Restaurant in Beijing, China
DaDong's flagship, now its most serious address.
Beijing's most decorated DaDong address, holding a Michelin 1 Star (2024) and Black Pearl 3 Diamond (2025) at ¥¥¥ pricing. The 2021 refitted flagship goes well beyond the signature duck, with tableside sea cucumber and seasonal seafood that reward a return visit. Book three to four weeks ahead — tables at this level move fast.
If you have already done a standard Peking duck dinner in Beijing and want to understand what the format looks like at its most considered, this is the right next booking. Gastro Esthetics DaDong, the flagship branch of Chef Dong Zhenxiang's DaDong group, was refitted and repositioned in 2021 as the chain's most exclusive address, and it now holds a Michelin 1 Star (2024) and a Black Pearl 3 Diamond (2025). At ¥¥¥ pricing it sits a tier below the ¥¥¥¥ heavy-hitters in Beijing's fine dining circuit, which makes it the most accessible entry point into decorated Chinese Contemporary dining in the city. It is a strong choice for a formal business dinner, a milestone celebration, or a return visit where you want to move beyond the duck and explore the full kitchen.
The 2021 refit gave Gastro Esthetics DaDong a visual identity that sets it apart from the rest of the DaDong estate. The room is designed to read as gallery-like rather than banquet-hall, with the kind of composed, considered aesthetic that frames each table as its own contained space. This matters practically: the atmosphere supports conversation in a way that many of Beijing's larger Chinese Contemporary dining rooms do not. If you are returning after a visit to one of the standard DaDong branches, the tonal difference is immediate and worth noting when you book.
The kitchen's defining move is still the roast duck, and there is genuine technical specificity here: the birds used are 22-day-old, a detail that speaks to the level of supply-chain control the operation runs. The duck is served with the expected condiments — pancake, cucumber, scallion, minced garlic, and bean sauce — but the kitchen around it is doing more than supporting one dish. Braised sea cucumber, prepared tableside using spiny sea cucumber sourced from Kanto, Japan, is the kind of tableside service that justifies a return visit on its own. Seasonal seafood and mushroom dishes round out a menu that rewards diners who treat the duck as the anchor rather than the entire point of the meal.
On the drinks side, a venue at this level in Beijing's fine dining circuit is expected to carry a wine list that matches the kitchen's ambition, and Gastro Esthetics DaDong's positioning as the group's premium flagship suggests the cellar will reflect that. Chinese Contemporary cuisine at this price tier pairs meaningfully with both domestic and imported bottles, and if you are visiting as a returning guest, it is worth asking the floor team about pairings specific to the sea cucumber course and the duck, where the contrast between a leaner white and a fuller red produces very different results. The drinks program here is not a cocktail-forward bar operation, but at a venue with this level of kitchen focus, the wine and tea service deserve the same attention you give the food order.
Booking is hard. A Michelin star and a Black Pearl 3 Diamond together put this restaurant in a category where tables at preferred times move quickly. Plan for a minimum of three to four weeks lead time for a weekend booking; midweek slots may open with shorter notice but should not be assumed. The address is inside Huahui Ziwei Park, Xiaoying North Road, Chaoyang District, which means you will want to confirm transport logistics in advance rather than assuming a taxi drop-off at the park entrance is direct. No booking method is listed in the available data, so your most reliable route is to contact the venue directly or use a hotel concierge if you are staying at a Beijing property with strong local connections. Pearl's full Beijing restaurants guide covers the broader booking landscape if you are still deciding between properties.
For returning guests specifically: the sea cucumber course is the clearest reason to come back. If your first visit centred on the duck and you left before working through the seafood courses, you left the more technically demanding half of the menu untouched. That is where Gastro Esthetics DaDong differentiates itself from every other duck-forward room in Beijing.
See the comparison section below for how Gastro Esthetics DaDong sits against its peers in Beijing's fine dining circuit.
If you want to compare the Beijing flagship against the DaDong format in other cities, Da Dong (Xuhui) in Shanghai and Gastro Esthetics at DaDong in Shanghai offer direct points of comparison. For Chinese Contemporary dining at a similar or higher level elsewhere in China, 102 House in Shanghai, Xin Rong Ji in Chengdu, Ru Yuan in Hangzhou, Chef Tam's Seasons in Macau, Imperial Treasure Fine Chinese Cuisine in Guangzhou, and Dai Yuet Heen in Nanjing are all worth considering depending on your itinerary.
Within Beijing, Héritage East is a strong alternative if your occasion calls for a different format. For Beijing-specific dining beyond this venue, see our full Beijing restaurants guide, and for planning the rest of your trip, our Beijing hotels guide, Beijing bars guide, Beijing wineries guide, and Beijing experiences guide cover the wider picture.
| Venue | Awards | Price | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gastro Esthetics DaDong | Chef: Dong Zhenxiang document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", function() { var el = document.getElementById("Achievements_chefs"); if (el && el.parentNode) { el.parentNode.removeChild(el); } });; The Peking duck chain’s flagship in town got a makeover in 2021 and was re-branded as the chain’s most exclusive branch. The signature roast duck only uses 22-day-old birds, and is served with condiments like pancake, cucumber, scallion, minced garlic and bean sauce. Braised sea cucumber is a sensational tour de force – spiny sea cucumber from Kanto, Japan is prepared tableside à la minute. Seasonal seafood and mushroom dishes are also the highlights.; Black Pearl 3 Diamond (2025); Michelin 1 Star (2024) | ¥¥¥ | — |
| Jing | Michelin 1 Star | ¥¥¥ | — |
| Xin Rong Ji (Xinyuan South Road) | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | ¥¥¥¥ | — |
| Chao Shang Chao (Chaoyang) | Michelin 3 Star | ¥¥¥¥ | — |
| Lamdre | Michelin 1 Star, World's 50 Best | ¥¥¥¥ | — |
| Jingji | Michelin 2 Star | ¥¥¥¥ | — |
What to weigh when choosing between Gastro Esthetics DaDong and alternatives.
Groups are workable here, but this is the DaDong estate's most exclusive branch, so expect a more formal, curated experience than at the standard DaDong outlets. For larger parties, check the venue's official channels to ask about private room availability. Groups of 2–4 are well suited to the format; larger tables work best if the group is aligned on a set or shared menu.
Yes, and more so than any other address in the DaDong chain. The 2021 refit was explicitly designed to separate this branch from the group's mainstream outlets, and the combination of a Michelin star and Black Pearl 3 Diamond rating (2025) gives it the credentials to hold up against Beijing's broader fine dining circuit. The tableside braised sea cucumber preparation adds a performance element that suits celebratory dinners.
Book at least 2–3 weeks in advance for weekday visits; weekends and public holidays fill faster given the venue's profile as Beijing's most decorated DaDong address. Same-week availability is unlikely for prime slots. The Chaoyang location at Huahui Ziwei Park is a destination visit, so plan transport in advance.
At ¥¥¥ pricing, this is positioned well above the standard DaDong chain and targets a different decision altogether. The signature roast duck uses 22-day-old birds exclusively, and the tableside sea cucumber preparation adds enough theatrics to justify the premium over a conventional duck dinner. If you're weighing cost, the standard DaDong outlets deliver the duck format at lower spend; come here when you want the full production.
The menu is anchored around roast duck and seafood-forward dishes, so pescatarian diners can likely find options, but strict vegetarians or those with shellfish allergies should communicate requirements clearly when booking. Specific dietary accommodation details are not confirmed in available venue data, so check the venue's official channels before arrival, particularly for the tableside sea cucumber course.
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