Fei Teng Yu Xiang (Zhichun road)

Lots of red chillies floating on a watery oily soupy base with fresh prawns and other seafood. Its not easy to get seated at this place (its very popular with the locals) and don't come in if you are offended by other diners smoking while eating and absolutely don't come in if you don't like chillies...this is a smoky,spicy, noisy restaurant good for people in large groups eating together not intimate conversations. We had a huge hot pot, fried mushrooms, cold noodles and hot water. We underestimated the chillies though.

One of the most authentic szechuan restaurants I've managed to find, though it's location has changed from that listed, there are branches all over the city. My favourite is on Chunxiu Lu, plenty of space, but always busy, attentive staff [generally - it is China] and great value for money. Try the Shui Zhu Yu or the Prawns in Garlic - the menu has English translations if your Chinese isn't great.

Their tongue-numbing, spicy shuizhuyu is just one of the dishes you won’t soon forget. Also, the bustling environment is very Beijing–it’s a good spot to get a feel for the local restaurant scene