Baoyuan Jiaozi Wu is a charming place for groups of any size to eat cheaply. Located behind the Great Wall Sheraton Hotel and Hard Rock Café on Maizidian Jie, it's an unassuming venue that seats both foreigners and locals alike. Cheerful wait staff, sometimes creatively coiffed, come and go along a stone path bordered by a faux garden and over bridges that lead to two rustic dining rooms (there's another one on the street entrance).

One menu features plump jiaozi and an assortment of cold dishes. A plate of crisp Chinese broccoli jielan; stir-fried with almond-like apricot kernels opens the appetite. As little as gets you six jiaozi filled with pork and cabbage. If the mouth could host a party, it might invite the zi bai pi ou xian jiaozi, stuffed with lotus root, cucumber, cilantro and pork (with an option to add corn). Another guest for such a party would be the purple jiaozi filled with cabbage, bean sprouts, crispy rice and pork– a crunchy favourite. Baoyuan Jiaozi Wu also lets vegetarians in on the fun, with a selection of meat-free options.

A second menu offers traditional dishes that are options for a larger meal and not necessarily such a bargain. The point of this place is the jiaozi, hence the restaurant name. Baoyuan Jiaozi Wu gives Beijing jiaozi a twist, stuffing them with many flavorful medleys, warranting multiple returns to try them all. These inventive dumplings satisfy big appetites for small change.

Address: No. 6 Maizidian Jie, Chaoyang District

Average Cost: 60 RMB

Source: timeoutbeijing.com