Still Hungry? The Dish on Six Beijing Restaurants

For home-style Beijing cuisine, head to Xiao Wangfu, east of the Workers' Stadium just behind the City Hotel. A replica of a train car runs along one side of the massive dining room (yup, you can eat in it), and the menu offers the triumvirate of English, characters and Pinyin , the pronunciation system using Roman letters. The main ingredient used for yuxiang cuipi doufu is silken tofu; be prepared for a marvelous ooze once you break the crispy, chili-sauce-covered shell ($2.20). The dried French beans can be ordered with or without pork ($1.80) and are covered with flecks of salty preserved mustard greens. You'll see plenty of Westerners, but just as many Beijingers looking for food like mom used to make.

$9 for two, including beer. Xiao Wangfu (011-86-10-6592-8777) is at 4 Gongti Dong Lu, Chaoyang District. Nearest metro: Dongsishitiao.

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Hipsters looking for Taiwanese cuisine head south of the Workers' Stadium to Bellagio, where the waitresses sport identical short haircuts and the focus is on regional specialties such as tofu in a clay pot ($3.50). With floor-to-ceiling windows and sleek decorations, this is a place to see and be seen eating; the kitchen turns out super-light rice noodles (served with tiny shrimp, $2.90) and other delish dishes until 4 a.m. The sweets are better eye candy than dessert: The hong dou bing (shaved ice covered with red bean paste, $2.30) looks amazing -- picture a rosy version of the "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" mashed potatoes -- but tastes like . . . ice topped with red bean paste. But dessert has never been an integral part of the Chinese meal; savory dishes like pork-filled fried eggplant ($4.80) are the main draw.

$18 for two, including beer. Bellagio (011-86-10-6551-3533) is at 6 Gongti Xi Lu, Chaoyang District. Nearest metro: Chaoyangmen.

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Those seeking a bit of Berlin or SoHo go to Dashanzi Yishuqu (also called Factory 798), hitting Vincent Cafe for lunch or an evening drink at the bar. A 20-minute bus ride northeast from downtown (heading out toward Capital Airport), Dashanzi is an urban factory district that, in recent years, has emerged as a vibrant artistic community. It's easy to while away an afternoon walking through the avant-garde art galleries, dodging leaking pipes (the area's a work in progress) and stopping for crepes and Chinese dishes such as braised beef with rice ($3.70). The French-owned eatery serves both savory buckwheat crepes (try the onion, $1.80, or the "Forest," with mushrooms, parsley, garlic and red sauce, $4.30) and sweet wheat flour crepes ($1.80 to $4.30).

$12 for two, including beer. Vincent Cafe (011-86-10-8456-4823) is at 2 Jiu Xian Qiao Lu, Chaoyang District. Nearest metro: Take the 915 or 918 bus near the Dongzhimen metro out to Dashanzi.

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Mutton, spinach, tofu and mushrooms are among the items you can cook in individual hot pots at Ding Ding Xiang.

Hot pot, fondue's Asian sibling, can be a nightmare for vegetarians and those not fond of swapping germs. Ding Ding Xiang, the place for hot pot, waves away any concerns by offering each diner his own small pot, to be filled with a choice of clear soups (mushroom broth, $2). The menu, including six pages of raw meat selections (such as "superior" assorted beef and mutton pieces, $7.10), also features prawns ($5.90), assorted mushrooms ($4.40), spinach ($1) and three types of dimpled bean curd ($1.80). After letting the tidbits cook, a dip in either a creamy sesame sauce or a miso/soy sauce adds just the right flavor.

$15 for two, including beer. Ding Ding Xiang (011-86-10-6417-9289) is on the second floor, 2/F Yuanjia International Apartments, Dongzhimenwai, Dongzhong Jie, opposite East Gate Plaza, Dongcheng District. Nearest metro: Dongsishitiao.

-- Anne McDonough

For general information on Beijing and travel to China: eBeijing is a Web site run by the Beijing municipal government (http://www.ebeijing.gov.cn). The China National Tourist Office (888-760-8218,http://www.cnto.org) is the overseas representative of the China National Tourism Administration (http://www.cnta.com/lyen/index.asp).