Rib Rundown – Eleven Spots to Excite Your Taste Buds in Beijing

advertisement

Calling all Beijing meat lovers! Here are some of the best places in the capital to get your meat fix with a good old rack of ribs. From traditional BBQ to ribs with an Asian twist, there are plenty of options to sink your teeth into. 

Home Plate BBQ

When it comes to ribs in Beijing there's no better place to start than Home Plate BBQ, who have four different kinds of ribs on their menu. Both the pork and beef ribs at Home Plate are imported from the USA and are USDA approved. For beef lovers, they have the USDA Beef Dinosaur Ribs (250g RMB 188), smothered in salt, pepper, and Home Plate's secret rub before being smoked for six hours. 

They also have three different kinds of Smoked Pork Ribs, which you can either order by weight (250g RMB 105) or by platter plus two sides (small platter RMB 198, large platter RMB 268). You can choose from Memphis Ribs -- smoked pork ribs tossed in a blend of fiery Memphis spices, Kansas City Ribs -- pork ribs smothered in their smoky and sweet Kansas City BBQ sauce or Texas Pork Ribs, which come covered in their homemade hot pepper jelly. 

Home Plate BBQ (Sanlitun branch)

Home Plate BBQ and The Bullpen, Courtyard 4, Gongti Beilu, Chaoyang District
朝阳区工体北路4号院机电院内

Jing-A (Xingfucun branch)

Another popular spot in the capital, Jing-A’s Xingfucun branch offers up a rack of Pork Ribs which are RMB 150 for half, RMB 280 for whole. They come served over a bed of fries with BBQ sauce on the side and are only available after 5pm. A range of traditional sides like Classic Slaw, Potato Salad or Mac n’ Cheese can be added for RMB 25 per side as well. 

Jing-A (Xingfucun branch)

Lee World Building, 57 Xingfucun Zhong Lu, Chaoyang District

朝阳区幸福村中路57号楼利世楼

Commune Reserve and Commune X

Commune Reserve’s Sticky Ribs (RMB 98) are their number one recommended dish on Dianping, so you know they’re going to be good. What's more, they are now also available at Commune X. Here they serve up ribs with an Asian twist, glazing their pork ribs in soy sauce, ginger and garlic, and then finishing them off with a garnish of toasted garlic, chili flakes and chives. They come with fries, pickle slices and mustard and ketchup on the side.

Commune Reserve

101, 1F, Beijing Guanghua International, 6 Xidawang Road, Chaoyang District

朝阳区西大望路6号光华国际大厦1层101

Side Street (Jianguomen branch)

One of the staples on Side Street's Jianguomen menu is their Pork Ribs (300g RMB 128, 500g RMB 188). They've put a Sri Lankan spin on their ribs, which are rubbed with a homemade Ceylon curry powder, cooked in Side Street’s secret BBQ sauce and served with a masala slaw. If you’re looking to get more bang for your buck, they also offer buy one get one free ribs every Thursday from 6pm.

Side Street (Jianguomen branch)

Bldg N28 2/101-102 17 Jianguomenwai Dajie (behind Nola)，Chaoyang District
朝阳区建国门外大街17号楼2/102-102 （Nola后面）

Beersmith

Brewpub Beersmith have quite a few different meat platters on their menu, one of which is their Rack of Iberico Pork BBQ Ribs (RMB 198), which comes served with roasted corn salsa and mashed potatoes. If you’re feeling super hungry or want to share you can also add some side dishes like a classic Mac and Cheese for RMB 58, or Seasonal Green Veggies Sautéed with Garlic for RMB 38.

Beersmith

1/F, Hotel Jen Beijing, No. 1 Jianguomenwai Avenue,Chaoyang District
朝阳区建国门外大街1号新国贸饭店1层

advertisement

Modernista

Along with being.a place to enjoy some great live music, Modernista also serves up some excellent grub. On the menu here they have Original Short-Ribs Beef Steak (RMB 298), a 200g short-rib beef steak with baked potatoes and Argentinian style chimichurri sauce. For the pork option they have Double Sauce Spicy Pork Rib-Bone (RMB 218), pork ribs slow-roasted in their smoked chilli marinade and served with herbs and yogurt sauce, tamarillo and tomato spicy sauce, greens and garden pea crisps. 

Modernista

44 Baochao Hutong, Gulou Dongdajie, Dongcheng District
东城区鼓楼东大街宝钞胡同44号

Circle Urban

We visited Circle Urban when they first opened back in July. At the time their food menu hadn’t launched yet, but owner Long told us he was planning to have a big focus on barbecue. Well, Circle Urban has delivered -- and among their various BBQ items is the Memphis Style Smoked Ribs (RMB 168), which come served with homemade pickles.

Circle Urban

A7 1959 Shijianli, 5 Jingshun Lu, Chaoyang District
朝阳区京顺路5号1959时间里A7

Plan B

Serving some of the best value ribs on this list, Plan B keeps things classic with their BBQ Ribs (RMB 120). These pork ribs are slathered in Plan B's own Jack Daniels BBQ sauce and come with a side of BBQ sauce and chunky wedge fries. Plan B is currently celebrating their 10th anniversary by offering 2012 prices on select menu items for all of September, so if you want to enjoy a pint of Tiger for the low price of RMB 25 alongside your ribs, you’ve still got a few days left to enjoy the deal. 

Plan B

2-012, 22 International Art Plaza, Pingod Community, 32 Baiziwan Lu, Chaoyang District
朝阳区百子湾路32号苹果社区22院艺术区2-012

The Roots (Dongzhimen branch)

Mediterranean restaurant The Roots spices things up with their Grilled Pork Ribs (RMB 148). This 500g rack of fresh ribs is seasoned with South Asian spices and fire roasted with their homemade BBQ sauce. If you want to add on some extra sides, try their Roasted Sweet Corn (RMB 18), Cheese Balls (RMB 28), or my personal favorite, Cheesy Garlic Bread (RMB 32). 

The Roots (Dongzhimen branch)

28 Dongzhimenwai Dajie (Enter through the back of Paddy O'Shea's), Chaoyang District
朝阳区东直门外大街28号 (Paddy O'Shea's 酒吧里后面进）

Lenbach

Lenbach likes to keep things simple with their Roasted Pork Ribs (RMB 138), which weigh in at a hefty 700g. They come smothered in BBQ sauce and served with a side of fries. 

Lenbach

8 Jinhuilu, Zhongjun World City E 126/128, Chaoyang District
朝阳区金汇路8号中骏世界城E126/128

Burge’s Bistro

Another restaurant bringing it big is Burge’s Bistro with their Roast Iberico Pork Ribs (RMB 288), a 700g pork rib rack served with an assorted salad, fries and homemade kimchi. Perfect for sharing -- and why not pair it with one of Burge’s excellent cocktails? 

Burge’s Bistro

6 Sanlitun South Road, Chaoyang District
朝阳区三里屯南路6号

READ MORE

Images: Dianping, courtesy of the venues, Katie Coy, Unsplash Luis Santoyo

advertisement

Top Stories This Week

Beijingers Are Buzzing About