白家大院 Bai Jia Da Yuan Restaurant

Was chatting with my mom about rarely being impressed with Chinese food Stateside because of my few years of living abroad in China, and I mentioned this restaurant to her. Might as well put it here, because it shouldn’t be missed.

This restaurant was formerly a palace built during the reign of Emporer Kang Xi, built around 1690. Today it has been repurposed into a restaurant from that time period. The servers there dress in period clothing as imperial servants for you, the customer (Imperial Royalty). The cuisine is imperial court cuisine and Cantonese dishes. They also feature several performances, ranging from imperial song and dance historically performed for royalty and the court, as well as face changing performances for the masses.

This is a highly recommended restaurant, but also experience, for anyone visiting Beijing.