Made in China takes top food; Ritz-Carlton - Financial Street is top hotel; nightspot Lan has highest appeal and Shin Kong Place is top shop.
Zagat Survey LLC, the world's leading provider of consumer survey-based leisure content, today announced the release of its first-ever guide to Beijing.
Based on the collective opinions of 1,244 surveyors, the guide includes ratings and reviews for 432 of the city's finest restaurants, hotels, nightspots, shops and tourist attractions. For travelers serious about immersing themselves in Chinese culture, the guide provides travel tips on leading museums, how to get around and phrases to use when navigating the city's menus and sites.
With the 2008 Summer Olympics around the corner, there's never been a better time to visit China's capital city. Having recently undergone unprecedented growth, Beijing boasts myriad new restaurants, hotels, nightspots, stores, subways and light rails, with restored national monuments.
"It's amazing to see the transformation that is taking place in Beijing," said Tim Zagat, CEO, Zagat Survey, "All the work that has gone into prepping for the Summer Olympics means a new guide by consumers for consumers will be an invaluable necessity."
Dining in Beijing: In addition to ratings and reviews, the new guide also measures diners' behavior. The city's newfound culinary sophistication comes at quite a price, as 73% of surveyors report spending more per meal than they did two years ago. But higher prices aren't deterring diners, as 91% indicate that they eat out just as much as ever – as for complaints, service and smoking are number one and two.
Not surprisingly, Chinese food is surveyors' favorite cuisine. When asked to get specific, Sichuan cuisine leads Cantonese, second, and Shanghainese, third, but the local specialty, Peking Duck, also proves extremely popular with two dedicated roast duck restaurants making the city's four most popular eateries.
The capital's dining scene continues to upgrade with several hot openings, from the likes of French master Daniel Boulud's
Maison Boulud ŕ Pékin to a slew of luxurious hotel restaurants such as the Regent
Bar & Grill,
Jaan at Raffles and
Le Pré Lenôtre at the Sofitel Wanda. As the guide amply demonstrates, the city offers myriad world-class eateries as well as bargain spots from which to choose.
Of the guide's 228 eateries,
Made in China took Top Food honors with "the best Peking duck in the whole wide world",
Green T. House won for Décor thanks to its "blow-your-mind" digs, Top Service went to the "superb"
Danieli's and this year's Most Popular pick is the "bustling", "chic"
Alameda.
Most Popular: - Alameda
- Din Tai Fung
- Made in China
- Beijing Da Dong
- The Courtyard
- Hastune
- Pure Lotus
- Green T. House
- South Beauty
- Liqun Roast Duck
Hotels: Among Beijing's 35 leading hotels, the
Ritz-Carlton, Financial St., won the Top Overall thanks to its "huge spa", "spacious rooms" and "excellent" staff. The Most Popular hotel is
The Peninsula, due in part its "fabulous food" and "amazing" rooms.
Eager to show the world a modern face, nearly every major Beijing hotel has undergone major renovations, while newcomers like the
Sofitel Wanda in Chaoyang and the
Ritz-Carlton and
Westin in Xicheng have invigorated formerly staid areas. A list of the Most Popular hotels follows:
Most Popular: - The Peninsula
- St. Regis
- Grand Hyatt
- China World
- Shangri-La
- Great Wall Sheraton
- Kempinski
- Kerry Centre Hotel
- Ritz-Carlton, Financial St.
- Westin, Financial St.
Ni Hao Nightlife! The guide covers 44 leading nightspots. Among them, there are plenty of sleek new bars and clubs (some open 24/7) armed with libations to quench the growing class of thirsty hipsters. Compared to other major world cities, alcohol here is generally inexpensive.
Many of the city's nightlife newcomers have embraced futuristic decor. For example, the Philippe Starck-designed lounge/restaurant
Lan (voted No. 1 for Appeal) boasts a surrealistic look, while
Sňng resembles a postmodern amphitheater.
China Doll is a 21st-century take on 1930s Shanghai, whereas Face juxtaposes Colonial Asian furnishings with the most mod of merrymakers.
Surveyors deem the Most Popular nightspot,
Centro in the Kerry Centre Hotel, a place for "high-rolling" "locals as well as travelers". The ten most popular nightspots are as follows:
Most Popular: - Centro
- World/Suzie Wong*
- Redmoon
- Baby Face
- Face
- Vics
- Banana
- Lan*
- Lush*
- Bed Tapas & Bar
* Indicates a tie with the place aboveShop 'Til You Drop: Beijing has jumped into the high-end retail game as of late with shoppers spending beaucoup bucks at outrageously upscale malls such as
Shin Kong Place, which wins top honors for Quality, Display and Service. This not-so-ordinary shopping center hosts powerhouse retailers such as Chanel, Dior and Gucci.
As for the bazaars the city is known for, e.g.
Silk and
Yashow markets, they've undergone face-lifts, with spruced-up stalls filled by the staff in matching uniforms. In order of popularity, check out these twelve popular places:
Most Popular: - Friendship Store
- Silk Market*
- Panjiayuan Market
- Shanghai Tang*
- Pacific Century Place
- Sogo
- Yashow Market
- Hongqiao Market
- China World Mall
- Foreign Language Books*
- Malls at Oriental Plaza*
- Place, The*
*Indicates a tie with the place aboveSo Many Sites to See: As the Imperial capital of China for more than 700 years, Beijing has a treasure trove of royal palaces, parks and temples. Below is a list of Zagat surveyors' favorite spots, any of which would rank highly anywhere in the world.
Most Popular: - Forbidden City
- Great Wall, Badaling
- Summer Palace
- Great Wall, Mutianyu
- Tiananmen Square
- Temple of Heaven
Zagat Survey's
Beijing guide ($15.95) was edited by Bill Corsello, Jen Lin-Liu, Paul Mooney and Sherisse Pham and is available in all major bookstores throughout the U.S., U.K, Canada, Hong Kong and parts of Europe.
Beijing content is also available online at ZAGAT.com and on mobile devices via
ZAGAT.mobi.
In addition to travel tips and special indexes, the guide includes fold out color maps of the city and Beijing's subway and has stick on tabs to mark your favorite places. The guide is available in English, with a Mandarin Chinese version expected to be available next year.
www.zagat.com 
