sinoflyer

Traditional Peking duck is unseasoned, with the exception of a thin coating of malt sugar on the skin to burnish the mahogany color upon roasting. Definitely no salt. So, if you think the duck tastes bland, you are having a proper Peking duck. The condiment tray that comes with the duck is crucial. That's why a place like Da Dong is quite meticulous with its condiment tray--it is the best, and certainly the most varied of the Peking duck restaurants that I've been to in Beijing. (Here in L.A., Wolfgang Puck also goes out of his way to ferment his own sweet bean paste to serve with his version of Peking duck.)

Madone59

Throwing in my 2 cents: I think Da Dong was superior to Made in China. The duck and service were great!

Red259

The hotel referred me to Da Dong which I recognized from this thread. I had no prior duck experience, but that was a phenomenal meal. I ordered the half duck which they prepared at my table and then when they saw I didn't really know how to properly eat the duck a waiter came to the table and taught me how. It really was an outstanding meal and even if it was a little pricey I thought it was worth every cent. Was very happy with the service and the meal left me feeling light on my feet. I highly recommend this restaurant, and while the duck is good alone the taste really comes out when you properly utilize the condiment tray.

drewguy

I'll key off a rather old post, but the only one mentioning Xiangmanlou. Had a very good duck and other meal there recently. It's located on Xinyuan Xili middle road - not sure if that's the same place, which also happens to be close to a DinTaiFung. (Doing a search it's possible it moved a couple of blocks, but is in the same area).

Very good duck - RMB 180. Not fancy, without lots of accompaniments - just pancakes, hoisin, cucumber, and scallion/green onion. But that's fine for me! Very tasty, on the drier (not oily) side, smoky flavor more prominent than others I've had.

Also good other dishes - sichuan and shandong are the claimed styles. I will say the ganbian sijidou were excellent, among the best I've had (or at least the closest to the way I like them).

Ambience was nothing special, nor decor. A bit slow getting us the duck. But otherwise an option worth considering if you're in the vicinity.

satman40

mikelat

What is the best location for Peking Duck easily accessible from JW Marriott on 83 Jian Guo Road?

trueblu

It depends on what you mean by "easily accessible"?

Almost anywhere in the GuoMao/ Sanlitun etc areas are easily accessible by cab.

The Kerry hotel (1 subway stop, easy cab ride) has a decent Chinese duck by all accounts. I personally favour the duck (but not much else) at Quanjude (nearest one at Wangfujing, again on subway) or Jing Yaa Tang (Sanlitun, easy cab ride).

I can't think of anywhere I particularly fancy within a 20 minute walk.

tb

mikelat

Good point. I should have been more clear. I was hoping to find something within easy walking distance. My previous experiences with cabs in Beijing have been bad. I've been OK getting one from the JW, but finding one to get me back from somewhere has always taken about 20 minutes and usually saying no to 3 or 4 who will only take me at a fixed price that is about 4x what I paid to get there.

trueblu

Except for Wangfujing, which I agree is a real pain to get a cab from, the taxi touting issue is not very common in BJ, so I think you are over-anxious about the trouble you will have. Having said that, I've named a couple of options doable by subway, including Wangfujing.

I can't think of anywhere _easily_ walkable off the top of my head.

tb

moondog

I used to live at 华贸 (7 years) ago and there was a duck house on the corner of dawang lu and guanghua lu, but I didn't mention it here because I felt it wasn't up to our standards.

mikelat

Thanks! I read too quickly. I'll try some of the subway reachable options.

Aus_Mal

+1 for Siji Minfu on Dengshikou West Street

Found the duck very decent (and I've had quite a few in my life). Reasonably priced - 150ish RMB for half duck, accompaniments, their fried rice and a beer. (found the rice overly oily and a bit bland for my liking though)

JeffJ

This is an older post that I just saw, so it may no longer be topical. But, I stayed at this same JW Marriott in January 2016, and there is now a Da Dong almost immediately across the street on the 4th floor of the China Central Mall. Had a very nice meal there, and incidentally, my first authentic Peking duck.

Madone59

How is the IAPM Mall Da Dong? I loved the one in Beijing but am also open to other suggestions to duck in Shanghai.

moondog

I've heard that their Reel branch is better than IAPM, but haven't been to either. That having been said, how different could they possibly be?