Beijing Imperial Restaurant Ge Ge Fu
Best Chinese Food Beijing
Guest Author: Nellie Huang
An imperial Manchurian restaurant set in an authentic ancient mansion allows you to genuinely walk back in time, specifically, the Qing Dynasty. At Ge Ge Fu (translated to ‘Home of the Princess Dowager’), the food does not play the most important role, it is more of an experience that they provide. They do not only serve up extravagant Imperial cuisine, but also allow you to savor the good old flavors of historical China.
With waiters dressed in traditional Royal servants’ costumes, and even addressing you as a Princess, you really might just feel like a royalty. It is inevitable to feel like you’re walking straight into a tourist trap (at least I did!), but the all-Chinese menu and Chinese-speaking Manager and servers assure you a true Chinese indulgence. Don’t fret – bring a phrasebook along, and you’ll do just fine.
Before the meal, you even get a tour of the ancient mansion, where you can explore the ancient study room and living area. They are fully furnished with antique porcelain and ivory furniture, retaining the way they looked centuries ago. Short English explanations are even provided on leaflet. There are also traditional dance performances and acrobatics right in the eating hall.
An interesting feature is the opportunity to try on a traditional royalty costume. I awkwardly put on a bright red silk costume donned by Dowagers in the past, and even the head-dress that weighed a ton. It was definitely a refreshing way to understand China’s traditions and history a little bit better.
The restaurant’s specialty is its hot pot. With a huge variety of different soups and sauces to choose from, I would recommend the duck soup, and snake soup. Steamy, sour yet rich, and definitely a refreshing taste of Imperial cuisine. Match that with some cold vegetables such as pickled cabbage, and rice, you would get a satisfying and unique meal. Of course, with such a unique setting and extravagant cuisine, all these come with a price. A 3-course meal that comes with vegetables and steaming hot pot, costs 200RMB per person.
The only down side is its location. Hidden in an alley in the outskirts of the city center, Ge Ge Fu is not centrally located, but is just a 20RMB’s taxi ride away. With its famous reputation, rest assured any taxi driver would find his way.
China is an eclectic myriad of colors, sights and sounds. There is never a lack of good restaurants and exotic street stalls to dip in your fingers. Fascinating for the wide-eyed traveler, this Imperial Restaurant would be the best place to soak in some culture, and savor the original flavors.
Many, many thanks to my special guest author, Nellie Huang. Nellie Huang is a worshipper of the sun, wild adventures, and new discoveries. As a teacher with compassion, she has taught in Spain and Tanzania and lived in Miami and London. Now back in Asia, she writes for interest on her website WildJunket (www.wildjunket.com), works as a freelance translator, and continues exploring her thirst for the unknown. You can follow her on twitter @wildjunket
Beijing Restaurants
Websites: Ge Ge Fu, WildJunket
Open 11:30am-1:30pm; 5pm-10pm
Ge Ge Fu Restaurant
9 Daqudeng Hutong, Meishuguan Houdajie,Chaoyang
美术馆后大街大取灯胡同9号
Tel: +86 10 6407-8006
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