Gastro Esthetics DaDong (Dongsi Shitiao)

DaDong is one of the best-known modern names in Beijing dining, and its branch at Nanxincang Business Tower, on Dongsi Shitiao in Dongcheng, holds one Michelin star in the current Michelin Guide Beijing. The guide lists it as Gastro Esthetics DaDong and classes the cooking as contemporary Chinese. The restaurant occupies the first and second floors of the building at 22A Dongsi 10th Alley.

Roast duck is the main reason people come. According to the Michelin Guide, DaDong uses young birds, roasted and served with traditional condiments, which makes it a useful contrast with the older, more traditional style at Quanjude. Another signature is braised sea cucumber made with Japanese spiny sea cucumber and prepared at the table. The menu also changes with the seasons, with seafood and mushroom dishes highlighted by the guide.

The Michelin Guide notes that the restaurant is good for families and lists it under its eat-like-a-local category. Facilities include air conditioning, a car park with valet parking, and credit card payment.

Reservations are handled by the restaurant directly rather than through an online booking platform, so call ahead, especially for dinner and at weekends, and ask about the duck when you book. The phone number listed by the guide is +86 10 5169 0328, and the official website is dadongdadong.com.

The Michelin Guide places DaDong at the third of its four price levels, below the top-tier tasting-menu restaurants such as King's Joy and Xin Rong Ji. The brand has more than one branch in Beijing: the guide's 2025 list also included a DaDong on Gongti East Road in Chaoyang, but the starred restaurant is the one on Dongsi Shitiao. Peking duck in Beijing comes in more than one tradition. Quanjude roasts its birds in open, hanging ovens, while Bianyifang, whose history the Beijing government traces back to 1416, is known for closed-furnace roast duck. DaDong's young-bird duck is a modern interpretation, so trying it alongside one of the older houses shows how varied the dish can be.

The restaurant suits couples, families and small groups who want to try Peking duck in a contemporary setting. Order the duck as the centrepiece and build the rest of the meal around the seasonal dishes the guide recommends, such as the seafood and mushroom plates.