What brunch should you go to this weekend? Try these 7 in BJ
Pick your mood and head to one of these bountiful brunches
We don't know if it's super obvious or not, but we gluttons here at Time Out are committed worshipers at the altar of brunch. Whether we're looking for a balls-to-the-wall champers-drenched blowout or something a little more low-key, living in a city with as much devotion to the perfect weekend meal as Beijing means that we're spoilt for choice.
However, this abundance of brunch options means that choosing a spot to rock up and chow down at can be a real challenge. We've sorted our favourite brunches in terms of what kind of mood you have to be in to enjoy them the way God and the dude who invented the mimosa intended.
Sit back, let the weekend vibes roll and brace yourself for a pancake hurricane: it's incoming, and it's delicious.
If you're feeling... relaxed
Hit up Toast
Toast, the restaurant inside the charming boutique hotel The Orchid, serves up dishes inspired by cuisine from all corners of the world. A wide range of complementary flavours means it’s best to get a few dishes for the table and share. During the warmer months (not long now!), the hotel’s two outdoor terraces offer a peaceful, beautiful spot to eat al fresco. Make sure to try the shakshuka (78RMB) or beetroot-brined salmon with fresh ricotta (68RMB, pictured) for a little taste of heaven hidden in the alleys of Beijing.
If you're feeling... hungover
Hit up Jing A
Over the last couple of years, the Jing A team has spent weekends slinging delicious brunch dishes at hungry, possibly hungover punters at its Xingfucun taproom. The set menu goes for 108RMB a pop, with brunchmeisters getting a starters board of dips and dunkers to share, a choice of main dishes (such as eggs Benedict or breakfast tacos) and a sneaky little dessert to bring proceedings to a close. There's also a couple of options for vegetarians (in the form of banana-walnut pancakes and fattoush salad), barrels of beer and unique beer-based cocktails, and you can also pick and choose from a range of add-ons at 15 or 20RMB if your eyes are bigger than your stomach – or if you just really, really like bacon.
If you're feeling... Mediterranean
Hit up Migas Mercado
The weekend constitutional at Migas Mercado features a hearty à la carte menu of classic Spanish-style individual plates, big mains to share plus desserts. Take your pick from the likes of garlic prawns, mixed cold cuts and cheese, seafood paella (290RMB) and even a whole roasted chicken (198RMB). Mix it all with two hours of free-flow sangria (168RMB) and unfettered enthusiasm and you’ve got yourself a fiesta.
If you're feeling... regal
Hit up The Georg
The Georg's lavish five-course set brunch features freshly baked pastries, a family-style assortment of cold cuts, smoked eel with egg foam and braised beef ribs with kale. If that wasn't enough, dessert comes in the form of strawberry ice-cream with raspberry chips or hazelnut shortbread with a milk puff. Priced at 388RMB per person, add an additional 148RMB per person for free-flow champagne.
If you're feeling... traditional
Hit up Arrow Factory
While Arrow Factory may serve up its usual array of sharing plates, tasty vegan bites and meat-tastic mains during weekend brunchtime, what you're really here for is their Full English fry-up (75RMB), featuring two pork sausages, two rashers of bacon and all the requisite sides of baked beans, mushrooms, potatoes, grilled tomatoes, buttered toast and an egg. Vegetarian friends will also find themselves well served with an equally calorific, and lengthily titled, brunch of Croque Monsieur Mornay Sauce Eggs Benedict (60RMB) – that's wholemeal buttered bread topped with two slices of vintage English cheddar, two poached eggs and a gruyère cheese white sauce, in case you're wondering.
If you're feeling... very lazy
Hit up Great Leap #45 (no other Great Leap branches)
If the idea of even using cutlery is too much of an imposition during the weekend, then Great Leap's handy (pun intended) brunch is just the ticket. Wrap one hand around the Jeffrey Lebowski (fried egg and cheese over a house-made sausage patty in a toasted bun), His Dudeness (ham and smoked gouda on a toasted bun) or El Duderino (sausage, egg and cheese tortilla) and keep your other hand free for a pint.
If you're feeling... indecisive
Hit up Mosto
Brunch isn't about limiting yourself, so if can't make your mind up between traditional or heartier brunch fare then head to Mosto for everything from eggs Benedict and blueberry pancakes, to seafood spaghetti and oysters. Opt for free-flow mimosas and bellinis (188RMB) and you've got yourself a crowd-pleasing afternoon affair.
For other great places to try this weekend in Beijing, hit 'Read more' below.
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