The consolidated Peking Duck thread

Hello, all. I've just completed another series of back-to-back duck nights and felt compelled to share my experiences with you guys. While my first inclination was to bring back the relevant thread from DiningBuzz, I'm posting here instead because I think this topic is more appropriate here.

We went to the new Da Dong (Da Dong is widely regarded as the best in town right now) last night and the Xiaowangfu near the Kerry Centre tonight. As far as I'm concerned (and please keep my peculiar tastes in mind), the Xiaowangfu (which isn't a duck restaurant) product is much, much tastier.

Since my opinion is only an opinion, I would like to encourage all of you that pass through Beijing to eat duck twice (lunch is fine) and report back with your results. (I'm tempted to say "at least" twice, but I respect the fact that duck isn't all that easy on many of our "western" stomachs.)

Moderator note: be sure to check this recent post from iambackpacker with luscious photos.

Xiaowangfu near the Kerry Centre is one of my favorite places for good ole home cooking. The duck is excellent, you walk by the 'oven' when you enter the main entrance....and most everything there is good ^ ^ ^

Thanks for the rec's...moondog, I PM'd you a while back re: drivers and the like. Did you get it?

I've eaten duck at a few places, including Xiaowangfu's with moondog about a week ago, and Xiao Wang's is excellent. However, the best is a restaurant near the Andingmen Subway stop on the first floor of a hotel. I'm blank on the name, but will look it up and post the info.

P.S.: 室雅人和 Restaurant (Shi4 Ya3 Ren2 He2) near Andingmen 安定门 next to Ditan Park 地坛公园
Address: 地址：朝阳区安定门外大街188号　- Open until 10pm

Any good Peking Duck places to recommend in Hong Kong? I wouldn't normally do it but HK is the closest this friend from Spain is going to get to Beijing.

I second that Da Dong is the most over-rated duck in Beijing.

I have heard many good things about "Made In China" in the Grand Hyatt. Is it really as good as the reviews?

How does it compare to the old DaDong (near the PCCW towers) or LiQun (both of which I have tried)?

Will be back in Beijing next week and would appreciate some reviews.

Went to Xiao Wang Fu when we were in Beijing...it was quite good. Liked that there was a lot of skin included with the duck.

We had lunch at Made in China and it was great. Staff are also very helpful selecting dishes. Haven't eaten at the others, so can't compare.

A word to the wise. It has a open kitchen and it was pretty warm at our table as we were fairly close to the ovens (and it was July).

Well it seems like Xiaowangfu is the place I gotta try--I will be there next month. I love Peking Duck and would like to try not only the best as favored by western palates, but am also open to what aficionados say is the best and most authentic. I'd like to do both while I am there. So if anyone has any ideas for the best duck on the most authentic side, please post it. Thanks.

Hmmmm, I might have to get duck tonight at the local Chinese joint here in suburban hell. As it turns out, there are some decent places!^

Don't even bother. You'll end up spending a lot of money and waiting a long time. In America, you should stick to the dishes that Americanized Chinese do well:

-mushu pork/chicken/etc (nobody knows about the pancakes here)
-walnut prawns (i got a pretty decent version in shenzhen this week, but those guys forgot the walnuts)
-boneless spareribs
-Kung Pao whatever
-things that involve lobster and what not; New England has much better seafood than we can get here

But, for duck, Beijing reigns supreme. I had one last week that blew Xiaowangfu out of the water. The restaurant was the China Lounge inside the south gate of the stadium.

Hey Moondog . . . I saw your posts in the other thread from last year. Might you be down for a duck run when I get there next month?

I had good duck last night. It might have been Americanized but it still tasted good and that's what matters. I do like most of the Americanized western dishes as you list above . . . but there are still some (not many) Chinese restaurants here in the US where they offer an authentic/traditional menu (which is not presented to Americans when they come in) and are packed with Chinese people because they are excellent. One widely praised such place near me is called China Star, in Fairfax, Va.
Looking forward to that!^

We'll be heading into Beijing in two weeks, and I'm looking forward to trying some duck. I had it in the States many times, but that's undoubtedly not the same.

(I also had duck once in Beijing twenty-five years ago on a group tour, but that was unmemorable. I'll chalk it up to being taken to a mediocre restaurant. We ate at many mediocre restaurants on that tour -- places here in the States were better. The few times that we got away from the tour and ate on our own, the food was much better.)

However, my wife is mostly vegetarian (some seafood). Is there a good place in Beijing for both duck and vegetarian food? We'll be staying at the Grand Hyatt, so "Made in China" is most convenient. But I may only be eating duck in Beijing once this trip, so I don't want to blow my duck allotment on duck that's just OK.

"Made in China" is pretty damn solid. In fact, it's one of the only two restaurants that I know of that require reservations (the other is Yotosuba). I'd be happy to dine with you, DullesJason, and anyone else. I'm planning on hitting the US again late next month, but should be around during the interim.

Cool, look forward to it. I'll probably be there in late August/early September.

I used to live in the DC area and this is indeed a great Chinese restaurant with very good Peking duck.