Best Peking duck in Beijing- 玉林 is greater than or equal to 全聚德
I love Beijing roast duck (北京烤鸭), commonly referred to as Peking duck. I’m sure each restaurant has their own secret cooking methods, but the results are nearly the same. A bamboo basket with steamed flour tortillas (饼), an arrangement of julienned cucumbers and scallions, sugar, and Hoison sauce, and of course a plate of artfully arranged thinly sliced duck with the perfect ratio of crispy skin to succulent meat. A quick how to: take duck skin, dip in sugar, and eat; take the tortilla, place duck meat and condiments, wrap, and eat.
Beijing duck is expensive, so I cannot claim to be a connoisseur, but I have been to three restaurants in Beijing. The first one, 玉林烤鸭 (Jade Forest Roasted Duck), was simply amazing, and still my favorite. The second one, the duck was not crisp, but instead fatty and oily; this made me realize that you can’t just go to any Beijng duck restaurant. The third was the famous Quanjude (全聚德), and I’ll cut right to my review: just as delicious as my favorite restaurant, but several times more expensive.
This picture was taken at Quanjude’s Aoyuncun (奥运村) branch near the Olympic Stadium and their condiments also include a garlic paste and slice peppers that were too spicy for me. This is what you get if you order half a duck with condiments for 149¥. Not pictured: half a duck head. Now, prices vary from location to location, and I chose Aoyuncun because it was the cheapest one and closest to my home, but still found it to be very expensive. The duck itself, I think was not outrageously priced, but the other dishes were unbelievably expensive. A plate of broccoli, for example, was 40¥. We ended up just tasting the duck, then going to the nearby McDonalds to fill up, yea I know, I’m cheap.
*Keep in mind prices vary from location to location
Now to compare, my favorite restaurant, the Jade Forest Roast Duck restaurant, their whole duck is the same price as the half duck and the other dishes are priced at their proper value. Of course it is a Beijing duck restaurant so it is more expensive than other places, but at
So why is Quanjude so famous?
Quanjude has a lot of history. It is the oldest Beijing duck restaurant in Beijing. Established in 1864 in Qianmen (前门) during Qing Dynasty’s Emperor Tongzhi’s reign, it has since expanded to 7 more branches across Beijing and even more across China. It is said that the founder of the restaurant bribed a retired imperial chef for the recipe because previously the heavenly duck recipe was reserved only for the imperial family. Quanjude was also a favorite of former Permier Zhou Enlai who used the restaurant to conduct important state affairs. Interestingly, the original name of the restaurant was Dejuquan, but during that time, characters were written from right to left, so nowadays people read it as Quanjude. A famous quote by Premier Zhou perfectly and poetically explains the meaning of the name:
“Quan (全) means perfection without a flaw, Ju (聚) means gathering without departing, and De (德) means virtues to be supreme.“ Therefore, Quanjude together implies perfection, union, and benevolence.”
They are also known for their unique method or preparation using opens ovens and using the wood of fruit trees, such as jujube, pear, and peach trees, because these woods do not smoke and they add subtly fruity flavor. The duck is prepared, then filled with boiling water, sealed, and hung in the oven. The water inside keeps the skin from overcooking and is what gives it such a crispy texture.
My recommendation
If you want a fancy and delicious dinner, then you should definitely go to Quanjude. They have branches in all major tourist areas so it should be very easy for you to find. However, if you want an equally delicious, but more wallet-friendly meal, can read Chinese, and navigate Baidu maps (how-to blog post soon to come), then I highly recommend 玉林烤鸭. They have 11 branches: 华威桥店， 玉林总店， 定福庄店， 建达店， 文慧园店， 金台路店， 平乐园店， 兴丰店， 六里桥店， 垡头店， and 马驹桥店. For more information about the Jade Forest chain, click here.
I hope that you will come to love Beijing duck as must as I have. Bon appétit!