The Beijinger's Top Five Peking Duck Restaurants
The OG of Beijing dishes, Peking duck, is the one culinary event you definitely shouldn't skip, no matter how long you've been in Beijing and how long you're planning to stay.
Ducks are usually roasted over fruit wood until the skin is crisp and the flesh is juicy, before being sliced and served with pancakes, sweet bean paste sauce, cucumber, and scallions (if you're not familiar with how to eat duck, check out a guide by SeriousEats.com's Managing Culinary Director, J. Kenji López-Alt). Unsurprisingly, there are hundreds of restaurants around town serving duck from glitzy high-end temples of cuisine to down 'n' dirty local joints. These are our top five restaurants serving Peking duck.
One quick note: Most restaurants roast a limited number of birds per day and the roasting process takes at least 40 minutes, so it is best to call ahead and pre-order your bird. Duck de Chine and Jing Yaa Tang have English-speaking staff and you might come across an English speaker at Jing Zun, otherwise get your friend/colleague/hotel receptionist to call for you.
Jingzun
The duck here might not be the most refined (nor the restaurant itself) but Jingzun is our number one choice for big group dinners. They have an English menu and the staff are used to dealing with foreigners. Apart from duck, Jingzun serves faithful renditions of popular dishes like cold spinach with peanuts, kungpao chicken, and mapo tofu, and they even brew their own beer, which is available in a light or dark version. They will also allow you to bring your own wine for a minimal corkage fee.
RMB 138 per duck (including pancakes, sauce, etc.)
Bldg 6, Taipingzhuang Nanli, Chunxiu Lu (north of Xingfucun Zhonglu), Chaoyang District (6417 4075)
朝阳区春秀路太平庄南里6号楼北侧
Ultra-crisp skin at Da Dong
Da Dong
Da Dong might be best known for serving Beijing's leanest roast duck (you'll barely find any fat between the moist meat and shatteringly crisp skin) but the rest of its innovative modern Chinese cuisine is equally as noteworthy. The menu is full of high-end ingredients like lobster, foie gras, and sea cucumber, so best to save this one for a special occasion or when someone else is picking up the bill. There are several locations of Da Dong around town; we favor the Dongsishitao branch, one of the older locations, or the tuhao-chic branch at the east gate of the Workers' Stadium.
RMB 298 per duck (pancakes etc. RMB 12 per person)
1-2/F, Nanxincang International Plaza, 22A Dongsi Shitiao, Dongcheng District (5169 0329)
东城区东四十条甲22号南新仓国际大厦1-2层
Siji Minfu
For an altogether more "old Beijing" experience than some of the other options listed here, head to Siji Minfu. The duck is consistently good and much better value than some of Beijing's touristy "time-honored brands" (I'm looking at you, Quanjude). This is also a good place to order other traditional Beijing dishes such as zhajiang noodles. There are several branches around town, of which our favorites are the raucous Dengshikou branch and the Forbidden City branch, which has views over the moat surrounding the palace. Note that none of the branches accept bookings for small groups so you may have to queue.
RMB 198 per duck (not including pancakes, sauce, etc.)
32 Dengshikou Xijie, Dongcheng District (6513 5141)
东城区灯市口西街32号
Tasteful duck-themed decor at Duck de Chine
Duck de Chine
With tasteful Asian/French fusion decor, wide-spaced tables, and a subtle soundtrack, Duck de Chine is undoubtedly one of the classier places to enjoy Beijing's titular bird. The duck falls somewhere between lean and fatty but the real attraction here is the homemade hoisin sauce (made with more than 30 different ingredients), which arrives at the table swirled with sesame paste and topped with roasted garlic. Located steps away from Jing-A Taproom and the rest of Sanlitun's nightlife, Duck de Chine is also the perfect location to fuel up before a night of debauchery.
RMB 268 per duck (not including pancakes, sauce, etc.)
1949 The Hidden City, Courtyard 4, Gongti Beilu, Chaoyang District (6501 8881)
朝阳区工体北路4号院
Jing Yaa Tang's outstanding Peking duck
Jing Yaa Tang
The Opposite House's sophisticated Chinese restaurant Jing Yaa Tang keeps it traditional for their birds, which are roasted over fruit wood and then brought to the table to be carved. Often overlooked, the accompanying condiments and pancakes really shine here, too (we especially like the sticks of cantaloupe melon served alongside the duck – don't knock it til you've tried it). The rest of the menu offers a panoply of pan-Chinese dishes – try the three cups cod fish and the "mouthwatering spicy chicken" – making Jing Yaa Tang a good one-stop shop if you don't have time to tour Beijing's restaurant scene.
RMB 238 per duck (including pancakes, sauce, etc.), plus 15 percent service charge
B1/F, The Opposite House, 11 Sanlitun Lu, Chaoyang District (6410 5230)
朝阳区三里屯路11号瑜舍酒店地下一层
Photos courtesy of The Opposite House, Pexels, Flickr user Alex Brown, Flickr user Global Reactions, Wikimedia
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