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Nothing takes the bite out of a cold Beijing winter like biting into some comfort food. It's different for each expat but a grilled cheese sandwich, bowl of pho or a piece of samosa that reminds us of home feeds more than just our bodies, it helps feed our souls too. So, we asked around to find out where to go to find the food that makes us feel warm and cozy when the northern winds are rattling our windows in their frames.
Beijing has no shortage of places to get amazing and innovative burgers, that's why we have a whole festival dedicated to them each year! But sometimes you just want a simple and classic cheeseburger grilled perfectly. Over and over again when I asked about comfort food in Beijing, I heard expats specifically say Great Leap's Double Cheeseburger (RMB 78), and I can't disagree. The burger is available at all locations (except their Doujiao Hutong location which doesn't serve food) and on Mondays, you can get it for buy one get one free!
Great Leap #12
12 Xinzhong Jie, Dongcheng District
东城区新中街12号
Hours: Sun-Thu 11am-2am, Fri-Sat 11am-3am
Phone: 010 6417 0018
Great Leap #45
45 Xinyuan Jie, Chaoyang District
大跃啤酒45号新源街店
Hours: Sun-Thu 11am-2am, Fri-Sat 11am-3am
Phone: 010 5947 6984
Great Leap Lido
1/F Nuo Center, A2 Jiangtai Lu, Chaoyang District
朝阳区将台路甲2号诺金中心一层103室
Hours: Sun-Thu 11am-2am, Fri-Sat 11am-3am
Phone: 010 6434 7221
Indian food is perfect for sharing with good friends on cold nights and two names kept popping up. Bollywood Tales in Shuangjing and Taj Mahal in Shunyi. Not only is Indian food flavorful and filling but leftovers always taste even better the next day.
Bollywood Tales by Dastaan
1-10 Bldg 2, 32 Baiziwan Lu, Chaoyang District
朝阳区百子湾路32号院2号楼1层10号
Hours: Mon-Fri, 11.30am-2.30pm
Phone: 150 3015 2369; 185 1094 6711
Taj Mahal
1/F lD City, 7 Anning Jie, Shunyi District
顺义区安宁街7号院21号楼底商106
Hours: 10am-10pm
Phone: 158 0137 5442
Mediterranean food was mentioned several times and Turkish Feast was a recurring favorite. Whether you want hearty stews, grilled meat or the cheesy bread known as pide (which you can also get for half price on Tuesdays), your heart and tummy will be happy. They've now got three branches in the capital so bets are there's one not too far from you!
Turkish Feast (Jinshang Yuan branch)
1/F Shang, 20 Xinyuan Xili, Chaoyang District
朝阳区新源西里20号金尚一层115号
Hours: 11am-midnight
Phone: 010 6468 8321
Turkish Feast (Huamao branch)
1-101 Bldg 15, China Central Place (North Wing), 89 Jianguo Lu, Chaoyang District
朝阳区建国路89号华贸中心北区15号楼1层101
Hours: 11am-midnight
Phone: 010 8595 0949
Turkish Feast (Wangfujing branch)
4/F WF Central (East Wing), 269 Wangfujing Dajie, Dongcheng District
东城区王府井大街269号4层411b号商
Hours: 11am-11pm
Phone: 010 6528 7182
A hot cinnamon roll right out of the oven and a steaming cup of coffee is a perfect start to a lazy weekend and Choc-A-Lot's variety of cinnamon rolls are sure to keep you warm and toasty. I strongly recommend the Caramel Pecan Cinnamon Roll (RMB 39)!
CHOC-A-LOT (798 branch)
797 Road, Chaoyang District (next to New Lehuo Youth Community)
朝阳区797路乐活新青年社区旁边
Hours: Mon-Fri, 9am-8.30pm; Sat -Sun, 9am-9pm
Phone: 135 5227 4728
Two names kept cropping up among expats when it came to tacos in Beijing: Pebbles in the Hutongs and Las Musas in Sanlitun. Both offer a range of great tacos and excellent guac and tortilla chips, not to mention some amazing margaritas! Plus they also both do a Taco Tuesday deal which you can read more about, along with more taco deals, here.
Pebbles Courtyard
74 Wudaoying Hutong, Dongcheng District
东城区五道营胡同74号
Hours: Tues-Thurs, 5-10pm; Fri-Sat, noon-10pm
Contact: 010 8404 0767; 138 1012 8324
Las Musas
6 Nan Sanlitun Lu, Chaoyang District
朝阳区南三里屯路6号
Hours: Sun-Thu, 11am-midnight; Fri-Sat, 11am-2am
Contact: 130 4120 2908
What is more comforting than a roast chicken dinner with the family? Almost every culture has fowl familial tradition and Peri-Peri Chicken (RMB 58) from The Roots scratches that itch. They have several across Beijing but the one in Dongzhimen is most central and a true expat hot spot.
The Roots (Dongzhimen branch)
28 Dongzhimenwai Dajie, Chaoyang District (enter through the back of Paddy O'Shea's)
朝阳区东直门外大街28号（Paddy O'Shea's 酒吧里后面进）
Hours: 10am-11pm
Contact: 010 8455 4388
You want to see Americans get competitive? Ask whether Memphis-style ribs or Carolina pulled pork rules the barbecue scene. Luckily, you can find both along with beef brisket and an array of sausages at both Home Plate locations. Whatever your protein of choice, you should round out your plate with corn bread, collard greens and their horse radish potato salad.
Home Plate Sanlitun
Bldg 10, Courtyard 4, Gongti Beilu, Chaoyang District
朝阳区工人体育馆北路4号院10号楼一层106号
Hours: 11am-11pm
Contact: 400 096 7670
Home Plate Sanyuanqiao
35 Xiaoyun Lu, Chaoyang District
朝阳区霄云路35号院
Hours: 11am-10pm
Contact: 131 6162 2182
Whether you like chocolate chip, oatmeal raisin, or snickerdoodle, The Bake Shop by The Orchid Hotel reigns supreme. Pop the cookies in the toaster for a minute and then dunk them in milk while you Netflix and chill to stave off the bitter Beijing cold.
The Bake Shop
2/F The Orchid Hotel, 63 Baochao Hutong, Dongcheng District
东城区宝钞胡同63号楼上
Hours: 8.30am-7.30pm
Contact: 184 0129 0854
Did your favorite comfort food make the list? If it didn't, leave a comment to tell us your favorite comfort food order and where to get it from in our fair city.
Images: Unsplash, Canva, courtesy of the venues, Dianping
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