Beijing is home to thousands of restaurants, representing all of China's provincial cuisines - for many, a gastronomic tour of the city would be reason enough to come. Explore the best of Beijing's eating spots in this extract from Lonely Planet's Beijing Encounter.

Food is arguably Beijingers favourite social activity and it's not uncommon for locals to greet you with an enthusiastic chifan le ma? (have you eaten food yet?) instead of 'how are you?'

There are thousands of food stalls and restaurants (many with an international reputation) all over the city. International cuisine is well-represented, as is the cuisine of every province and region of the country. It's the ideal situation for foodies: you can literally eat your way across China and never leave Beijing. Chinese cuisine has four main 'schools', one for each compass point.

Beijing or 'northern cuisine' is heavy on the wheat and millet, making noodles, steamed dumplings (jiaozi) and steamed buns popular staples. Peking duck is the city's most famous dish. For locals, however, nothing beats Beijing's street food or 'Beijing snacks', which involve anything that can be whipped up roadside or skewered on a stick. Going out with friends and scooping up these cheap eats is as much a social activity as a way to quell hunger.

Some of China's other star cuisines include Sichuan (western cuisine), Cantonese (southern cuisine) and Shanghai (eastern cuisine). Shanghai cuisine abounds in fish, fresh vegetables and light flavours. Sichuan dishes are heavy on pork, chicken, tofu, bamboo and mushrooms, and are known for their tongue-searing red chilli and fl ower pepper ingredients. Cantonese food is much more exotic - there's a saying that the only four-legged thing not eaten is the table - and food preparation is far more complex. Dishes are often sweeter than other cuisines and much less spicy.

Dining Chinese-style is a noisy and often messy affair with people gathered around big, round tables. Beijingers don't use decor or service to determine whether a restaurant is good or bad - for them it's only the food and company that counts. Going out with a big group is considered ideal, as is loading up the table with more dishes than can possibly be eaten. Don't be surprised if your Chinese host occasionally puts a small amount of food on your plate with their chopsticks before serving themselves; this is considered polite.

Best Peking Duck
Beijing Dadong Roast Duck Restaurant
(Tel: 86 (0) 10-6582-2892; Dongsanhuan Beilu, North Chaoyang; opening hours: 11am - 10pm)
Many consider this to be the best duck restaurant in Beijing. It has a staggering array of fowl to choose from, including the foreigner-friendly 'super-lean'. Dining rooms range from standard Chinese pomp to elaborate champagne-coloured tablecloths and settings. Staff can be brisk, but with lines snaking out the door, who can blame them?

Best for Romance
Source
(Tel: 86 (0) 10-6400-3736; 14 Banchang Hutong, Dongcheng; opening hours: 11am - 2pm & 5.30 - 10.30pm)
A true gastronomic treat, this courtyard restaurant serves two daily set menus (Y158 for one built around meat and chicken; Y238 for one built around fish and shrimp). These multi-course meals are served in small, elegant portions punched up with Sichuan flavours and spices. Service is outstanding whether you're a solo diner or with a group. Food allergies and preferences are cheerfully accommodated.

Most Memorable Atmosphere
Baguo Buyi
(Tel: 86 (0) 10-6400-8888; 89-3 Dianmen Dongdajie, Dongcheng; opening hours: 11am - 2pm & 5-9.30pm)
Colourful and theatrical, this place is done up like a Chinese inn. The food is excellent with staples like tofu and chilli and crispy mandarin fish. Night entertainment often includes bian lian (a dazzling Sichuan face-change performance).

Best Street Food
Wangfujing Snack Street
(Wangfujing Dajie, Dongcheng; opening hours: 11am - 8pm)
This pedestrianised street just off Wangfujing Dajie is a jumble of atmosphere and flavour. Stalls are bursting with food from all over China, including flat bread, oodles of noodles and pancakes.

More about Lonely Planet's Beijing Encounter

This is an edited extract from Beijing Encounter 1st Edition, by Eilis Quinn © Lonely Planet Publications, 2008. $18.95.