On the day of the Beginning of Autumn, the old generation of Beijing follows the tradition of fleshing out by eating more meat to brave the freezing winter with enough fat. Hence, every house hoards away meat, chicken, duck or others on the day. Due to a loss of appetite in scorching summer days, most people tend to lose weight. People seek to “flesh out in autumn” to regain weight during the Beginning of Autumn period by eating meat which is a perfect choice for rich delicious food.

▶ Feng Ze Yuan Restaurant

Feng Ze Yuan Restaurant is a time-honored brand famous for its Shandong cuisines. Since the opening in 1930, it has increasingly enjoyed a great reputation, as the ballad described "buying medicine to Tong Ren Tang, pickles to Liubiju, shoes to Nei Lian Sheng and having a meal to Feng Ze Yuan." According to the data, Luan Xuetang, the manager of Feng Ze Yuan Restaurant, once opened branches in other cities like Shanghai, Kaifeng of Henan Province, and Tianjin.

This restaurant offers Shandong cuisines of Jinan and Jiaodong styles. With masterly cooking techniques like bao (quick frying), chao (stir frying), shao (braising), zha (frying), pa (stewing), liu (quick frying with corn flour) and zheng (steaming), the dishes feature fragrant, fresh, crisp and tender tastes. Recommended specialties are Congshao Haishen (stir-fried sea cucumber with green onions), Ganzha Wanzi (fried pork meatballs) and Huiwu Yudan (cuttlefish roe).

Name: Feng Ze Yuan (丰泽园)

Address: No. 83, Zhushikou West Street, Xicheng District 西城区珠市口西大街83号

Tel.: 010-63158788 010-63032828

▶ Ting Li Guan

Ting Li Guan, one of the 13 major buildings inside the Summer Palace, established in 1750, has an equally poetic name as yellow orioles' singing here is more fair-sounding than Chinese opera. Based on the menus and recipes of the imperial court in the Qing dynasty, this imperial-style restaurant, with continuous research and innovation, proffers a full set menu of palace style cuisines. Given equal importance to the color, aroma, flavor, appearance, and meaning, dishes offered here are also contemporary food catering for neoteric taste. With superb cooking skills, chefs have created dishes that are of ancient Chinese style and in line with contemporary nutritional science. Each offering is elaborately made with strictly selected ingredients, featuring gorgeous colors, lifelike shapes and palatable flavor. Classic Chinese imperial dishes include palace offered fish, Hongniang Zipei (a dish made with pork and prawns), hotpot with fish slices, cakes made from gensing and fish, and chicken breast with tender vegetable.

Address: No.19, Xinjiangongmen Road, Haidian District 海淀区新建宫门路19号

▶ BaiKui Laohao

 BaiKui Laohao Restaurant sitting at No. 88, Longfusi Street is one of the most famous Muslim restaurants in Beijing. It was opened in the 45th year (1780) during the reign of Emperor Qianlong in the Qing Dynasty with a history over 200 years. It is especially famous for the unique flavor of roast mutton. The roast mutton (aka roast whole lamb) from “BaiKui” has become the most particular and well-known among its counterparts in old Beijing for having a “distinct flavor”. It stands side by side with the instant-boiled mutton of Dong Lai Shun, grilled mutton of Kao Rou Ji, and marinated mutton of Yue Sheng Zhai as one of Beijing’s famous “Top Four Delicious Mutton Restaurants”.

Name: 白魁老号

Address: No. 158, Jiaodaokou South Street, Dongcheng District  东城区交道口南大街158号

Tel.: 010-64063611   010-64040967

Address: No.195, Andingmen Inner Street  安定门内大街195号

Tel.: 010-64042657

▶ Yi Tiao Long Restaurant

Set up in the 50th year (1785) during the reign of Emperor Qianlong in Qing Dynasty, Yi Tiao Long Restaurant, originally named Yi Tiao Long Mutton Restaurant, is an earlier famous halal restaurant in Beijing’s Qianmen Street for the Hui people. Its halal specialties are braised prawns, grilled meat, and grilled ox’s tongue, sautéed ox tripe with coriander, braised oxtail, sweet stir-fried mutton, deep-fried lamb’s tail, and crispy chicken. Each dish here is elaborately made in following the traditions of this time-honored brand.

With a history of more than 220 years, it can be praised as one of the most authentic restaurant serving instant-boiled mutton in Beijing as it always continues the traditional hot pot. Its four characteristics of instant-boiled mutton hot pot by far are still handed down, namely high quality mutton, well cooking procedures, generous dipping sauces, and toothsome wheaten food. Not only has it been voted as the “Famous Beijing-style Hot Pot”, but also its cooking method was enlisted in the Beijing Municipal Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2007.

Name: Yi Tiao Long (壹条龙)

Address: No. 27, Qianmen Street, Dongcheng District  东城区前门大街27号

▶ Nuage (Qing Yun Lou Restaurant)

Nuage, also known as Qing Yun Lou, is one of the earliest high-end restaurants serving Shangdong cuisine in Beijing. Founded in 1820 and located in Yandai bypass, it is one of the celebrated restaurants in Beijing and was once frequented by prominent officials, eminent personages, literati and refined scholars. In 2009, Nuage was rebuilt on the original site and restored its former look, retaining an old tile-roofed house built 190 years ago. The reopened Nuage, based on historical materials, has reproduced dozens of traditional dishes, such as egg cooked with flour and lard, fish flavored with vinegar and pepper, scallion flavored sea cucumbers, stewed sliced fish in wine sauce, crispy chicken, cooked pig intestines, sliced chicken in egg white sauce, and fried carp in sweet and sour sauce.

Name: Nuage (庆云楼)

Address: No. 22, Qianhai East Side, Xicheng District  西城区前海东沿22号