Xi He Ya Ju is what you're looking for, and it's not really a duck restaurant though they do have it. I like their food in general and often take visiting out of towners there, particularly when the weather is good and you can get a courtyard table. Don't usually eat duck there, but it is OK.

They now have a sister restaurant, Xi He Ya Yuan, which is quite nice yet still reasonable in cost, and which touts duck as more of a specialty. It is in the CityMall (3rd floor) which adjoins the Westin Chaoyang. We had our October 2011 Beijing "mini-do" dinner here, and it seemed to work out quite well. The duck was decent; we probably should have ordered more of it.

It is not simple as "if you look like a duck, walk like a duck and quack like a duck then you are a duck!"

Chinese ducks are a different breed and raise/fed differently than other country/region. As a result the skin's fat content is different in terms of quantity and quality. The flesh will also have a different texture or in Cantonese "the feel in the mouth" (口感).
Chinese roasting chef mentioned that they also need to learn to read the meat (piglet/duck) differently when roasting in a different region.

Quack! Quack!-- My bad. We had a dinner special at the Hong Kong Lounge, Geary Blvd./18th Avenue, SF: $69.99 for 1/2 Peking duck OR Lobster, a house soup and a choice of 4 dishes good for 4; go with 8 and get a whole duck, 2 tureens of soup, and 8 dishes (veggies/meat/fried rice). $69.99X2 + tax and tips.

We haven't been eating out much but will check around for other recommendation for duck. The take out place on Noriega (across from Safeway) had a change in cooks and the taste has changed, not for the good.

Cantonese restaurants like to offer hoisin for the bean spread. I understand that the Northerners use a sweet bean less garlic/seasoning.

Yup, that's the place:

http://www.cityweekend.com.cn/beijin...rd-restaurant/

I had always assumed that the "ya" was 鸭 (duck), but the above link proves that I was mistaken; it is 雅, which means "elegant". I also had no idea that it specialized in Huaiyang cuisine, which I typically dislike. In any event, there are enough Beijing, Sichuan, and jiachang cai dishes on the menu to satisfy my palette (and fool me into thinking it was merely a fancier version of Xiaowangfu). You learn something new everyday.

Not sure about the duck vs duck face-off, but in a contest of all the other dishes, Xi He Ya Ju's food beats Xiao Wang Fu's any day of the week, and twice on Sundays! I've never had a bad meal at Xi He Ya Ju (or even a bad dish), whereas at Xiao Wang Fu...well, let's just not go there.

I think Xiao Wang Fu is fine if you order the dishes they are skilled at cooking. I often go there with 2 or 3 other people, and have found that: Xianglajiding (note, the "ding" denotes the absence of bones; while many Chinese argue that bones enhance the flavor, I like the convenience factor of not having to deal with them), Cuipi Doufu (crispy toufu with chili sauce), deep fried spare ribs, a duck, and a few beers makes for a decent meal, and only costs around y70 pp (very cheap by CBD standards). Sure, if I was only in Beijing on a short visit, I would happily pay 3x the price for Made in China, but I honestly believe that Xiao Wang Fu's ducks are pretty solid.

It has been nearly a year since I have had duck from anywhere else, but for my money Xi He Ya Ju and Xi He Ya Yuan are my absolute overall favorites. I have yet to be disappointed in the duck or any of the other dishes available.

The last time I was at the City Mall/Westin location, they forgot one of our two ducks. We straightened everything out in the end but what surprised me was that the manager gave us a 50% discount on the second one as an apology.

I am feeling the need for some duck, so if anyone is interested feel free to send a note.

Are you in Beijing now? If so, I'm up for duck anytime in the next few days.

I sure am. How does Tuesday look?

Tuesday's great. Got your mobile, I'll SMS you tonight. Anybody else around and up for duck?

Ouch, seems steep but what in SF isn't? Maybe a Bay area kaoya DO sometime?

I floated the duck idea past my business guest, but we decided to go to Hooter's instead. Migas afterwards. Most of you guys have me cell phone number; please feel free contact me if you are in slt this evening.

Dear all

I have a about eight-hour stop over in Beijing (arriving 7 am and departing 3 pm) on a Saturday.

I would like to visit the forbidden palace during this trip (after seeking advices from other FT travellers) and have some nice beijing duck...unfortunately alone. I decided to drop the purchaing fake goods plan...

Being a tourist, I only know and heard of quanjude. But it seems there are much more choices.

COuld someone recommend me a decent place (and not overly expensive) to go for some duck and side dishes (e.g. pepper beef cubes) that is not too overly far from the forbidden place or near any metro station and importantly I do not need to stay in the line for too long since I do not have too much time to spare.

Actually, I think I need to start my lunch at 11 am, so that I could finish it by 12:30 pm and get back to the airport by 2pm.

Appreciate your advices.

In light of your schedule, you should go from the airport directly to the north gate of the Forbidden City, walk south, and exit through Tian'an Men. I'm guessing you'll be out by around 1015a.

From there, the two most logical choices are the Qianmen Quanjude (10 minute walk south across Tian'an Men Square) or Made in China (15 minute walk to the east). If you decide to go with the latter, you should pre order your duck a day in advance.

With all due respect, you cannot enter Forbidden city at the north entrance - and that for several years now (2008?). You must enter via south gate and must exit north.

Considering that taxis are impossible to get at the north exit I, suggest to walk to Siji Minfu Roast Duck, about 15 mins by foot. The have a very good duck (and many other dishes, including beef cubes), and always space at noon. To continue the journey back to the airport, just take a taxi or walk to the Crowne Plaza Wangfujing nearby to get one.

Map of Siji Minfu http://goo.gl/maps/6CSvm