Best Places to Stuff Your Face: Buffet, Beijing Style

Once in a while there is nothing better than forgetting about that all important diet or wondering about where your next salad will come from and just going all-out for a buffet. Whilst buffets are found all over the world – certainly Europe and the US are no strangers to the ‘all-you-can-eat’ phenomenon – Beijing does it best. For sheer decadence, value for money and quality, the buffets of Beijing are like no others I have been to. If you are looking for enough calories to keep you going for your entire trip, then these are the places to head for.

Number one on the list has to be Golden Jaguar. Its pseudo-opulent décor and rather cafeteria-like atmosphere may not be to everyone’s taste, but those who venture to this world of food will be suitably overawed. Their website suggests there are in the region of 400 dishes available, but it is not until you actually see what 400 dishes for 198-238rmb per person looks like that you really understand the insanity of Golden Jaguar. There are stations literally everywhere and you might burn off a few hundred calories just walking round to pick up your food. Whilst it isn’t 5-star quality, it is certainly all tasty and much of it is cooked to order – including plenty of meats and high-end seafood. And of course, there is the small matter of unlimited Haagen Dazs ice cream, Budweiser beer, moderately drinkable wine and saccharine filled cocktails to contend with. If you can walk properly after leaving here you are a better person than I.

If this sounds like far too much choice for you, then perhaps a more distilled buffet experience is in order. I suggest Tairyo Teppanyaki for those who love their meat, seafood and beer. Tairyo is an all-you-can-eat Japanese Teppanyaki restaurant where you can have your own chef cook you beautiful pieces of steak, shrimp, salmon, and much more. There is also endless sushi, sashimi, imported beers such as Asahi and Carlsberg, and the inevitable hangover that will ensue from unlimited Sake. The quality here is excellent, and with it all being cooked fresh you don’t have the cold or reheated food that plagues some buffets. Best of all, it only costs 168rmb per person – about the cost of one good steak in a restaurant in Europe.

Tairyo is great for an evening of overindulgence and partying, but if you want something far more elegant and sedate then you must try the brilliance of Beijing’s hotel Sunday brunches. The best of the lot is Bubbly Sundays at the Westin Financial Street. For 368rmb per person plus 15% service, you can have the finer things in life. The highlights of this sumptuous buffet include free-flow Champagne, mounds of excellent foie gras, caviar and flavoured vodkas, smoked salmon, good cheese and charcuterie, and the most impressive selection of desserts I have ever seen in my life. Add to this the 5-star hotel service, the fact it is family-friendly with entertainment for kids, and that it lasts from 11.30am-3pm, and you have the classiest way to put on multiple pounds in one day.

Whilst these indulgences are not for every day, or even every week, they represent great value for hungry foodies and those who can never pick one dish off a menu. Just don’t forget to wear loose trousers!