Restaurant in Beijing, China
One star, hard to book, worth the effort.
Zijin Mansion holds a 2024 Michelin star and a La Liste score of 75 points, making it one of Chaoyang's stronger arguments for refined Cantonese dining. The Hakkanese chef brings regional specificity — rose myrtle fruit wine, documented regional sourcing — to a cosy, hand-embroidered room that suits a late, unhurried dinner for two. Book at least four weeks out; this fills fast.
The opening number that matters most here is not the price tier — ¥¥¥ is mid-to-high for Beijing but not the ceiling — it is the La Liste score of 75 points in 2025 alongside a 2024 Michelin star. Together, those two credentials tell you this is a kitchen operating at a level well above the neighbourhood-favourite bracket. For a first-time visitor trying to calibrate expectations: think refined Cantonese technique with occasional Hakkanese inflections, served in a space that is noticeably intimate rather than grand.
Spatial character is one of the first things a first-timer notices at Zijin Mansion, and it is worth addressing directly. The name translates to "purple and gold," but the room itself is clad in hand-embroidered orange fabric with a bird motif running through the design. The effect is cosy rather than cavernous , this is not a banquet hall. That intimacy has practical implications: the room fills quickly, noise stays at a conversational level even as the evening progresses, and the atmosphere suits a dinner for two or a small group better than a large corporate table. If you are looking for a quieter room where a proper conversation is possible late into the evening, Zijin Mansion delivers on that count in a way that many larger Cantonese restaurants in Beijing do not. The embroidered fabric detailing is not decorative noise; it signals that the owners have invested in every surface, and that same attention carries through to the kitchen.
The kitchen is led by a Hakkanese chef who works within Cantonese tradition but does not stay strictly inside its borders. Two dishes are documented with enough specificity to be worth flagging to any first-timer. The braised pork belly ribs with preserved mustard greens are prepared using rose myrtle fruit wine sourced from the chef's home county , a specific regional ingredient that gives the dish a character you will not find at a standard Cantonese kitchen in Beijing. The double-boiled chicken and fish maw soup with conch is described as delivering rich, deep umami: slow-cooked, restorative, and the kind of dish that justifies the trip for serious Cantonese food enthusiasts on its own. These are not fusion dishes in the diluted sense; they are the result of a chef drawing on a secondary culinary heritage to sharpen an already precise Cantonese repertoire. For a first-timer arriving from outside China, this is worth understanding before you order: the menu rewards engagement, not just passive consumption.
Zijin Mansion's intimate scale makes it a more practical late-dinner option than many of its Michelin-starred peers in Beijing. Larger Cantonese restaurants in the city tend to operate at a pace driven by table turnover; a room this size runs on a different rhythm. If your evening starts late , a common reality in Chaoyang, where business dinners run long and social schedules shift accordingly , the cosy format means the experience does not feel truncated or rushed at the edges of service. Hours are not published in our database, so confirm directly before planning a late arrival, but the room's scale suggests it does not rely on volume the way a larger operation would. For a considered end to an evening in Beijing, rather than a pre-theatre rush, this format suits. Compare this to Lei Garden (Jinbao Tower) or Fu Chun Ju, where the scale of the room can work against an unhurried late dinner.
Getting a table here is genuinely difficult. A Michelin star in Beijing's Chaoyang district, combined with a room that is clearly small by design, means demand consistently outruns supply. Book as far ahead as your schedule allows , four weeks minimum is a sensible working assumption, and further out if you are targeting a weekend or a holiday period. Walk-ins are unlikely to succeed. No online booking platform is confirmed in our data, so the most reliable approach is to contact the restaurant directly; the address is in Chaoyang, postal code 100026. Phone and website details are not available in our current database, so factor in some effort on the booking logistics side. This is not a venue where you decide on a Tuesday and eat on a Thursday.
Price sits at ¥¥¥, which places it below the top tier of Beijing's fine-dining bracket but above casual Cantonese. For what you get , Michelin recognition, a distinctive room, and a kitchen with a clear point of view , the pricing is defensible. First-timers who are price-sensitive relative to Beijing's broader Cantonese market should note that the experience is oriented toward quality and craft rather than scale or spectacle.
For context on what else is happening in Beijing's dining scene, see our full Beijing restaurants guide. If you are planning a broader trip, our Beijing hotels guide, bars guide, and experiences guide are worth reviewing alongside this.
If Cantonese cuisine is the draw rather than Beijing specifically, the regional comparisons are instructive. Forum in Hong Kong and Le Palais in Taipei operate at the upper end of what Cantonese fine dining looks like across Greater China. Within mainland China, 102 House in Shanghai, Imperial Treasure Fine Chinese Cuisine in Guangzhou, and Dai Yuet Heen in Nanjing offer useful reference points for how Zijin Mansion positions itself: it is a specialist kitchen with a defined perspective, not a broad showcase. For Hakkanese-inflected Cantonese specifically, the combination Zijin Mansion offers is relatively uncommon at this credential level in northern China. Also worth cross-referencing for fine Chinese dining further afield: Chef Tam's Seasons in Macau, Ru Yuan in Hangzhou, and Xin Rong Ji in Chengdu.
Back in Beijing, The Beijing Kitchen (Jianguo Road), The House of Dynasties, and Café Zi cover different parts of the fine Chinese dining spectrum if Zijin Mansion's availability or format does not fit your trip.
Quick reference: Michelin 1 Star (2024) | La Liste 75pts (2025) | ¥¥¥ | Chaoyang, Beijing | Book 4+ weeks out | Intimate room, cosy format | Cantonese with Hakkanese influences.
Yes, at ¥¥¥ it is priced below many of its Michelin-starred peers in Beijing and delivers a kitchen with genuine point of view , Hakkanese-inflected Cantonese with documented regional sourcing. For the credential level (one Michelin star, La Liste recognition), the price-to-quality ratio holds up. If your ceiling is ¥¥¥¥ and you want to spend more, Xin Rong Ji or Chao Shang Chao are the relevant comparisons, but they operate in a different register.
Four weeks minimum is a realistic working assumption for a weekday table; aim for six weeks or more if you need a weekend slot or are travelling during a Chinese public holiday. A Michelin star in a small-format room in Chaoyang means the gap between when you decide to go and when you can actually get in is longer than most first-timers expect. Contact the restaurant directly , no online booking platform is confirmed in our data.
Yes. The combination of Michelin recognition, an intimate room with distinctive hand-embroidered décor, and a kitchen that sources specific regional ingredients gives this enough character to carry a birthday, anniversary, or important client dinner. The cosy scale works in your favour for a private feel. For a larger group occasion where you need a private room or banquet format, this may not be the right fit , verify capacity directly before booking for a party of more than four or five.
Plausible but not optimised for it. The intimate room and Cantonese format are better suited to two or more diners , sharing dishes is how the kitchen's range comes through. Solo diners in Beijing at this price tier tend to do better at counter-format venues. That said, the room's cosy scale means a solo diner is unlikely to feel out of place the way they might at a larger banquet-style restaurant. Confirm with the restaurant whether counter or bar seating is available.
This is not confirmed in our data, and for a Cantonese kitchen at this level , where broth depth, specific regional ingredients, and multi-component dishes are central , dietary restrictions require direct conversation with the restaurant before you book. Do not assume flexibility; contact them in advance, especially for allergies involving shellfish, pork, or gluten, all of which appear in documented signature dishes.
| Venue | Cuisine | Price | Booking Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zijin Mansion | Cantonese | ¥¥¥ | Hard |
| Jing | French Contemporary | ¥¥¥ | Unknown |
| Xin Rong Ji (Xinyuan South Road) | Taizhou | ¥¥¥¥ | Unknown |
| Chao Shang Chao (Chaoyang) | Chao Zhou | ¥¥¥¥ | Unknown |
| Lamdre | Vegetarian | ¥¥¥¥ | Unknown |
| Jingji | Beijing Cuisine | ¥¥¥¥ | Unknown |
Comparing your options in Beijing for this tier.
No dietary policy is documented in the available venue record. Given the kitchen operates within Cantonese and Hakkanese tradition — including dishes built around pork belly, fish maw, and conch — guests with seafood or pork restrictions should check the venue's official channels before booking. At the ¥¥¥ price tier with a Michelin star, it is reasonable to expect kitchen flexibility, but confirm in advance rather than assume.
Yes, with caveats. The hand-embroidered interior, one Michelin star, and a kitchen that reinterprets Cantonese classics with Hakkanese precision make this a strong special-occasion choice for two. The room is small by design, so the atmosphere is intimate rather than celebratory in a grand-banquet sense — it suits a birthday dinner for two more naturally than a group milestone. If you need a private room or a larger party setup, verify availability before committing.
Probably, though the room's intimate scale cuts both ways for solo diners. The cosy, bird-themed interior makes a solo visit feel considered rather than awkward, and Cantonese tasting formats are well-suited to single orders. No counter or bar seating is documented, so solo diners may occupy a two-top — check whether the restaurant accommodates solo bookings before reserving.
Book as early as you can, and treat two to three weeks as a minimum. A Michelin star in Beijing's Chaoyang district combined with a room that is deliberately small means tables are genuinely limited. If you are visiting Beijing on a fixed itinerary, book before you land. No online reservation platform is documented, so plan for a direct contact approach.
At ¥¥¥, Zijin Mansion sits mid-to-high for Beijing but is not the ceiling for Michelin-starred dining in the city. With a La Liste score of 75 points and a one-star rating in 2024, the credentials are legitimate. The Hakkanese chef's approach — braising pork belly in rose myrtle fruit wine, double-boiling chicken and fish maw with conch — suggests kitchen craft that justifies the spend. If you are comparing against larger Cantonese restaurants in Chaoyang, the intimacy and culinary specificity here are the differentiating factors.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
