All local Beijingers would know about the famous 'Peking barbecue' restaurant, Kaorouji 烤肉季. It first started in 1848 in the Qing dynasty and was rebuilt in 1995. This 'Chinese old name' restaurant serves authentic Chinese Ismalic cuisine, with the famous dishes like slices of barbecue meat Kaorou 烤肉 and Baked Sesame Seed Cake Shaobing 烧饼. It is situated along the north bank of Qianhai 前海 in the Houhai area 后海, opposite the Silver Ingot Bridge Yinding Qiao 银锭桥.

This restaurant has a very small branch along Yan Dai Xie Jie Slanting Pipe Street 烟袋斜街, also really close to the Silver Ingot Bridge Yinding Qiao 银锭桥. This place is a real find; a lady stands at the small entrance and calls upstairs to the waiter (who I think is her husband) to get you a seat, as they only have seats upstairs; she does it with a real Beijing accent! You go up a narrow flight of stair to the small restaurant full of proper old Beijingers like rickshaw drivers and the like. The waiter is an old Beijinger as well and has a traditional politeness about him. The view from the upstair window is great and you can witness the hussle bussle of the Yan Dai Xie Jie Slanting Pipe Street 烟袋斜街 down below. The food is very traditional and delicious - needless to say the slices of barbecue meat Kaorou 烤肉 and Baked Sesame Seed Cake Shaobing 烧饼. They also make great meat pancakes Roubing 肉饼 and the BEST Sour plum juice Suanmei Tang 酸梅汤, which is a sweet and slightly sour drink that is very cool and refreshing in the summer (this place makes it with real rock sugar, not normal sugar like you get in the bottled ones in the supermarket). If you want something that you can't get anywhere else in China - try Fermented Mung Bean Juice Douzhi 豆汁- but it's not for the fainted-hearted because it stinks!
The only downside is that I don't think they have English menus and the waiter probably can't speak English.

<A> Many go to the various acrobat shows but few choose to experience the Peking or also known as Beijing Opera. Though it may not be to many tastes it is truly an experience that is wonderful. A combination of music, song, bright colorful costumes and martial arts it is truly a delight for the senses. Take some time to study the history of the opera and it won't matter if you don't know the language. There are many available to experience so depending on where you are staying ask for recommendations.