Old Tower

Chef Talib Hudda opened Old Tower last September in Beijing's Taikoo Li Sanlitun shopping district, within weeks the reservation clock hit three-week waits and kept climbing. This is mainland China's most ambitious fine-dining pescatarian restaurant, and booking far ahead is the only realistic path in.

The Canadian-born chef trained in French technique then spent a decade in China, speaking fluent Mandarin and sourcing directly from rural producers. His previous restaurant, Refer, became Beijing's first to land on Asia's 50 Best Restaurants; Old Tower refines that vision further. The menu is seasonally driven and borderless, spotlighting Chinese and Thai seafood, black abalone, sting ray, Mantis shrimp, alongside rural food traditions. Bread service opens with warm highland barley sourdough and clotted yak milk, a Tibetan flourish that signals Hudda's range. Razor clam arrives with chili crisp and sweet yellow corn chawanmushi; blue lobster is paired with sticky rice and Northeast Chinese sauerkraut. A rustic buckwheat pasta from Shanxi province (Kao Lao Lao) and a mung bean vanilla cream dessert demonstrate both technical finesse and respect for Chinese foodways.

A Room Built by the Chef

Hudda personally designed every cabinet, table, trolley, and tray; brass floor detailing sketches ingredients like eggs, morels, and chestnuts. The dining room is minimalist and warm, a deliberate counterpoint to Sanlitun's high-gloss retail energy outside. The OAD Recommended designation underscores the kitchen's technical ambition, though without price data it's difficult to judge value against Beijing's broader fine-dining tier. Pescatarian menus in China remain rare at this level, and Hudda's sourcing depth, from highland Tibet to coastal Thai markets, offers ingredient access that few kitchens can match.

Wine Pairing and Beverage Strategy

The wine program mirrors the menu's borderless approach, though public detail on list depth or sommelier background is limited. Expect pairings that bridge European classicism and Asian ingredient profiles, a Tibetan yak milk course or chili-spiked razor clam demands thoughtful cellar work. If wine matters to your meal, ask about pairing scope and regional focus when booking; pescatarian menus often lean toward white Burgundy and Austrian Grüner Veltliner, but Hudda's technique range (chawanmushi, sauerkraut, sticky rice) suggests pairings may reach further into sake, Riesling, or even oxidative styles.

Old Tower earned its OAD Recommended badge in the 2026 Asia list, a strong signal for a restaurant fewer than twelve months old. The chef's nickname in Mandarin, 老塔, meaning Old Tower, anchors the brand, and the personal investment shows in every detail, from floor inlay to trolley joinery. For a special occasion meal in Beijing that avoids the well-trodden Peking duck or Cantonese paths, this is the most distinctive option available. Book three to four weeks out minimum, confirm dietary needs early (the pescatarian framework is firm), and expect a tasting-menu format that runs two to three hours. Sanlitun is easily reached by metro (Tuanjiehu or Sanlitun stations); the address is N4-40a Taikoo Li North, Chaoyang District. Walk-ins are not an option. For diners who can't secure a table, Aroma offers a more approachable fine-dining experience elsewhere in the city, and 1949 - Duck de Chine delivers polished modern Chinese in a slightly easier booking window. Hudda's vision at Old Tower is singular, pescatarian at this level of sourcing and technique is virtually unmatched in mainland China, so if the format aligns with your dining group, the advance effort pays off.