for 30 hours. This thicker base stands up well to ample toppings. With this latest opening, Parkview Green has cemented its place as one of our favorite dining destinations in Beijing. 
 

Kenny's Burgers
A burger restaurant in a stylish setting - this is what you can expect from Kenny's Burgers, owned and run by local celebrity chef Kenny Fu (previously of My Humble House and ambassador for kitchen brand Miele). The burgers are made with 100 percent grass fed Tasmanian beef and anointed with fashionable toppings like Manchego cheese and Iberico ham or kimchi and sweet potato tempura. The bench seating by the big windows, which open onto Nali Patio, make Kenny's an especially good choice in spring/summer.

See the comprehensive (and growing) list of 2015 Year in Review blogs here or read more stories by this author here.

Email: robynnetindall@thebeijinger.com
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Photos: Zeus, courtesy of Pizza View, Uni