Indian Food Cuisine

Most students need to live on a pretty tight budget, and this can be hard when you have just arrived in a new country where you are still learning the language and getting used to your surroundings. It is even harder if you don't want to eat the same box of instant noodles or simple rice-with-meat-or-vegetables every day.

Most small local restaurants are still very cheap, but these can be tricky to order from if you cannot read Chinese as the menus are generally all in Chinese characters with no pictures. Once your reading proficiency increases after a few months with Global Language ,this will be easier. However, it is good to have a variety of budget venues where you can get different types of cuisine at reasonable prices. Here are my top five budget restaurants in Beijing, with a focus on variety of cuisine so you don't have to eat the same thing each time you go out.

Baoyuan Jiaozi WuLocated near the Hard Rock Caf in Chaoyang District, this place is a step above your regular dumpling or 'jiaozi' place. You can get dumplings everywhere and they are a good way to fill yourself up on a budget. However, they can get boring after a while. This is not the case at Baoyuan Jiaozi Wu, which has a huge range of fillings and even brightly coloured dumpling skins. An order of six large dumplings is usually under RMB 10. Lufthansa CentreNorth of 6 Maizidian Jie, Chaoyang District6Daily 11am-10pmTel: 6586 4967

Golden Peacock Dai Ethnic FlavourNorthern Chinese food is tasty, but it can get a bit heavy and it is certainly worth trying other cuisines from China. Beijing is a great place to do this, but it can often be expensive, with many regional cuisines being sold in high-end venues. However, this Dai Ethnic Minority restaurant offers amazing Yunnan food for low prices. Their fried potato balls, pineapple rice, and sour/spicy minced meat dishes wrapped in banana leaves are truly tasty and will not damage your wallet. This restaurant is close to Renmin University, and there are also many other good restaurants on the same road if you fancy trying other foods. ZizhuyuanPark16 MinzuDaxueBeilu, Weigongcun, Haidian District16Daily 11am-9.15pmTel: 6893 2030

Ganges Indian RestaurantThere are a number of locations of this Indian restaurant around town, but the most convenient for Beijing students is in Wudaokou. This isn't a cheap place to go for dinner, but their lunchtime buffet is amazing value. It isn't the most authentic Indian food, but it is consistently satisfying and at 42rmb for all-you-can-eat at lunch it is a great place to get your fix of Indian food and fill up for the day. WudaokouSancaitangXiezi Lou, 160 Chengfu Lu, Haidian District160113Daily 10am-11pmTel: 6262 7944

La BambaHeading back to Wudaokou and for those craving some Mexican food, La Bamba is the place to go. Again, it is not the most authentic food but it is filling and with some daily deals including tacos for RMB 5-10 and draft beer for around RMB 15, it is a great place to fill up and chat with friends. They also have free Wi-Fi and so is a good place for a lunch and some study in the afternoon. Wudaokou 2-3/F, East gate of Huaqing Jiayuan (upstairs from Propaganda), Wudaokou, Haidian District2-3Daily 10am-6amTel: 8286 6755

Your local BBQ or Ma la tangEvery local area has at least a couple of small stalls selling meat sticks (chuan'r) or a variety of ingredients boiling in a spicy broth (ma la tang). A lot of newcomers get worried that these foods are unhygienic, and of course there can be issues for those of a weaker constitution. However, if you stick to the places that look popular you will find really delicious food at bargain prices. Most chuan'r joints sell a single stick for RMB 1, along with bread sticks (mantou) for RMB 1-3. Ma la tang sticks go for between RMB 0.5 and RMB 0.7, meaning you can get an entire meal for about RMB 10-20 depending on how hungry you are. Don't be afraid to try the local food, as it is great value and generally completely safe.

Most small local restaurants are still very cheap, but these can be tricky to order from if you cannot read Chinese as the menus are generally all in Chinese characters with no pictures. Once your reading proficiency increases after a few months with Global Language, this will be easier. However, it is good to have a variety of budget venues where you can get different types of cuisine at reasonable prices. Here are my top five budget restaurants in Beijing, with a focus on variety of cuisine so you don't have to eat the same thing each time you go out.

Baoyuan Jiaozi WuLocated near the Hard Rock Caf in Chaoyang District, this place is a step above your regular dumpling or 'jiaozi' place. You can get dumplings everywhere and they are a good way to fill yourself up on a budget. However, they can get boring after a while. This is not the case at Baoyuan Jiaozi Wu, which has a huge range of fillings and even brightly coloured dumpling skins. An order of six large dumplings is usually under RMB 10. Lufthansa CentreNorth of 6 Maizidian Jie, Chaoyang District6Daily 11am-10pmTel: 6586 4967

Golden Peacock Dai Ethnic FlavourNorthern Chinese food is tasty, but it can get a bit heavy and it is certainly worth trying other cuisines from China. Beijing is a great place to do this, but it can often be expensive, with many regional cuisines being sold in high-end venues. However, this Dai Ethnic Minority restaurant offers amazing Yunnan food for low prices. Their fried potato balls, pineapple rice, and sour/spicy minced meat dishes wrapped in banana leaves are truly tasty and will not damage your wallet. This restaurant is close to Renmin University, and there are also many other good restaurants on the same road if you fancy trying other foods. ZizhuyuanPark16 MinzuDaxueBeilu, Weigongcun, Haidian District16Daily 11am-9.15pmTel: 6893 2030

Ganges Indian RestaurantThere are a number of locations of this Indian restaurant around town, but the most convenient for Beijing students is in Wudaokou. This isn't a cheap place to go for dinner, but their lunchtime buffet is amazing value. It isn't the most authentic Indian food, but it is consistently satisfying and at 42rmb for all-you-can-eat at lunch it is a great place to get your fix of Indian food and fill up for the day. WudaokouSancaitangXiezi Lou, 160 Chengfu Lu, Haidian District160113Daily 10am-11pmTel: 6262 7944

La BambaHeading back to Wudaokou and for those craving some Mexican food, La Bamba is the place to go. Again, it is not the most authentic food but it is filling and with some daily deals including tacos for RMB 5-10 and draft beer for around RMB 15, it is a great place to fill up and chat with friends. They also have free Wi-Fi and so is a good place for a lunch and some study in the afternoon. Wudaokou 2-3/F, East gate of Huaqing Jiayuan (upstairs from Propaganda), Wudaokou, Haidian District2-3Daily 10am-6amTel: 8286 6755

Your local BBQ or Ma la tangEvery local area has at least a couple of small stalls selling meat sticks (chuan'r) or a variety of ingredients boiling in a spicy broth (ma la tang). A lot of newcomers get worried that these foods are unhygienic, and of course there can be issues for those of a weaker constitution. However, if you stick to the places that look popular you will find really delicious food at bargain prices. Most chuan'r joints sell a single stick for RMB 1, along with bread sticks (mantou) for RMB 1-3. Ma la tang sticks go for between RMB 0.5 and RMB 0.7, meaning you can get an entire meal for about RMB 10-20 depending on how hungry you are. Don't be afraid to try the local food, as it is great value and generally completely safe.

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