Our directory has five Spanish listings in Beijing, and three of the four with a full record sit in Sanlitun, in Chaoyang District. A fourth is out in Shunyi, the northeastern district that is home to Beijing Capital International Airport. That split makes an easy weekend: Sanlitun on Saturday, Shunyi on Sunday.
Everything below comes from each restaurant's record in our directory. Treat the times of day as suggestions: confirm opening and kitchen hours on each listing before you go.
Saturday lunch: Y Spanish Table
Start with Y Spanish Table on the 4th floor of Block N2 in Sanlitun Taikoo Li North. Its menu focuses on flavours from Catalonia, and the kitchen's stated approach is ingredient first, with little decoration or conceptual flourish. Our record doesn't list specific dishes, so check the menu when you arrive. Catalan classics to look for include pan con tomate (pa amb tomàquet in Catalan) and escalivada, which is roasted peppers and aubergine.
Saturday afternoon: bocatas and pinchos at Bocata
Bocata on Sanlitun Road is the relaxed stop. It runs two menus in one room: an informal bocata (sandwich) menu, and a Carmen menu with more traditional Spanish dishes. The record mentions pinchos, tapas, paellas, homemade morcilla (blood sausage) and ham croquetas. All of its wines are Spanish.
The partners behind Bocata previously ran Carmen, a certified Spanish restaurant in Beijing, which explains the second menu.
Saturday dinner: Carmen
For the evening, head to Carmen on Sanlitun North Bar Street. It carries on from Carmen TapasBar, one of the first restaurants in China to be certified by Restaurants from Spain, which closed during the pandemic. The new room keeps the old setup, including a stage, and the food and wine menus stay true to the original.
Its record describes the room as elegant and suited to a more formal meal. The record points to two things: platters of cured meats and cheeses from different Spanish regions, and a range of paellas and other rice dishes. The record describes an extensive, carefully curated list of Spanish wines. Chef Carlos runs the kitchen.
A sensible order is a mixed platter to share, then one rice for the table. If you want to know what to look for in a good pan, our paella page covers it.
Sunday: out to Bellota in Shunyi
Bellota is at Pinnacle Plaza, No. 882 Xin Yuan 1st Road, in Shunyi. It was founded by a team with 14 years in Spanish restaurant management, most of whom previously worked at Niajo, a well-known Spanish restaurant in Beijing. The kitchen is led by Cheng Xiao Jie.
The record names four dishes, which gives you a Sunday lunch almost ready-made:
- Gazpacho, the chilled tomato soup, to start.
- Garlic shrimp. On Spanish menus this usually means gambas al ajillo, though the record doesn't say how Bellota prepares it.
- Callos, the slow-cooked tripe stew most associated with Madrid, if you want something heavier.
- Paella, if you skipped the rice at Carmen.
There is a good selection of Spanish wines here too.
One more listing to know about
The fifth listing is Iberico by TRB, on Laiguangying East Road in Chaoyang. We don't have enough information on file to describe it, so it isn't part of this route.
For a longer trip, our Shanghai guide covers 29 listings, the most of any Chinese city in our directory.
