Dali Courtyard

Beijing


Dali Courtyard has been serving the same set menu since 2006, and it still packs out nightly with (almost exclusively) foreign tourists. The secret, aside from the charming courtyard setting, is simplicity. No menu means no hassle – just course after course of play-it-safe Yunnan classics at ¥160 per person, starting with cold starters and ending with grilled fish.

Drinks cost extra, and are rather expensive.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Beijing attractions

1. Mao Dun's Former Residence

0.23 MILES

This largely renovated residence was the home of Mao Dun, the pen name of Shen Yanbing (1896–1981), a well-known author. He lived at the back courtyard…

2. Drum Tower

0.47 MILES

Venerable bastions of time-keeping, the Drum Tower and its counterpart the Bell Tower were for centuries the tallest buildings in Beijing, lording it over…

3. Bell Tower

0.48 MILES

The restrained, grey-stone edifice of the Bell Tower (Zhonglou) is arguably even more charming than its resplendent other half, the Drum Tower (Gulou),…

4. Qi Baishi's Former Residence

0.49 MILES

Known for the whimsical, often playful style of his watercolours, Qi Baishi (1864–1957) was an influential Chinese painter who lived in Beijing from 1917…

5. Nanluogu Xiang

0.55 MILES

Beijing's most touristy hutong, Nanluogu Xiang is a north–south strip of snack stalls, small food courts, souvenir shops and more people than you can…

6. Confucius Temple & Imperial College

0.55 MILES

An incense stick’s toss away from the Lama Temple, China’s second-largest Confucian temple is a haven of scholarly calm and contemplation. Come to wander…

7. Silver Ingot Bridge

0.64 MILES

Tourist bottleneck and historic view, this stumpy bridge (rebuilt several times), divides Houhai and Qianhai lakes. On a perfectly clear day looking west…

8. Imperial City Relics Park

0.7 MILES

There's a reason this park is 2.4km long yet only 30m wide; it traces part of the old Imperial City walls dismantled in the 1950s. The walls enclosed the…