HOW TO Beijing

HOW TO Get to 1949: The Hidden City in Beijing

You can find 1949 (part art gallery, restaurant and bar) tucked behind Pacific Century Place (太平洋百货) in Sanlitun.

Cool place, but a bit tricky to get to. There is a subtle classiness and formality about the place. Their use of glass, wood and heavy doors give it an air of a cool place to hang out. I’ve eaten a lot of Peking duck, and the duck I had at their restaurant ranks up there with some of the best I’ve had.

Make sure to call ahead and make a booking.

By Subway

Tuanjiehu station (Tuán jiē hú / 团结湖) on Line 10, exit C. Make a u-turn out of the station and walk straight. Cross the intersection, then you’ll see Pacific Century Place to your left. You’ll see a Mercedez-Benz store, turn left before that and you will see a sign that directs you the rest of the way.

Here’s a map for 1949: The Hidden City and reviews for 1949 via City Weekend.

HOW TO Find Yisilan Xinjiang Restaurant

If Yisilan Xinjiang restaurant (Yī Sī Lán Fàn Zhuāng / 伊斯兰饭庄) isn’t the best Xinjiang food in Beijing, then it’s definitely one of the contenders for that title.

I’ve been to this Muslim food restaurant twice now and I have every intention of having a third, fourth, ninth meal at this place. Because it’s so out of the way, it’s one of those places that you’d never know about unless someone told you about it.

To the left is the business card for Yisilan Xinjiang restaurant. If you can’t read Chinese, the most important thing to know is the name of the middle road, “Sān Lǐ Hé”. This is important because it can be quite a hassle to get there. I’d advise taking the subway to Beijing Zoo station and then take a short taxi ride to the restaurant. Taxi rides from “downtown” CBD-area Beijing cost around 50 RMB.

The Chinese address for Yisilan Xinjiang restaurant — you may also see it (erroneously?) printed as “Yisila” — is as follows:

北京市海淀区三里河路7号

新疆驻北京办事处院内

Despite the directions and a map, it can still be a bit tricky to find. If you’re on the right track, you’ll see the very-hard-to-miss gate pictured below. From there, you have to go through a hotel and then through a little courtyard in the back. There are a few buildings, but you’ll know which one the restaurant is in because of all the happy patrons walking out smelling like roast lamb.

Once you get there, go upstairs (there’s another restaurant on the first floor, but it’s for private functions) and you’ll see a small waiting area coordinated by a server giving out queue numbers. 

When you finally get to sit down, flip through the menu and make sure to get the lamb legs. They’re 15 RMB each and you have to buy a minimum of four, but after tasting one, you might want to buy eight.

If you plan to make the trip, make it a lunch thing and be ready to wait at least 20 minutes. They don’t take reservations for dinner.

Phone numbers for Yisilan Xinjiang restaurant: 8683 2666 / 8617 5588 / 8836 5363