Beijing’s Best Restaurants: The Beijinger vs City Weekend

Yesterday we compared the results of the Beijinger’s Bar & Clubs Awards with our crosstown rival’s recently announced awards. Today we do the same with restaurants – comparing the results of our reader survey concluded in March and City Weekend’s reader awards announced last week.

The Beijinger's survey selected one winner and two runners-up; CW selected one winner and one runner up (both added an additional winner in the event of ties/close votes).

There’s 20 categories that can be directly compared across the two surveys. Of these, 5 were total agreement (both magazines’ readers selected the same top pick); 3 were general agreement (top picks in both mags appeared in each others’ runners-up list); 4 were total disagreement (none of the winners in one made it on to the list of winners of the other); and 8 were general disagreement (where the top pick in one mag failed to win an award in the other).

Total Agreement

We’ll start with total agreement: the categories in which the top picks in both mags were identical.

French
TBJ: Maison Boulud (best); Café de la Poste, Brasserie Flo
CW: Maison Boulud (best); Jaan, Flo
Analysis: They came, they conquered. Maison Boulud knocks longtime champ Flo out of the top spot, but Flo’s tradition keeps it in the upper echelon of French dining. The question is: can MB avoid the curse of the Legation Quarter and remain open, while many of their neighboring establishments have closed?

Middle Eastern
TBJ: 1,001 Nights (best); Rumi, Biteapitta
CW: 1,001 Nights (best); Rumi
Analysis: 1,001 Nights keeps its title – is it the belly dancing? – while Rumi keeps on strong. The resurgent Biteapitta rebounds nicely from an extended absence from the dining scene with a new location in the heart of Sanlitun.

Thai
TBJ: Purple Haze (best); Serve the People, Phrik Thai
CW: Purple Haze (best); Serve the People
Analysis: Purple Haze continues its reign, while former #1 of several years ago Serve the People keeps on strong as runner up in both.

Pizza
TBJ: The Tree (best); Kro's Nest, Annie's
CW: The Tree (best); Kro's
Analysis: Long time champ The Tree prevails … Kro’s, possibly due to recent partner problems, fades but retains its runner-up spot

Service
TBJ: Maison Boulud (best); SALT, Haidilao Hot Pot
CW: Maison Boulud (best); Taj
Analysis: MB has this category down … hard to argue with the other choices in both surveys, all top-notch service.

General Agreement

Now let’s quickly blaze through the categories where there was general agreement:

Hot Pot
TBJ: Haidilao Hot Pot (best); Little Sheep, Ding Ding Xiang
CW: Ding Ding Xiang (best); Haidilao
Analysis: Haidilao prevails in TBJ, Ding Ding Xiang in CW. Both make the others’ runner up list.

Indian / Pakistani
TBJ: Ganges, Taj Pavilion (best); Indian Kitchen, Mughal's
CW: Mughal's (best); Ganges
Analysis: Ganges, Mughal’s both appear; missing from the CW honor roll is long-time favorite Taj.

American
TBJ: Element Fresh (best); Chef Too, Grandma's Kitchen
CW: Chef Too (best); Element Fresh
Analysis: Again, trading places: Champs in one appear as the other’s runners-up. All good.

Total Disagreement

In these categories, none of the readers’ picks in one mag’s list appeared at all in the other’s.

Italian
TBJ: Annie's (best); Assaggi, L'Isola
CW: Prego (best); Ristorante Sadler
Analysis: If there’s any category that’s a polarizer, it’s this one. TBJ readers’ perennial top pick, Annie’s, is often mocked for its popularity and alleged lack of authenticity (not to mention I’m frequently told by readers that “they know” I’m being bribed to put them in the top spot). Some also claim that they have a distinct competitive advantage due to their multiple locations throughout the city. CW’s readers’ pick, Prego reflects a more upscale choice and certainly would win in a head-to-head match-up in a Fine Dining contest. But reader awards is about popularity, so which is more believable as a populist pick: A mid-priced place with 6 locations in almost every expat area, or a 5-star hotel establishment located about a 45 minute traffic-laden drive from the CBD?

Family-Friendly
TBJ: Annie's (best); Grandma's Kitchen, Element Fresh
CW: Seasonal Tastes, Westin Chaoyang (best); Din Tai Fung
Analysis: All great choices for family-friendly spots … interesting no crossover.

Mexican
TBJ: Saddle Cantina (best); Luga's Villa, Peter's Tex Mex
CW: Casa Latina (best); Tim's Texas BBQ
Analysis: Judging by recent reviews, Casa Latina seems to be the go-to place for Mexican these days – they didn’t even make our nomination list, perhaps because they were so new at the time that the nominations were selected in January.

Steak:
TBJ: The Meat & Wine Co. (best); SALT, Morel's, Chef Too
CW: Grange, Westin Chaoyang (best); CRU Steakhouse
Analysis: Meat & Wine bit the dust just as the awards were announced … just as it seemed as if it was catching on with diners. Interesting to see so many choices for steak in Beijing, once something that was hard to find in the city. CW readers went for the hotel venues whereas TBJ folk showed a distinct preference for the standalone choices.

General Disagreement:

Duck
TBJ: Da Dong (best); Quan Ju De, Duck de Chine
CW: Fat Duck (best); Da Dong
Analysis: Fat Duck … can anyone besides me name where the Fat Duck is? A fine spot for duck and certainly an exciting new choice in Beijing’s duck scene. I hope they rake ‘em in over there at the Renaissance Hotel in Shuangjing (the neighborhood desperately needs it).

Japanese
TBJ: Hatsune (best); Matsuko, Tairyo Teppanyaki
CW: Nishimura (best); Hatsune
Analysis: Apparently CW readers spent a lot of time west of center, judging by their preference for the Shangri-La Hotel’s wonderful Nishimura over the CBD/Sanlitun fave Hatsune.

Burger
TBJ: Let's Burger (best); Blue Frog, Chef Too
CW: All Star (best); Chef Too
Analysis: What have we done at TBJ to scare away all the All-Star lovers? They cleaned house in the CW awards but nary a peep in the TBJ accolades. At least both sets of readers agree that Chef Too’s burger rocks!

Wine List
TBJ: Maison Boulud (best); Enoteca, Mosto
CW: Enoteca (best); Aria
Analysis: MB was the big winner in the TBJ awards, and swept into the top spot for its wine as well.

Chef
TBJ: Ana Esteves, SALT (best); Daniel Urdaneta Mosto, William Bolton Chef Too
CW: Mario Cittadini (Daccapo) (best); Ana Esteves, SALT
Analysis: With a coveted Michelin Star, Mario gets top nods in CW’s reader picks. The decidedly homeboy TBJ crowd apparently rarely gets out of the East Side as this fine Wangfujing chef didn’t manage to get nominated in the TBJ awards.

Best For a Romantic Meal
TBJ: Maison Boulud (best); The Courtyard, Capital M, Mosto
CW: Jaan, Raffles Beijing (best); Mosto
Analysis: Clearly the CW crowd hangs out in Wangfujing, as here’s another top spot taken by a WFJ fine dining establishment.

Restaurant of the Year (Chinese)
TBJ: Da Dong (best); Made in China, Grand Hyatt Beijing, Haidilao Hot Pot, Din Tai Fung
CW: Zen5es, Westin Chaoyang (best); Din Tai Fung
Analysis: Both mag’s readers rank Din Tai Fung near the top (ever try to get a seat in that place at dinner time?) CW readers have wisely tapped into Zen5es at the Westin Chaoyang, their weekend all-you-can-eat dim sum is inexpensive and tasty.

Restaurant of the Year (Non-Chinese)
TBJ: Maison Boulud (best); Mosto, SALT
CW: SALT (best); Capital M
Analysis: MB rises to the top of another award in the TBJ voting. Perhaps this is a trend: Maison Boulud is to TBJ as All-Star Bar & Grill is to CW.