At 7 pm, we came out of the SPA feeling refreshed and of course, hungry. Areas surrounding sports venues in Beijing are often where the most delicious food is concentrated. The most typical example would be around the Workers' Stadium, which gathers the most popular nightclubs in Beijing as well as various cuisines, with most being exquisitely decorated, making them perfect for a Valentine's evening. Inside the Workers' Stadium, there are several restaurants with great ambiance such as Ge, Jasmine, Tang Gallery, all frequented by celebrities from the entertainment industry. On Gongti West Road, there are Xinye, Luhang Xiaozhen, Ziyunxuan, and if you take a slight turn, you'll find another wonderful world of food - a six-story building where each floor has its own unique flavor. Those who like spicy food can go to Huo Phoenix, those who prefer Yunnan or Guizhou cuisine can go to Three Guizhou People or Kanpu. You can often see celebrities here, making it one of the most concentrated areas of Beijing's cultural circle. Around the Capital Stadium, there is another kind of world. There is less of a fashionable aura and more of a luxurious taste. Da Zhaimen is lively, Dingdingxiang is elegant, and Xiangshuizhuzhu, a Hunanese restaurant, serves an exquisite dish called Braised Cartilage. In the Asian Games Village area, there is yet another world. Here, there is more of a street market atmosphere. Friday’s across from the Bird's Nest is a classic American style, while Fangliang Crab Feast nearby is a must for couples who love eating hairy crabs. A little further away is the bustling Asian Games Village Food Street. If you want to queue up for a lively experience, you can go to Long Shunyuan Spicy Hot Pot, if you want to eat heartily, you can go to Daziran Northeastern Chinese Cuisine... Of course, if you feel that the restaurants around the sports venues have too few choices, then going a little further to more interesting places is also worth it. The journey of two people going to dinner together may be even more interesting.
1. Friday's Romantic Dinner Overlooking the Bird's Nest
Friday's on the first floor of the Cadillac Hotel should be the closest restaurant to the "Bird's Nest" in Beijing. From the glass window, you can see the Bird's Nest under construction.
Friday's has pure American culture, with posters on the walls and various American-style decorations. What makes it most appealing is the staff, dressed in personalized uniforms, covered with flashy badges, wearing exaggerated hats, and warmly greeting guests.
Here you can experience the "SteakTopper Steak Mixology". From January 22 to March 31, when you order tenderloin steak, ribeye steak, or New York steak, you can mix and match three sauces - mushroom cream sauce, garlic tomato sauce, New Orleans cream sauce - and four side dishes - flavorful yellow ginger rice, Kobe potato mash, garlic broccoli, roasted tomatoes, and sweet beans. In addition, if you choose one of the classic appetizers including Kung Pao Chicken Nuggets, Fried Fresh Mushrooms, French Fries Chicken Chips, Parmesan Chicken Crisps, it only costs 32 yuan.
Of course, Valentine's Day wouldn't be complete without wine. You can try the Mojito cocktail here, which comes in four distinctive flavors - original, strawberry, blueberry pomegranate, apple - carefully crafted by smooth rum paired with various fresh fruits.
Address: First Floor, Cadillac Gran Metropark Hotel, No. 18 Beichen East Road, Chaoyang District
Average consumption per person: 80-100 yuan
2. Kanspu Romantic Couple's Meal: Two Dishes and One Soup
The owner of "Kanspu" is a Gemini man with a modern playboy style, deeply understanding the essence of the delightful hedonism - the beauty of fine dining does not lie in expensive ingredients and elaborate cooking processes, but in the satisfying feast. The rice here is free, served in a bucket for unlimited refills. The main dishes are "refined southwestern border dishes", such as ham cheese, mushroom fish, curry herbs, all strong flavors to accompany the rice. Eating directly from the plate with the rice, two dishes and one soup make a hearty couple's meal.
Yi Nationality Torch Shrimp is a specialty here. The shrimp marinated with spices is wrapped in tin foil that evenly heats the ingredients. The coarse salt in the dish jumps with open flames, requiring the diner to personally barbecue the shrimp. When the salt in the tin foil crackles, it symbolizes the passionate dance of the Yi Nationality Torch Festival. After barbecuing for a moment, when you peel off the tin foil, a strong aroma will come, with pink and fresh shrimp meat and crispy shells.
Address: 6th Floor, Building No. 8, Gongti West Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing
Average consumption per person: 80-100 yuan
Number of seats: 100 people
3. Huling Soft Spiciness
If you want to choose a restaurant with a beautiful environment and healthy dishes near the newly built North Beijing University of Technology Sports Venue, it's not easy—fortunately, there's Hu Linglong, a Chongqing hot pot restaurant. Walking into this restaurant, you can tell from the decoration that it was opened by a woman. There are red chairs, red walls, intricate bead curtains, and wallpaper with small or large flowers...
The entire secret of Sichuan hot pot lies in a pot of soup. Red soup emphasizes not the chili peppers, but the spices. What needs to be added to make the flavor rich, spicy but not dry, and aromatic is a true skill. The most outstanding here is a pot of red soup, while the other dipped items are standard fare, of course, there are delicious duck intestines and tripe, and what stands out is a dish of large intestine. The temperament of the female owner is similar to this hot pot, spicy but gentle, with a natural warmth in the small bridge stream.
Address: Furicheng Business Street, East Third Ring Road, Chaoyang District
Average spending per person: 50 yuan