Beijing's Rooftops & Terraces: the Forbidden City and Beyond

Katie Coy, Managing Editor | Aug 6, 2025 4:30 pm | Add a comment | 315 reads

In our final post of this series, we're taking a look at places around the Forbidden City as well as a few other spots dotted around the capital. For our previous rooftop and terrace posts, check out the links below!

Mandarin Oriental Wangfujing, Beijing’s Terrace

Just west of Wangfujing Pedestrian Street, the Mandarin Oriental Wangfujing’s terrace has stunning views of the surrounding area, including the Forbidden City. The terrace boasts a large space that covers over 400sqm with ample patio chairs and couches and umbrellas. On the food and drink front, you can enjoy a plethora of offerings from Mandarin Oriental’s eateries, such as succulent steak from Mandarin Grill, lighter bites from Café Zi, carefully crafted cocktails from MO Bar, a range of excellent wines and more. 

Mandarin Oriental Wangfujing, Beijing
269 Wangfujing Dajie, Dongcheng District
东城区王府井大街269号
Café Zi hours: Breakfast, 6.30am-10.30am; Lunch, 11.30am-2.30pm; Afternoon Tea, 3pm-5pm; Dinner: 5.30pm-10pm
Mandarin Grill hours: Tue-Sun, 11.30am-2pm and 6pm-10pm (closed on Mon)
MO Bar hours: Sun-Tue, 4pm-midnight; Wed-Sat, 4pm-1am
Phone: 010 8509 8888

Amber Lounge

Located on the rooftop of the Pan Pacific Beijing, Amber Lounge is another spot where you can take in beautiful views of the Forbidden City. As the name suggests, the bar here is all decked out in amber hues and has plenty of seating with some added greenery dotted around. Foodwise, they have a range of Western dishes like burgers, pasta, and sharing platters, plus chuanr and a few Chinese snacks if that’s more your style. They also have a number of signature cocktails as well as craft beer, wines, coffee and soft drinks. 

Amber Lounge 琥珀西餐厅
18/F Pan Pacific Beijing, 2 Xidan Huayuan Jie, Xicheng District
西城区西单华远街2号泛太平洋酒店18层
Hours: 11.30am-00.30am
Phone: 010 6623 9866

Eatalia

If you’re looking to enjoy some delicious Italian food while taking in views of the hutongs, then Eatalia is the perfect spot for you. Located just north of the Forbidden City, Eatalia has a cozy little rooftop nestled among the hutongs decked out with wicker chairs and couches. Here, you can get a range of Italian classics from pizza to pasta to risotto and more. Aside from food, they have a great selection of Italian wines, cocktails, coffee and other soft drinks. 

Eatalia
18 Xilou Xiang, Xicheng District
西城区西楼巷18号
Hours: 11.30am-10pm
Phone: 010 8887 0538

Lenbach Roof

Given the name, it should come as no surprise that Lenbach Roof boasts a spectacular rooftop. Located just by Chongwenmen station, the rooftop is bright and spacious, with a turquoise color scheme complemented by yellow umbrellas, wooden and wicker furniture, and plenty of bushes and trees dotted around. They offer a range of German classics like Traditional German Roasted Pork Knuckle (RMB 118/half, RMB 188/whole) or Mixed German Sausage Plate (RMB 108) as well as other Western fare, plus a great range of German beers on tap to boot.

Lenbach Roof
L7, M Cube Shopping Center, Dongcheng District
东城区合景魔方购物中心L7
Hours: 11.30am-midnight
Phone: 010 6702 3880

Rôti

Arguably, one of Beijing's most beautiful terraces can be found at Rôti, which underwent a renovation last year to add an indoor area to the originally alfresco-only dining spot. Featuring a bright yellow and blue color scheme with elegant archways, patterned tiled floors, and being located in a secluded spot off Xiaoyun Lu, it feels more like you’re in the Mediterranean than in busy Beijing. At Rôti, they specialize in barbecued and roast dishes, with the name Rôti translating to roast in French. 

Rôti
S3, 18 Xiaoyun Lu, Chaoyang District
朝阳区霄云路18号S3单元
Hours: Mon-Fri, 5.30pm-10pm; Sat-Sun, 11.30am-2.30pm, 5.30pm-10pm
Phone: 010 6500 5676

Jing-A 798

Nestled right in the heart of the 798 Arts District, this branch of Jing-A has a relatively spacious rooftop with wooden decking, a variety of tables and benches and, best yet, an outside bar so you don’t need to venture downstairs to order a drink. Here, you can enjoy Jing-A’s usual offerings of classic brews and excellent food.

Jing-A 798
D-06, 798 Zhong'er Jie, 2 Jiuxianqiao Lu, Chaoyang District
朝阳区酒仙桥路2号798艺术区中二街D-06
Hours: Sun-Thu, 11am-11pm; Fri-Sat, 11am-midnight
Phone: 132 6326 9859

READ: Beijing's Rooftops & Terraces: the CBD

Images: Uni You, courtesy of the venues