With a newer location near the Holiday Inn Lido supplementing the original venue near the Tuanjiehu Subway stop intersection, Pure Lotus offers a serene dining experience with exquisite meat-free versions of Chinese classics made from vegetables, as well as tofu in its infinite forms.

Pure Lotus may be the priciest vegetarian restaurant in town, but choose carefully and a meal here needn't break the bank. Divine vegetarian cuisines served in lovely surroundings run by genuine Buddhist monks make this place a clear favorite with Beijing's vegetarians. Try their house specialties of water-boiled "fish" and the stir-fried vegetables wrapped in lettuce leaves.

The cooks transform simple ingredients into refined dishes that satisfy in earthy flavours. Mahogany rice with pine nuts, mushroom dumplings and a dish of daikon, kelp and tofu are three examples.

The dining area is amazingly decorated and all the wait staff has on traditional Chinese attire. There is a mix of private dining tables and a community style tables. On the far end is a blank wall where an interesting old style drawing movie was being shown.

Open: 11:00 am - 11:00 pm daily

Add: Tongguang Building, 12 Nongzhanguan Nanlu, Chaoyang District, Beijing