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Workers' Stadium and Sanlitun

The Sanlitun area, a well-known stomping ground for city visitors and foreign residents far from home, is where people in the know and Beijing locals come to relax. Numerous trendy cafes and bars dot the Sanlitun landscape. Take a rest in the shade of its large trees, umbrellas and awnings during the day, then return to party in the bars and restaurants in the evening.

Surrounded by diplomatic housing and many of the official embassy residences of the foreign diplomatic community in Beijing, from Gongti Beilu to Dongzhimenwai, the Sanlitun area is a curious mix of the quiet and secluded and the downright upbeat downtown roar and feel of the party set. A truly international environment, Sanlitun is a dynamic and ever-changing environment that keeps the punters coming back. A little full-on for more sedate tastes, Sanlitun is also known as Jiuba Jie or Bar Street by Beijing locals (worth taking note of for that taxi ride.) Look out for Bar Street favourites Apertivo, Bar Blu, Kai Bar, and The Tree. Restaurants on Bar Street include Alameda, the much-acclaimed Brazilian eatery run by expert chef Gaby Alves, located behind North Bar Street.

Crossing Dongzhimenwai, going north, Sanlitun becomes more sedate with leafy streets, partly lit at night, peppered with charming restaurants serving international cuisine. On North Street, right beside Jenny Lou's, a Western-goods supermarket chain popular with the foreign community and owned by a very hard working Chinese woman of the same and name, there are three restaurants, side-by-side, that provide quality food and great places to entertain, places you might make your local favourites while visiting the city. Another interesting fact, the restaurants are owned and run by two women from Sichuan Province.

Assaggi, The Pagoda Tree and Gold Barn that provide three uniquely different experiences have roof gardens, sidewalk tables and lounge and bar areas. These are quality restaurants that very much deserve the high demand for their tables they get all year round. Assaggi is an Italian restaurant that serves upmarket clientele in tasteful surroundings, and the food is great! The roof garden is a favourite spot to dine and cool down with the help of gentle summer breezes and shelter from sun under lush green trees.

The Pagoda Tree is an unusual concept restaurant combining Spanish-themed decor and Taiwanese cuisine. Just up the street, the Gold Barn is another concept establishment with a few treats in store. Recreating the atmosphere of 1930s Shanghai, the Barn is spread out over three floors and is elaborately decorated with period furniture and home furnishings.

Back on Gongti Beilu, the Workers' Stadium is a monument to Chinese sporting history that is set back from the road, a mammoth enclosed open-domed structure within its own grounds.

Housing specialised sporting stores, health shops and teahouses, the Stadium grounds is also home to some fine restaurants. A staple of western dining tastes in Beijing, the Outback Steakhouse serves up one of the best steaks in town. With decor from Anhui and food from Sichuan, the Le Quai Restaurant is a firm favourite of the city's rich and famous. A terrace overlooking a small lake gives diners added incentive to make their way cross-town to see and be seen at one of the top trendy Chinese restaurant in the capital. Upstairs, the equally trendy Beijing Art Now Gallery (BANG) hangs cutting edge art that captures China’s past and present and serves an international client list. Artists such as Chinese favourites Zhang Xiaogang, Yue Minjun and Wang Guangyi do not disappoint.

Other restaurants in the area include the artistically inspired Green T. House, a composite Asian-fusion restaurant and art gallery and the Mediterranean bistro at Morels. If you're in the area and fancy some late-night dancing, don’t forget to check out Vics, Babyface and the Havana Cafe, all nightspots with a local flavour!