If your itinerary will take you only to Beijing, you can visit the different regions of China by sampling their representative foods—from fiery Szechuan cuisine to the milder Cantonese (dim sum). Do try a restaurant specializing in Beijing (Peking) duck.

If you wish to save money or if you are adventurous, you may want to try street food in Beijing. Although most health organizations discourage this, visitors do it all the time—usually with mixed results. Our advice: The night market at Donghuamen is usually safe and is an exotic, delicious dining experience. Exercise good judgment when it comes to the small food stalls along the street, however. If no one's buying or if it looks at all unclean, don't take the risk.

Generally, lunch is served 11 am-1 pm. Restaurants then close and reopen for dinner 5:30-9 or 10 pm. A few places stay open without a break, 11 am-10 pm, and there are more places that stay open late. Less-expensive restaurants almost never have English speakers on staff. Usually reservations are not required unless you have more than five people in your party or it's a holiday. Credit cards are not widely accepted.

Note: Do not tip at restaurants. It's not expected and may even be construed as offensive. Some restaurants add a 15% service charge, which is sufficient to cover any gratuity.