Even More Vegetarian and Vegan Friendly Restaurants Pt.2

Here we’ve got our final installment in our series on vegetarian and vegan friendly places in Beijing! In this edition, we’ll be covering a couple of Western vegetarian and vegan restaurants, as well as a few Yunnan options. You can take a look at our previous posts in the series via the links below:

Western Restaurants

Zarah

Zarah has long been an ally of Beijing's vegetarian and vegan community, with a menu chock full of delicious choices. They have a number of pasta dishes that use Zhenrou 珍肉, a plant based meat alternative, such as the Vegan Zhenrou Bolognese (RMB 68) or Zhenrou Chipotle Penne (RMB 68). Other options include everything from sandwiches like their Roasted Vegetables (RMB 55) to the Vegan Buddha Bowl (RMB 65) or even Spinach Cheese Baozza (RMB20) which is a cross between baozi and pizza. They also hold semi-regular all you can eat vegan Sunday brunches which are definitely something to watch out for!

Zarah

46 Gulou Dongdajie,Dongcheng District
东城区鼓楼东大街42号
Hours: Mon-Thu, 10am-12.30am, Fri-Sun, 10am-1.30am
Phone: [phone]

Toast at the Orchid

Tucked away on Baochao Hutong, popular Mediterranean restaurant and brunch spot Toast has a plethora of vegan and vegetarian dishes. If you’re looking for brunch dishes specifically they’ve got vegetarian Mediterranean classics like Shakshuka (RMB 78) and Turkish Cilbir (RMB 78). They also have a whole range of mezze dishes like Classic Jerusalem Style Hummus (RMB 58) and Southern Eggplants with Tahini (RMB 78) or, if you want a little bit of everything, you can’t go wrong with the Mixed Mezze Supreme (RMB 168).

Toast at the Orchid

65 Baochao Hutong, Dongcheng District
东城区宝钞胡同65号
Hours: 10am-9.30pm (closed on Tuesdays)
Phone: [phone]

Yunnan Restaurants

With Yunnan province's diverse range of fresh vegetables earning it the moniker “Kingdom of Mushrooms” – more than 250 wild edible mushrooms grow there – it should be no surprise that Yunnan restaurants are up there as being one of the most vegan and vegetarian friendly when it comes to Chinese cuisine. So, here are a few of our favorite spots around the capital. 

Dali Renjia

Another Baochao Hutong eatery, Dali Renjia is the place to go for mushroom fans with two full pages dedicated to the delicious fungi. To just name a few there are Steamed Mixed Mushrooms Wrapped in Banana Leaves 包烧什菌 bāo shāo shén jūn (RMB 78), Fried Tea Mushrooms 香辣茶树菇 xiānglà cháshùgū (RMB 52) and Stir Fried Mushrooms with Beans 龙角牛肝菌 lóngjiǎo niúgānjūn (RMB 128). Aside from mushroom dishes, a few others worth trying are the Fried Small Gourd 清炒小丝瓜 qīngchǎo xiǎo sīguā (RMB 38), Mint and Tofu Skin 薄荷云皮 bòhe yún pí (RMB 28) and the classic Grandma’s Mashed Potato 老奶洋芋 lǎonǎi yángyù (RMB 38).

Dali Renjia 大理人家

80 Baochao Hutong (100m north of Gulou Dongdajie), Dongcheng District
东城区东城区宝钞胡同80号（鼓楼东大街往北走100米）
Hours: 10am-10pm
Phone: [phone]

In & Out 

Not to be confused with American burger chain In-N-Out, In & Out is a Lijiang-themed eatery with a few branches around Beijing. Slightly more upmarket than the other Yunnan restaurants we’ve included they have a great array of super fresh vegetarian and vegan dishes. Some must try ones are Stir-fried Wild Porcini Mushrooms with Chillies 香辣牛肝菌 xiānglà niúgānjūn (RMB 138), Porcini Mushrooms with Black Garlic and Eggplant 牛肝菌黑蒜烧茄子 niúgānjūn hēi suàn shāoqiézi (RMB 78), Cucumber Flowers with Tree Tomatoes 树番茄拌黄瓜花 shù fānqié bànhuángguā huā (RMB 48), Fried Shiping Tofu 石屏香煎豆腐 shípíng xiāngjiān dòufǔ (RMB 48) and Sauteed TaiAn Potatoes with Pickles 酸菜炒太安洋芋片 suāncài chǎo tài ān yángyùpiàn (RMB 38). 

In & Out 一坐一忘 (Sanlitun branch)

1 Sanlitun Beixiaojie, Chaoyang District
朝阳区三里屯北小街1号
Hours: 11am-4pm, 5pm-9.30pm
Phone: [phone]

Little Yunnan

With two locations in Beijing, Little Yunnan has a wide variety of vegan and vegetarian dishes. Some personal favorites of ours are the Crispy Fried Beans with Tea Leaves 普洱茶干煸豆角 pǔěrchá gānbiāndòujiǎo (RMB 48) and Fried Mushroom with Yunnan Pepper Sauce 树盐小蘑菇 shùyán xiǎomógū (RMB 42), certainly not the healthiest option as they’re both deep fried but they are truly delicious! Other dishes worth trying are the Stir-Fried Preserved Vegetable Lotus Root 弥渡腌菜炒藕条 mídù yāncài chǎo ǒu tiáo (RMB 38) and Stir-Fried Yunnan Fermented Tofu with Spicy Yunnan Vegetables 蕉叶包烧石屏豆腐 jiāoyè bāo shāo shípíng dòufu (RMB 48).

Little Yunnan 小云南 (Dongzhimen branch)

8 Yongkang Hutong, Dongzhimen Beixiaojie, Dongcheng District
东城区东直门北小街后永康胡同8号
Hours: 11am-10pm
Phone: [phone]

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Images: Unsplash, courtesy of the venues, Dianping

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