Colibri Café
This stylish café in Sanlitun offers more than 10 different kinds of cupcakes, all baked from scratch daily. Extra special for
Halloween, Colibri features an impish jack-o-lantern cupcake with a pumpkin cake base (RMB 23). To dispel that autumn chill, sip warm pumpkin soup (RMB 28). Café goers can also choose from an array of salads, wraps, baguettes, bagels, and panini sandwiches.
Daily 9am-10pm. B1/F, Sanlitun Village North, 11 Sanlitun Lu, Chaoyang District 朝阳区三里屯路11号三里屯Village北区院地下一层LG-51单元 (6417 0808, 6417 7799) colibricupcakes.com
Pie House
Ring in the fall season with a deliciously moist pumpkin pie, spiced with cloves, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Golden-brown flaky crust paired with warm, gooey apple. Pie connoisseurs rejoice: Pie House has it all figured out. Additional pie flavors include vanilla custard, pumpkin, blueberry. There’s also mousses and tartlets. Free delivery within the Fifth Ring Road only sweetens the deal.
Daily 9am-9pm. Delivery only. (5166 4464) piehouse.com.cn
CCSweets
From picture perfect cupcakes to eye-popping custom cakes, CCSweets makes a dizzying array of fresh confections every day. For Halloween, the bakery created its very own Frankenstein monster: mini-pumpkin pie cupcakes (RMB 22). Look out for other Halloween-themed cupcakes as the holiday approaches.
Daily 8am-8pm. Shop 109, Tower 11, Central Park, 6 Chaowai Dajie, Chaoyang District (6533 6973, 139 0116 8097) ccsweets.cn朝阳区朝外大街6号,新城国际11号楼底商109号
Nearby the Tree
Indulge in a pumpkin ravioli with chestnuts and sage butter (RMB 55). The bistro section upstairs serves up family-friendly Italian fare in a no-fuss, comfortable environment. Adults are also sure to enjoy the large selection of Belgian beers from the bar.
Daily 11am-11pm; bar is open until 2am. 32A Sanlitun Xijie, Chaoyang District (64131522 ext 87) nearbythetree.com 朝阳区三里屯西街甲32号
Meilucun
For something completely different, settle into this Jiangxi
restaurant for a big helping of stewed pumpkin (煨南瓜). Everything from the restaurant’s simple brick exterior to its country-style decor is designed to offer home comforts, and their pumpkin dish is no exception. Chunks of the orange fruit (yes, pumpkins are fruits) are braised in a porcelain pot until they fold into a soft, buttery texture, which hits the spot on those blustery days.
Daily 10.30am-9.30pm. 11 Suzhou Street, Haidian District (6253 8883) 美炉村, 海淀区苏州街11号
This article is excerpted from beijingkids October 2011 issue. View it in PDF form here or contact distribution@beijing-kids.com to find out where you can pick up your free copy.