Though China is traditionally a land of tea drinkers, the Starbucks invasion has made it possible to fuel your Beijing ‘08 trip with beverages of the high concentration of caffeine variety. While Seattle’s coffee giant has shops scattered all around China’s greatest city (in China World Trade Center, as well as in numerous department stores and on streets near high traffic shopping areas), those in search of a little more personality with their morning perk-up have plenty of choices.

Babble On (outside Beijing University’s West Gate) is a hip hangout with a bit of a speakeasy feel. The java is good and not only a morning treat. Coffee is half price in the afternoons (between 1-5 p.m.), drawing students and nearby residents and creating a bustling scene.

What if jet lag has you wide-awake and withdrawing from your coffee habit in the middle of the night? The Atrium Café at The Beijing Hilton offers 24-hour service and has plenty of tasty treats to go along with their gourmet coffee. The atmosphere is a little sterile (it is a hotel coffee shop after all), but the offerings top notch.

Sydney Harbor Dairy Shop does not merely brew quality java. They have something else attractive to those visitors unable to forego their western tastes. As the name suggests, the shop boasts a wide array of milk and other products made from it. They have thirty flavors of yogurt, twenty of imported milk, and even a variety of cheeses.

Despite its history as a tea, coffee is nothing foreign to Beijing. One of the first caffeinated venues was Boodles, on the second floor of One World Department Store. For many people, coffee is still a trend, a way to ape western culture. For younger drinkers, though, places like Boodles offer a respectable array of choices for both hipsters and connoisseurs.

There are innumerable places to eat out in Beijing. From family-run store front cafes to upscale dining venues to pushcart food stalls, the cuisine of China’s capital runs the gamut of taste and price. Here are a few good bets for people seeking to experience the best Beijing’s restaurant scene has to offer.

Kejia Cai is one of the most popular places in town for Hakka food. The Hakka, people from Central China, have a distinct cuisine featuring hearty dishes of meat and vegetables. Hakka food has experienced a bit of a renaissance in Beijing. Many of these eateries, including Kejia, are packed on most nights.

Green T. House is, as the T. (not “tea”) in its name might suggest, not a traditional Chinese teahouse. The entrees at T. are light, and many are influenced by China’s diverse tea flavors. The cutting edge cuisine is only part of the story. The minimalist décor and hip crowd make this as much a social scene as a place to have an interesting meal.

It turns out that Westernized Cantonese food is as popular in Beijing as it is in the U.S. Be There or Be Square is a city-wide chain that serves good food in a hip atmosphere. The industrial/warehouse décor brings an edge to these otherwise ordinary restaurants. Many Beijing residents seem to think these restaurants are quite hip.

Aria is THE place to get European food in Beijing (and perhaps in all of Mainland China. The dining room is reached by climbing a spiral staircase. The interior boasts dark wood, secluded booths, and velvet curtains. The food matches the décor in its elegance and style. The seafood tapas and expertly prepared entrees will make you think that you are in a European capuital. The wine list is also quite impressive.

Beijing’s cuisine is perhaps best known for one dish, Beijing Roast Duck (a.k.a. Peking Duck). This sweet, hearty, and tender meat is the city’s signature taste and is prepared with great care at numerous specialty restaurants.

The process of eating duck involves more than simply lifting meat from plate to mouth (though, after a taste, one might be forgiven for attempting that simple method). A whole duck is served with thin rice pancakes and condiments like cucumber, onions, and plum sauce. A piece of duck meat is rolled up with the condiments in a pancake.

Here are some well-known places to get this popular dish. Note the “well-known” in the last sentence. Expect large crowds and long waits during the Olympics:

Ask your hotel to make a reservation for you at Da Dong (Tuanjiehu Beikou Complex, East 3rd Rind Road). This top end restaurant serves the famed fowl nightly and has a classy-classic atmosphere to boot. If you can’t get in at the primary location, Da Dong has another outlet in the Nanxin Cang International Tower.

Quánjùdé (32 Qianmen Dajie) is more of a tourist place these days. The ducks are cooked in a traditional method and the atmosphere has slipped according to some recent reports. Still, this is the grandfather of Beijing Roast Duck restaurants and worth a look (and a taste).

If these well known eateries are full or not to your liking, there is one chain, Guolín Restaurants, that serves good and almost ridiculously cheap Beijing Roast Duck. Aside from the classic dish, they have some other Beijing staples and even some new takes on some of the region’s oldies. Though not as ubiquitous as McDonald’s in the US, they are located all over town. Just be on the lookout for a sign with two small pigs. Most patrons here are local, so you can expect an authentic experience.