Li Qun Roast Duck Restaurant
- holycow88
- First Reviewer
- 4 out of 5
- Avg. Member Rating
- 6
- Reviews
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4
- Photos
Ducks on the Wall, Beer Lady and Al Gore
- April 17, 2009
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Rated 2 of 5 by
flun from Ulan-bator, Sweden
I had pre-ordered Peking duck here and I found the experience quite odd. Pressure must have been high that night so even with the reservation we ended up waiting for more than an hour (understandably hard to free up seats for a large reservation as ours though). The lady selling beers outside made good money that night.. We ended up starting our meal at 10:30 PM (being at the place by 9) finishing at about midnight.
Once inside the atmosphere was semi-chaotic, mix of westerners and chinese eating that night. The restaurant is divided in a clutter of small rooms (at least, thats was the impression I got). The word went around that the bathroom was an experience and at the end of dinner I went. as mentioned in the previous review it's rather filthy but I found it kind of funny, all over the walls were the words "NO SHIT" and that was a fair request as the "the most gross squat pit in all of China" obviously couldn't take one more.
Now for something completely different, I'm clueless about the quality of the food, firstly I didn't see much of it since I'm slow with chopsticks and my fellow eaters managed to snatch the presumably best pieces. Everybody praised the duck, I found it good, nothing special. I'm might just agree with previous reviewer, this place might have had it's glory days. We got our meals for 100 RBM/person drinksa and vegetables included, don't remember how many ducks there were but let's just say it was enough. Now, that's a good price but ordered through a local guide for a larger group we might have gotten a better price.
Food 3/5 (inexperienced reviewer)
Atmosphere 3/5
wierdness 4/5
hygiene 1/5
Toilet 5/5 (both sarcastic and serious, for the possibility of imagining Al gore, bit askew, trying to get a good steady squat)
other goodies: beer lady outside, pleasant neighborhood to spend a hungry hour in.
To conclude, this place is a touristy restaurant, is special in some ways and mediocre in some, I'll make no further comments on the food other than that I though it worth it's price. Lastly, the place and possibly even it's squat hole has been honored by a visit of our Saviour Al Gore who without doubt took the transibirian to Beijing so to not strain the environment by flying there.
Verdict: somewhat, but not quite, however a little recommended
Do Not Go
Like so many others before us, we were attracted to Li Qun based on the many excellent, quality reviews posted all over the Internet, and on the desire to hunt for a "gem" in the hutongs of Beijing. However, we have noticed several bad reviews warning us of very bad food (and very poor hygiene to boot), and the trend has been more negative of late. Against better judgment, we ignored these bad reviews and paid the price for it...Our advice, save your time and money, and go elsewhere..there are definitely better places in Beijing.
We went on 3/23/2009. It took us a bit of effort to find it after we walked over from Tiananmen Square, but sure enough, we found it after finally locating the duck drawings as mentioned on earlier posts. We didn't have a reservation for 6PM, but that wasn't a problem. One thing we immediately noticed that spelled trouble -- all patrons were non-Asian tourists. We were shown a menu with dinner plans all nicely spelled out. For 2 people, there were two 288 RMB dinner plans (=$42 USD), which included an appetizer, a vegetable, and a whole duck. Not bad, we thought, but definitely first-class pricey according to Beijing standards. So then the bad:
1. If you do make it to Li Qun, make sure you go on an empty bladder. Don't bother going to the bathroom. It's all true. It's the most gross squat pit in all of China. Smelled like cow manure. Seriously. And too bad our table was right next to the bathroom. Fine, no problem, we thought. We were asking for it especially since we decided to "rough it out" and get the real deal in a Beijing hutong. However, the bad news is that even this hutong experience is not authentic.
2. The appetizer was spongy duck liver. Not bad if you like that..unfortunately, we didn't.
3. The vegetable was broccoli saturated in grease. Horrible, but broccoli is not a native vegetable in China, and so I can't blame them for not knowing how to prepare broccoli. Most of it gets imported from California...so it may probably be the most expensive dish on the table!
4. Worst of all, the duck was horrible. All fat, no meat, and all fat. The skin was not great, eventhough it was a freshly-prepared duck. Look, we're Chinese (Chinese-American), and we were brought up to definitely know how real Chinese food--and for that matter, Peking duck, should taste--and this meal was horrible.
5. When it was time to pay the bill, the restaurant manager who came to write up the bill literally made up the final price on the spot--and the price mysteriously shot up to 340 yuan . We ordered 2 Yangling beers in addition to the above meal...the beers may have cost 52 yuan (very unlikely), or the waitress decided she could milk us for more money (most likely). It wasn't worth the trouble to complain because we wanted to get the hell out.
I wouldn't bother writing this, and would have chalked it up to us having fallen victim to a bad tourist trap...unless I had a reason. The reason: there are better Peking duck places in Beijing. We went to Da Dong three nights later, and found the duck to be truly amazing (and with a great, clean atmosphere too). And the surprise? We paid LESS --> 336 yuan at Da Dong for a whole duck, with an appetizer, 2 other dishes, and 2 beers.
Conclusion: Li Qun's days are over. I would not trust any other positive reviews about this place. Don't go, unless you want to waste your time and money.
Still Dreaming of Li Qun...
- December 27, 2008
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Rated 5 of 5 by
wiegie from Tucson, Arizona
It's been almost a month since I was there, and I still am having frequent strong cravings for stir-fried duck gizzards and duck liver. Prior to this trip, I had no taste whatsoever for organ meats.
Li Qun is tucked away in the maze of hutongs south of the Forbidden Palace. Our first visit (yes, we went two days in a row) we hired an insistent bike-rickshaw driver to navigate the narrow streets to our destination. (Crude but cute duck drawings on the walls will also reliably lead you, but our feet were tired from a long day of walking.)
The setting is casual, crowded, rustic, quaint. The menu includes three versions of a multi-course meal, culminating in the arrival of the whole roast duck. Our first visit, we ordered the more Western choice that included Hunan-style chicken and Sichuan beef. Our second visit we ordered the more traditional feast that included almost every edible part of the duck: feet, wings, gizzards, and liver.
(Fried scorpions are available a la carte; I passed. Being from Tucson, I draw the line at eating pests that I kill if I find them in my home or on the porch).
In short, Li Qun is a must-go if you ever find yourself in Beijing, if you want some truly homestyle traditional Peking Duck. Daffy beware!
Editor Pick
Liqun Roast Duck Restaurant
- July 30, 2007
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Rated 5 of 5 by
Mutt from Ankara, Turkey
This tiny little family-run eatery in a old courtyard house in a rundown hutong in a forgotten district of the capital is undoubtedly the most authentic place to taste the city’s signature dish.
The cramped little restaurant is a very pleasant place to eat surrounded by the hustle and bustle of staff and patrons alike as everything spills out into the courtyard where you could find yourself sharing a table with anyone. Photos that dot every available square inch of wall space show past patrons from the Ambassador of Canada and the Defence Minister of Britain to former U.S. Vice President Al Gore and action superstar Jet Li. The staff treat all however in a friendly and efficient manner that allows you to relax amid the apparent chaos.
The freshly roasted duck is presented to you by the chef who offers you the chance to carve it yourself if you wish so, if not he whisks it away and returns a short time later with a platter of succulent meat encrusted with a thin layer of crispy skin. The waitress meanwhile provides the accoutrements of paper-thin pancakes, slivers of spring onion and cucumber, and rich plum source. She will also outline the procedure for the uninitiated. This involves laying out a pancake on your plate, taking a piece of duck and using it to spread the sauce liberally across the pancake, adding more duck and vegetables, rolling it up and popping the delicious package into your mouth for one of the greatest culinary experiences of your life. At ¥138 for a duck set (enough for 2 or 3 people) the price is very reasonable and there are plenty of other dishes on the menu.
Despite its somewhat out of the way location this restaurant always appears to pull in a crowd so it’s best to make a reservation and get them to put your duck in the oven an hour before arriving. This will give you just about enough time to try and locate the place as this unassuming restaurant can be a tad difficult to locate. The surrounding neighbourhood, in which you will doubtless find yourself lost, can be more than a little off putting; I urge you to just let the graffiti signs spray painted on the walls of crumbling constructions lead you through the trash-strewn streets to this gastronomic wonderland as you will not regret it.
From journal Beijing’s Chongwen District: Scratching Beneath the Surface of the City
Liqun Roast Duck
- February 18, 2005
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Rated 5 of 5 by
frweaver from Smyrna, Georgia
This was a find. The restaurant is in the hutongs, but it’s worth finding someone to direct you. Our duck was ordered in advance, so when we arrived, we ordered soup, rabe, and duck liver with mushrooms. We were served huge quantities and very, very good food.
From journal China in January