Originally Posted by
jiejie
I agree about DaDong--I liked it better 5-10 years ago, both for the feeling and the reasonably priced non-duck dishes, which were VERY tasty. These days, when I want a really good not-too-expensive duck with great homestyle side dishes (also reasonably priced), I head for Xiang Man Lou near Xindong Lu. Ducks for RMB 98 including the fixings.
During my most recent visit to Dadong, I was shocked and awed by the prices of some of the non-duck dishes. As others have noted, they have one of the largest menus in the world (i.e. 50+ pages), and many things are reasonably priced, but if you're footing the bill, pray to God that your client isn't a fan of abalone or lobster.
Honestly, I think Made in China is cheaper than Dadong if you want to eat more than duck alone.
By the way, nobody seems to have mentioned that duck restaurant on the east side of Ritan Park (the name escapes me; find it using google maps). My business partner in Beijing swears that it is the best, though I must admit that I don't have a great deal of respect for his tastes in the general sense. I have been there numerous times, and the duck is good.
Made in China is still my personal favorite, in part because the ambiance is far better than anywhere else in town.