Aside from Peking duck, no dish is more beloved among Beijingers than the hot pot, a Chinese version of fondue. Waiters bring high-quality cuts of thinly sliced beef for diners to dunk into the individual pots of boiling broth and then dip into a sesame sauce, along with superfresh vegetables like shiitake and enoki mushrooms, lotus root and Chinese cabbage. The beaded-curtain banquettes conceal everyone from families to Chinese celebrities.

We loved: Hot pot with buckwheat noodles.