Restaurant in Beijing, China
Michelin-starred Huaiyang at a fair price.
A Michelin-starred Huaiyang restaurant set inside a period mansion in Dongcheng, Huaiyang Fu delivers one of Beijing's strongest price-to-quality arguments in fine regional Chinese dining. At the ¥¥ tier, with La Liste recognition and a 2024 Michelin star, it outperforms most comparably priced alternatives on both food and atmosphere. Book well ahead — this one is hard to get into.
At the ¥¥ price tier, Huaiyang Fu in Dongcheng is one of Beijing's most compelling arguments for fine regional Chinese cooking without the four-symbol price tag. It holds a Michelin 1 Star (2024) and appeared on La Liste's Leading Restaurants ranking in both 2025 (78pts) and 2026 (76pts), which means the quality is independently verified and consistent. If you want to eat serious Huaiyang cuisine — the refined, delicately flavoured cooking of the Jiangsu-Anhui river region , in a setting that matches the food, this is where to go in Beijing. The short version: book it.
The restaurant occupies a period mansion at 198 Anwai Avenue in Dongcheng, and the physical environment is a genuine part of the case for going. Stone garden courtyards, carved wooden windows, and the proportions of a traditional Chinese residence create a spatial experience that is difficult to replicate in a purpose-built dining room. The layout rewards lingering: enclosed rooms and carved screens give the impression of a private house rather than a public restaurant, which makes it a better choice for special occasions or quieter conversation than open-plan competitors at the same tier. For a diner who cares about where they are as much as what they eat, the architecture alone separates this from the majority of Michelin-listed addresses in the city.
That said, the setting is not merely decorative. Huaiyang cooking is historically associated with imperial court kitchens and the scholarly elite of Jiangnan , it is precise, technically demanding, and visually considered. A stone-garden mansion is not an arbitrary backdrop; it is a contextually appropriate one. Explorers of Chinese regional cuisine will find the pairing of space and menu unusually coherent.
The menu centres on the canonical dishes of Huaiyang cooking: braised pork belly in brown sauce with arrowroot, sautéed swamp eel in pepper sauce, and hand-peeled lake shrimps with fox nuts. The shrimps are noted for their texture and are conventionally served with aged vinegar , a pairing that rewards attention. A seasonal menu runs alongside the core selection, which gives repeat visitors and food-focused travellers a reason to return across different times of year. Huaiyang cuisine is not a casual or casual-adjacent style; the techniques are exacting and the flavour profiles are restrained by design. If you are expecting bold, oil-forward Chinese cooking, recalibrate. The point here is refinement and precision, not intensity.
For context on the cuisine's reach, comparable Huaiyang addresses in other Chinese cities include The Huaiyang Garden in Macau and Jiangnan Wok · Yun in Nanjing, where the style originates. In Beijing, the cuisine is rarer, which raises the value of having a Michelin-endorsed version at a mid-range price point.
Reservations: Hard to book , reserve well in advance, especially for weekend evenings and private dining. Budget: ¥¥ (mid-range by Beijing fine-dining standards; accessible compared to ¥¥¥¥ peers). Address: 198 Anwai Avenue, Dongcheng, Beijing 100011. Dress: Smart casual at minimum; the setting warrants it. Leading for: Special occasions, food-focused travellers, business dinners requiring atmosphere without maximalist spending.
The late-evening window at Huaiyang Fu is worth flagging separately. The mansion setting reads differently at night , the carved wooden windows and garden stonework are more atmospheric after dark, and the enclosed room layout becomes an asset once the dinner service quiets. If you are coordinating a Beijing evening that includes drinks elsewhere before dinner, a later reservation here lands well. The space does not become loud or chaotic; if anything, it becomes more considered. For travellers working through our full Beijing restaurants guide, this is one of the addresses that holds up specifically as a later-evening destination rather than an early-sitting choice.
See the comparison section below for how Huaiyang Fu sits against its Beijing peers across value, booking difficulty, and experience type.
Yes, it is one of the stronger special-occasion options at the ¥¥ tier in Beijing. The period mansion setting , stone garden, carved wooden windows, enclosed rooms , delivers atmosphere that most restaurants at this price point cannot match. The Michelin 1 Star (2024) credential and La Liste recognition give it a legitimacy that will read clearly to guests who care about that. For a milestone dinner where the setting and the food both need to land, it outperforms most comparably priced alternatives in the city. If you need a private room, reserve far in advance and confirm availability directly.
At ¥¥, yes , this is Michelin-starred Huaiyang cooking in a genuinely distinctive space, and it costs less than every comparable-quality address on the La Liste Beijing list that sits at ¥¥¥ or ¥¥¥¥. The value case is direct: you get verified culinary quality (Michelin 2024, La Liste 2025 and 2026) and an architectural setting that adds real value to the experience, at a price tier that does not require a special budget. The main cost is booking difficulty, not money.
Huaiyang cuisine is the refined cooking tradition of the Jiangsu-Anhui Yangtze Delta region , precise, technically demanding, and subtle in flavour. It is not the bold, spiced, or oily style associated with Sichuan or Cantonese cooking. First-timers should arrive with that expectation calibrated. The braised pork belly, sautéed swamp eel, and hand-peeled lake shrimps are the dishes that define the menu. The seasonal selection changes, so checking what is current is worthwhile. The restaurant is in Dongcheng at 198 Anwai Avenue , plan your route and your reservation together, as walk-ins are not the format here.
The seasonal menu is the version most worth ordering for a first visit or a food-focused trip. It changes with the time of year and gives a structured run through the kitchen's range, which is more useful than ordering a la carte if you are unfamiliar with the cuisine. The base price tier is ¥¥, so even an extended meal here will cost less than a comparable format at ¥¥¥¥ peers. The Michelin 1 Star credential means the kitchen is cooking at a level where a tasting format is genuinely worthwhile rather than a gimmick. Specific menu pricing is not published, so confirm details when booking.
The most direct Huaiyang alternatives in Beijing are Huai Xiang Guo Se and Yu Hua Tai (Xicheng). If you want regional Chinese at a higher price tier , Taizhou cuisine with strong sourcing credentials , Xin Rong Ji (Xinyuan South Road) at ¥¥¥¥ is the comparison. For Cantonese-adjacent regional cooking at ¥¥¥¥, Chao Shang Chao (Chaoyang) is the peer. If the setting is the main draw and you are open to French Contemporary at ¥¥¥, Jing is the nearest cross-category option. Huaiyang Fu is the call if price-to-quality ratio and architectural atmosphere are your two variables.
| Venue | Cuisine | Awards | Booking Difficulty | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Huaiyang Fu (Dongcheng) | Huaiyang | La Liste Top Restaurants (2026): 76pts; La Liste Top Restaurants (2025): 78pts; This period mansion, complete with a stone garden and carved wooden windows, provides the perfect foil to the restaurant’s polished cuisine. The menu celebrates the all-time favourites of Huaiyang cooking, such as braised pork belly in brown sauce with arrowroot, and sautéed swamp eel in pepper sauce. Hand-peeled lake shrimps with fox nuts boast velvety texture and are best enjoyed with aged vinegar. The seasonal menu is also worth checking out.; Michelin 1 Star (2024) | Hard | — |
| Jing | French Contemporary | Michelin 1 Star | Unknown | — |
| Xin Rong Ji (Xinyuan South Road) | Taizhou | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
| Chao Shang Chao (Chaoyang) | Chao Zhou | Michelin 3 Star | Unknown | — |
| Lamdre | Vegetarian | Michelin 1 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
| Jingji | Beijing Cuisine | Michelin 2 Star | Unknown | — |
Side-by-side comparison to help you decide where to book.
Yes — the combination of a Michelin star, a period mansion setting with stone garden and carved wooden windows, and a menu built around Huaiyang classics makes it a solid pick for a dinner that needs to feel considered. At ¥¥, it delivers a genuinely ceremonial atmosphere without the price tag of Beijing's four-symbol rooms. Book a private dining area if your group is 4 or more, and reserve well ahead for weekend evenings.
At ¥¥, it is one of the stronger value cases among Beijing's Michelin-starred restaurants. A Michelin star and back-to-back La Liste recognition (76–78 points in 2025–2026) at a mid-range price point is unusual in this city. The menu focuses on canonical Huaiyang dishes rather than experimental tasting formats, so you are paying for precision and setting rather than novelty.
Huaiyang cuisine originates from the Jiangsu region and is known for careful knife work, clean broths, and restraint rather than bold spice — expect dishes like braised pork belly in brown sauce and sautéed swamp eel in pepper sauce. The restaurant is at 198 Anwai Avenue in Dongcheng and is housed in a preserved period mansion, so the physical space is worth arriving early to appreciate. Booking ahead is necessary; walk-in availability is not reliable given demand.
The seasonal menu is noted alongside the core Huaiyang classics and is worth requesting when available, particularly if you want to see what the kitchen is doing beyond its signature dishes. The ¥¥ price tier means even a multi-course format here sits well below comparable Michelin-starred restaurants in Beijing. If the seasonal menu is your priority, confirm availability when booking rather than assuming it will be offered.
For upscale Cantonese in Beijing, Xin Rong Ji (Xinyuan South Road) targets a similar fine-dining audience but at a higher price tier with broader seafood focus. Jing offers a more international fine-dining format if Huaiyang-specific cooking is not the priority. For regional Chinese at a comparable mid-range spend, Chao Shang Chao (Chaoyang) covers Cantonese dim sum and roast formats. Huaiyang Fu is the clearest choice if classical Huaiyang cooking in a period setting is specifically what you are after.
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