Beijing's best bottomless brunches

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The beauty of the bottomless brunch is the lack of judgement: it's a guilt-free zone, so don your stretch pants and embrace your inner glutton at these truly tasty, (often) alcohol-soaked daytime feasts. Do it right this weekend.

Sanlitun

Agua

The measured muncher

It’s not often, if ever, brunch comes in the form of unlimited à la carte dining, yet that’s exactly what Agua’s Infinity Brunch offers weekend gluttons. Dishing up all-you-can-eat Spanish fare by the plate, nosh on your choice of charcuterie starters, Mediterranean favourites and classic desserts, all of which are delivered straight to your table and good enough to make you forget if your friends bailed. Portion sizes are thoughtfully – and thankfully – restrained, allowing indecisive brunch-goers to sample a range of options without being thwarted (betrayed) by their own not-so-unlimited appetite.

Price 298RMB; free-flow mimosas, cava, bloody marys, sangria and wine 168RMB.

Time Midday-3pm Sat-Sun (5208 6188).

Jing Yaa Tang

The dim sum devotee

Dim sum gets a refined revamp at The Opposite House's dimly lit Jing Yaa Tang, offering dumpling divers the chance to gorge on endless helpings of spectacularly tasty bites. Easily one of Beijing’s best value brunch deals, diners can take their pick from a selection of southern classics, from xiaolongbao, siew mai and hargow, to sweet treats like durian pastries, egg tarts and mango pudding. Likely to be hungover? Forget about having to hustle your party-fatigued body over to Sanlitun on the weekend – Jing Yaa Tang is also one of the few places offering bottomless brunch Every. Single. Day.

Price 168RMB; free-flow sparkling wine 168RMB.

Time Midday-2.30pm Mon-Fri; 11am-2.30pm Sat-Sun (6410 5230).

Liangmaqiao

Opus Lounge

The luncher of leisure

Settle in for a truly deluxe spread within the confines of the Four Season's two-storey lounge. The Sunday Champagne Brunch at Opus Lounge, the hotel’s international dining outlet, takes a more leisurely approach to the classic five-star hotel spread. Guests can relax on plush sofas or catch some rays on the adjoining terrace, all while helping themselves to choice victuals from the land and sea. While many buffets degenerate into room temperature shrimp and dry eggs, the team at Opus Lounge focus on freshness and quality over quantity – but you’d choke on your third plate of crab legs before you could call it meagre.

Price 468RMB with free-flow soft drinks; 508RMB with free-flow house wine and beer; 568RMB with free-flow wine, beer and champagne (plus 15 percent).

Time Midday-3pm Sun (5695 8532).

Signature's Restaurant

The meat lover

In true Bavarian fashion, Saturday brunch at the Kempinski’s brand-new all-day dining restaurant features a veritable cornucopia of meat for keen carnivores – so much, in fact, the meat parade continues into Signature's commercial kitchen, where diners can carve their way through wagyu beef, tomahawk steak and roast lamb. Don't neglect the fresh lobster, oysters and row of Peking duck, before combating an inevitable case of the meat sweats with dim sum and handmade pasta. Hearty classics such as made-to-order crêpes, waffles and apple strudel at the dessert station all but ensure you’ll be sleeping off this brunch on the ride home.

Price 438RMB; free-flow house beer and wine 100RMB.

Time 11.30am-3pm Sat (5926 8888).

Wangjing

Market Café

The indecisive supergroup

When only democracy will do, appease the pickiest of eaters at Hyatt Regency Wangjing’s Market Café dizzyingly ambitious buffet. Helmed by an absolute army of chefs, you and your mates can pick from Indian, Chinese, German, Italian, Southeast Asian and Japanese cuisine – no agreements necessary. If that’s not enough, roving trolleys also make the rounds through the sun-drenched hall, stocked with bamboo steamers of dim sum and various desserts, before sending every table home with a basket of baked goods.

Price 358RMB, including free-flow house red, white and sparkling wine.

Time 11.30am-2.30pm Sun (8630 1234).

798

N'Joy

The extravagant seafoodie

If the mere mention of foie gras, caviar and lobster is enough to get your heart racing, the team at N’Joy, Nuo Hotel’s all-day dining outlet, have done the almost-impossible: a lavish hotel spread that doesn’t sacrifice quality. There’s so much choice it’s almost stressful. Thankfully, the four – four! – varieties of champagne available as bottomless pours calm us right down. What Nuo offers is a hotel buffet with both quality and quantity: here you can have your cake (and your other desserts, sashimi, tuna and curry) and eat it too.

Price 428RMB; free-flow champagne 288RMB (plus 10 percent service fee and 6 percent VAT).

Time 11.30am-2.30pm Sun (5926 8281).

Feast (Food by East)

The non-conformist

A long-running favourite, Feast has carved out a loyal following that flock to the modern eatery in search of unpretentious, yet eclectic, cuisine. Built on the very straightforward credo of ‘simple food, done well’, Feast’s semi-buffet weekend brunch is no exception. Although you could easily fill up on the buffet – bursting with a selection of fresh seafood, salads, charcuterie and pastries – the main event is ordered from the regularly updated à la carte menu of mains (one included in cost), featuring everything from slow-cooked lamb shoulder to generous stacks of pillowy pancakes.

Price 298RMB including beer and wine; free-flow champagne 198RMB.

Time 11.30am-3pm Sat-Sun (8414 9820).

Beijing's best brunch places

From delicious hangover busters to indulgent weekend splurges

Posted: 10:20 am, 30 December 2013

4 out of 5 stars

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