China Vacations Travel Info – Kung Pao Chicken In Beijing

Kung Pao chicken (also spelled Kung Po chicken) is a classic dish in Sichuan cuisine, originating in the Sichuan Province of central-western China. The dish is named after Ding Baozhen (18201886), a late Qing Dynasty official. Born in Guizhou, Ding served as head of Shandong province and later as governor of Sichuan province. His title was Gong Bao, or palatial guardian. The name “Kung Pao” chicken is derived from this title.

The dish exists in both traditional Sichuan and Westernized versions; the latter is more popular in the United States and Canada.

If you are planning your China vacations now, you should try the traditional Sichuan version of Kung Pao chicken. In my point of view, this is the real Kung Pao chicken, not the Westernized version.

Here are some good restaurants which serve good Kung Pao chicken in Beijing:

(1). Guolin (Zhongguancun branch): The Guolin is a famous Chinese Home-Style Cooking restaurant in Beijing. The price is not high (about 50 rmb for one person). Its Kung Pao chicken is a lot of people’s favourite. You can try its roast Beijing duck if you want. It is delicious too. (but much cheaper than the famouse Quanjude Peking Roast Duck) The services here are not bad and it is a very good place to hang out with friends in my point of view. Here is the address: 18 Zhongguancun Beiyijie Street, Beijing. Tel: 010 – 62628768. ( useful info for China vacations )

(2). Yuxiangcun: You can find the genuine Sichuan food in this restaurant. The cost is about 60 rmb for one person. The chefs here are from Sichuan and I like its Kung Pao chicken very much. It is sweet but not too much. You can try this real Kung Pao chicken from Sichuan here and you will find out that it is so different from the Kung Pao chicke you have in the U.S. or Europe. (info for your China vacations) Lots of people like its Boiled Fish too. You can try it if you like the spicy food. There are some VIP rooms in it and they are the good choices for you if you don’t like the noise. Here is the address: 5 Chengzhuanglu Street, Beijing. Tel: 010 – 86301674.

(3). Chuanban: Chuanban means “Sichuan’s” in Chinese. You can know that it serves the genuine Sichuan food from its name. The cost is about 50 rmb for one person. Although this restaurant is not in a good location, it is still in very good business. You will need to wait for the seats if you don’t make a reservation in advance. An interesting thing here is that you can get some discounts if you wait here for the seats. 🙂 If you are not a big fan of the spicy food, you will need to tell the waiters / waitress first. They can serve the medium spicy dishes if you ask. Its Kung Pao chicken is very good and you can try the Fried ducks blood too. I like them both. Here is the address: 5 Gongyuantoutiao Street (Jianguomenneidajie Street), Beijing. Tel: 010 – 65122277 – 6101.

(4). Xinbashu Boiled Fish (Changping): You can know that the most famous dish here is the Boiled Fish (cost only 28 rmb) from its name. Many people like the Boiled Fish here because it is not very spicy. Its environment and decorations are good. This restaurant is always in good business no matter you come here in weekend or week days. Although it is a little bit crowded and noisy sometimes, its services are not bad. The Kong Pao chicken here is a very good option for you, especially for those who are not good at eating spicy food. ( hope this can be helpful for your China vacations ) You’d better make a reservation first if you decide to come here. Here is the phone number: 010 – 89710666. Address: 32 Changping Nandajiezhongduan, Chaoping District, Beijng.