Louwailou — Restaurant in Hangzhou City

State-owned restaurant with historical significance. First off, I would like to address that the food here is not the best tasting. On our way there, the driver asked where we were from. I replied, "I was actually born in Hangzhou." To his surprise, he exclaimed, "Why would you eat at Louwailou? That place is for tourists!" Although I am technically a native, I left the city for the U.S. at the age of 3 and a half and don't have much recollection of it. Ironically, I'm a native tourist. The reaction of the driver shows that Hangzhou people wouldn't choose to eat here even if they can foot the pricey bill.

People who are coming here to purely enjoy another cuisine would probably be disappointed by what they are served. The restaurant dates back over 150 years, back in the dynastic periods of Chinese history. It served important officials and diplomats from across the world. When we went to eat, we were enjoying an experience that connects to a piece of fascinating history.

The restaurant is state-owned and the decor contains grandiose decor mixed with meticulous antiques. When we went, there was hardly any wait time, even though cars were crowded outside and people...

I'm not a fan. The quality of both food and service left a lot to be desired.

On the bright side, the vinegar fish which is famous in the West lake area was delicious and fresh.

On the downside, almost everything else lacked polish and taste, including both duck and drunken chicken dishes which were more bone than meat, and soup which tasted like it came from a package.

Of the service, let's just say the waitresses begrudgingly served, when they felt like it. A request for water was met with "Go fetch it yourself". Some can be seen taking a nap.

We asked our taxi driver afterwards and it appears Lou Wai Lou is, disappointingly, yet another...

This place was famous for renown scholars to have parties with the best water views in front. The foods they ate also became legendary to pass on. Once it was specifically used to entertain foreign dignitaries. However, after the commercialism took over, it would have being losing all that genuineness. The building is a total rebuild with maximisation of floor areas & the foods are no better than any ordinary ones. So don’t expect any legendary tastes any more, it now only serves best to the...