Lao Beijing

Editor's Note: In this series, we present the first part of a list of some of the capital's better known dishes along with places to try them out. Click here for the previous post.

Erguotou (二锅头): You've seen these little green bottles everywhere. Maybe you've even imbibed (and perhaps, suffered the consequences). What can be said for Beijing's official baijiu (白酒, made from sorghum and 56 proof) is that you ought to try it, at least once, if not simply to know why you'll never want to drink it again.

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Beijing Cai may not considered the most refined of Chinese cuisines, but it does have its highlights of down-home goodness. Essentially an amalgam of many regional styles (especially Shandong), the capital's cuisine ranges from fabulously luxuriant imperial dishes made from exotic ingredients (bear paw, anyone?) to wheat-based staples (noodles, pancakes, steamed buns and the like) as well as Hui-style (China's ethnic Muslim minority) street foods, sweets and snacks.

In this series, we present the first part of a list of some of the capital's better known dishes along with places to try them out. If you have any additional suggestions for places to try these dishes, or other Beijing eats, please feel free to leave them in the comments below:

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