Xihe Yayuan — Restaurant in Beijing

Was searching for local food in the China world mall. Found this Peking duck. Turned out to be well rated even on Chinese review portals. It’s a bit of a maze in the mall to look for the restaurant. It’s in the basement. But there’s many concierge counters around the mall to ask for directions. They have a whole duck, half duck, set meal, ala carte Chinese dishes etc. I was alone so I ordered the half duck ¥188, it came with all the condiments and even a “basin” worth of duck soup. You can get the duck bone made into soup or like stir fried. It’s included in the price. Portion size is pretty big. Half a duck can surely feed 2. Service was fast enough. About 15 min wait for the duck. I was in a bit of a rush as I had to get back so luckily the wait wasn’t too long. The staff were friendly and helpful. They explained the dish to me. The specialty here is to eat the crispy duck skin with the popping candy. It’s very unique! Of course enjoying the duck with wrap and condiments are also good. The staff even told me about paying through some apps for discount. Very helpful of her. I would definitely go there again if...

Unfortunate experience at what (by the decor) looks like a slightly higher end restaurant. We fancied some duck (when in Beijing) and stumbled upon this tragic place. Oily duck and very strange accompaniments such as popping candy and an overly sweet plum sauce. Don’t get me started on the hawthorn jelly. It’s nice but it is a children’s snack, not to go with duck. We chose the fried chilli chicken which was fine. And some soup from the duck carcass (option west salt and pepper or a soup). My god did someone’s hand slip with the pepper container, I will be coughing my way to sleep. Furthermore the staff are either rude or hungover or both. Just go to a local noodle/skewer/ baozi place...

Absolutely beautiful peking cuisine. Must recommend. Having trialled multiple places across the city, I find it hard to beat this restaurant’s quality at a very affordable price point. We ordered the peking duck which of course is their specialty and a must have. They are thoughtful about how to pair the duck with the right type of sauce (there are a ton of options).

The deep fried lamb with potato sticks is also incredible - a smart take on the local Beijing skewers you are accustomed to.

Overall, a strong recommendation if you are in the area. Bonus is taking a walk in China World Mall which is a...