Where Beijing residents come to play. This area is packed with bars, restaurants, and some of the city’s most popular shops. It’s trendy. It’s hip. It’s full of fun.
This is the area I would recommend as the #1 go-to area for people looking for a place to eat, go shopping, or find a place to party. The restaurants at The Village and nearby will have English menus and you will have a wide-variety of cuisines to choose from.
I come to this area for Mexican food at The Saddle, burgers at Blue Frog, Vietnamese at Muse, pizza at the Tree, and great Italian-style sandwiches at Panina Teca. And there’s Coldstone Creamery for dessert.
Hatsune, on the third floor of The Village, has great sushi and Japanese. Their steak is awesome.
For nightlife, there are all kinds of bars and nightclubs in this area. Your best bet is to just walk around and see what appeals to you. But I have to say that the bars in The Opposite House are very nice.
If you want to stay in this area, you won’t find too many options, but you can certainly find some, including The Opposite House (which is very expensive). There’s also a youth hostel right near the Tuanjiehu subway station. This area is better known for nightlife though.
You can find lots of shops in The Village, including UniQlo, a Japanese discount chain. Kind of like H&M. The YaShow market is just West of The Village and is a good alternative to the horrible Silk Market (I hate the tacky, touristy markets, personally). You can find a DVD/CD shop on the ground floor, along the street that separates the market from The Village.