Muslim

Afunti (Afanti)
Cuisine
Uighur
Hours
Daily 11am-midnight (later on weekends)
Address
Houguaibang Hutong 2A
Location
Just off Chaoyang Men Nei Dajie, west of Chaoyang Men Xiao Jie intersection, Dongcheng (City Center)
Reservations
Reservations recommended on weekends
Phone
010/6527-2288
Prices
Meal for 2 „200-„250 ($25-$31)
Credit Cards
AE, DC, MC, V

Afunti is now more tourist attraction than restaurant, famous for its post-dinner music shows -- sometimes Uighur, sometimes Latin -- which almost invariably lead to restaurant-wide table dancing.

The large hall features an entertainingly over-the-top Muslim motif and the food is still good, although now very overpriced. Try the roasted chicken skewers and any of a number of hearty noodle dishes. Get there early or risk having your food stomped. English menu.

Vegetarian

Green Tianshi (Luse Tianshi)
Cuisine
Vegetarian
Hours
Daily 10am-10pm
Address
Dengshikou Dong Jie 57-5
Location
Block east of Wangfujing Dajie, Dongcheng (City Center)
Phone
010/6524-2476 or 2349
Prices
Meal for 2 „130-„150 ($16-$19)
Credit Cards
AE, DC, MC, V

No longer Beijing's best vegetarian restaurant, Green Tianshi is still the most convenient, located just east of the city's main shopping street. Access is through a ground-floor crystal shop and up a flight of stairs lined with photos of famous vegetarians, including a skeptical-looking Paul Newman. Decor is bland but blessedly free of cigarette smoke.

The large, slightly overpriced English menu eschews simple vegetables in favor of fake meat dishes. Tofu-based cashew "chicken" is a reasonably good approximation. The kitchen also offers a Beijing roast (soy) duck and, for the brashest of fake sinners, a vegetarian veal, nicely paired with non-alcoholic beer.