Restaurants will be really busy during the holiday season, especially on Sunday, Spring Festival Eve. So it's advisable to book your table in advance. BJW recommends the following restaurants for the Spring Festival holiday.

Peking roast duck giant Quan Ju De(全聚德双榆树店) has just opened its 10th branch in Beijing at Shuangyushu, North Third Ring Road. Apart from trademark closed oven roast duck, it offers a "complete banquet of duck dishes", including duck claw, duck liver, duck roll with egg yolk and quick-fried duck heart. It also has classic dishes from Sichuan, Cantonese and Hunan.

The restaurant takes up the 3rd and 4th floors of Henrun International Building. There are 32 private rooms and a public area decorated in traditional Chinese style. It has a lucky draw during the Spring Festival and several set menus to choose from.

11am-2:30pm, 5-9pm. 3/F, 4/F, Henrun International Building, Western North Third Ring Road, Haidian District. 150 m east of Shuang'an shopping mall, on the southern side of the road.

6219-9990/9099. 海淀区北三环西路恒润国际大厦内(双安商场向东150米)

Li Chun, which falls on February 4, is a solar calendar term marking the beginning of spring. The day is associated with a dining tradition in Beijing called "bite spring".Hong Zhuang Yuan(宏状元), one of the biggest specialized congee chain restaurants in Beijing, will be serving chun bing, a spring pancake with potato starch noodles, leek and egg, bean sprouts and pork slices. The stuffing is wrapped inside two pancakes and is a delicious seasonal dish.

Also available is the restaurant's "spring greeting" congee, which has chicken broth, chicken slices and dried scallop slices with rice. The restaurant's Li Chun set meal features the congee, as well as deep-fried spring roll and spring pancake with fried stuffing. The average meal will set you back less than 30 yuan.

Dongzhimen branch: 1/F Yuanjia Apartment Building, Dongzhong Jie, southeast corner of Dongzhimenqiao on East Second Ring Road, Dongcheng district. 5169-2753.东直门店：东城区东直门桥东南角东中街元嘉公寓1楼； Chaoyangmen branch: 1/F Kuntai International Building, B12 Chaoyangmenwai Dajie, Chaoyang district. 5925-1249.朝阳门店：朝阳区朝阳门外大街乙12号昆泰国际大厦1楼

The Royal Restaurant

(美味珍御膳) is known for its "Buddha jumps over the wall" soup and its imitation Chinese imperial banquet in a Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) dcor. The restaurant has a special feast for Spring Festival Eve and the holiday, at 1,500 yuan per table.

Its emphasis is on quality ingredients and healthy meals. At the same time, its imperial dcor adds an authentic Beijing festive touch. It also offers Spring Festival takeaway gift baskets and you can even organize for a chef to cook for you at home.

China World Center branch: 6505-6139; Wangfujing branch: 6559-7671. Xihai branch: 8328-4099

(万柳阁) Restaurant is located inside Longtan Park near Southern East Second Ring Road. It is decorated as a traditional Beijing-style courtyard house (siheyuan) but serves authentic Cantonese and Sichuan dishes, as well as Hong Kong hot pot. One tasty seafood dish is prawn balls with sliced squid (翠带虾球花枝片) and the Cantonese-style deep-fried dough stick (广式油条) is also a must-try. Other seafood dishes like the abalone, shark fin and crabs are also good. Hot pot lovers have a rather special version to sample: a healthy millet-based soup, plus lamb slices, beef rolls, mashed prawns and squid noodles.

Several of the 8 private rooms have good views of a nearby lake. Average bill: 100 yuan per person. 10am-2pm, 4:30-9pm. 6719-2882. 崇文区龙潭路2号(龙潭公园北门向东到头右转100米)

Quan Fu Ju(全福居) is a Beijing traditional-style hot pot restaurant with a big copper pot, heated by charcoal in the middle. One of the best meats available is the freshly cut lamb (鲜手切), while other must-try options are the frozen beef, lamb rolls and the house specialty, the sesame cake (芝麻火烧), which has a crunchy shell but is soft inside. You might also try the duck's head, sugar-marinated garlic, lamb and chicken wing kebabs. The dcor is a plain, Chinese community style. Average bill: 30 yuan.

10am-10pm. Food Street, Sanhuan Xincheng, 7 Fengqiao Lu, Western South Third Road, Fengtai district. 6338-9388. 丰台区西南三环丰桥路7号三环新城食尚街

Dong Lai Shun, Xinyuan Xili branch东来顺新源西里店

This is a hot pot restaurant that is more than 100 years old and is a great place to be if you are not in a hurry. The Xinyuan Xili branch is not as busy as other Dong Lai Shun branches. The big copper pot and fast-heating charcoal gives the meal a traditional feel. What's more, once you are there, you can rest assured the lamb rolls and freshly cut lamb strips are high quality. And try the sesame and chili oil sauces - they're both great with the boiled lamb. Breakfast is also available.

6-9:30am, 11am-2pm, 5-9pm. 12 Xinyuan Xili Zhongjie, Chaoyang District. 6467-3707. 朝阳区新源西里中街12号

Kagen隐泉源

If you love hot pot lamb but are wary of the grease, this is the perfect place. Kagen's kimchi (Korean pickled cabbage) is a good starter. Besides the ordinary lamb rolls, try the pork strips(五花肉)or the Korean grill. Average bill: 150 yuan each.

11:30am-2pm, 5:30-10pm - but closed on Jan 26th. B1, Block C, Heqiao Mansion, A8 Guanghua Lu, Chaoyang District. 6583-6830.朝阳区光华路甲8号和乔大厦C座B1楼

Confucius Restaurant 儒宴

The restaurant's dcor borrows a lot from the Confucius Temple in Qufu, and the cuisine is Shandong-style. Famous dishes include the braised sea cucumber with spring onion, soft stewed pork, and scallop with lotus seed. Average bill: 60 yuan each.

Daily 11am-9pm. 45 Southern West Fourth Ring Road, Fengtai District, next to the Fengbeiqiao exit. 丰台区西四环南路45号,丰北桥出口旁边

Yi Jin Yuan Muslim Restaurant伊锦园

This fine Muslim restaurant offers classic dishes like a complete roast lamb, lamb back, lamb soup, beef tail soup, as well as popular Cantonese, Sichuan and Shanghai dishes. Its dcor is Chinese imperial-style and there is a dance show every evening by beautiful Uygur dancers.

10:30am-9pm. Opposite the south gate of the University of International Business and Economics, Yuan Da Du Relics Park, Beitucheng Donglu, Chaoyang district. 8465-0088.朝阳区北土城东路元大都遗址公园对外经贸大学南门对面

(China Daily January 25, 2009)