Siji Minfu is a very popular restaurant chain that specializes in Peking duck. This location is located a short walk from the Forbidden city. Expect a long wait in excess of an hour no matter what time of day you come. However, the food here is excellent and is very reasonably priced. Service is also good especially for a restaurant in Beijing. My rating is based on the following:

Food: 5 stars Service/environment: 4 stars Value: 5 stars Recommendations: Peking duck is a must order, zhajiang noodles

On my visit I had the Peking duck, winter bamboo, and the Zhajiang noodles. Everything was excellent and I would recommend all of these dishes.

1️⃣Peking duck- The duck can be ordered as 1/2 a bird or a full bird. The pancakes and condiments are additional and you want to order these as well. The condiments are what make this place unique. They have the classic pairing of houses sauce, scallions and cucumber and also a “modern” pairing of garlic spread, and picked vegetables. Both are good but I prepare the modern version but if you don’t like garlic the classic version may be better for you.

2️⃣Winter bamboo- I love bamboo and this dish was very tasty. The bamboo was tender and slightly sweet. The dish is paired with some fried basil leafs which provide a nice taste contrast and some crunch.

3️⃣ Zhajiang noodles- The noodles are are served with a bean based meat sauce which is mixed at the table. Their version also some fresh vegetable condiments that are also mixed into the noodles. This is one of the better versions of this dish that I have had in Beijing. Sometimes I find this dish a bit too greasy but that is not the case here.