Ju Bao Yuan 聚宝源 @ Beijing

There are three things I always eat whenever I am in Beijing, one of them is the traditional lamb hotpot 涮羊肉.

Ju Bao Yuan 聚宝源 is founded in 1937 in 牛街 Niu “Cow” Street, Beijing. It is one of the newcomers but has since established itself as one of the better ones besides South Gate 南门, Old Door Post 老门框 and the reverent Donglaishun 东来顺.

I hesitated in front of the shop because it wasn’t packed during meal time, but I recognise the logo and calligraphic signboard. The Four Heavenly Kings of Beijing mutton hotpot (东来顺, 聚宝源, 福寿斋 and 南门) have their shops in Qianmen. Be careful as there are so many other pretenders that only differ slight by their names but the quality is totally different.

I have a smaller appetite these days and could not finish full portion of lambs if I order a few varieties. Luckily they do offer an assortment of lamb that is good enough for two persons for small eaters. However I still could not resist to order their signature lamb fillet.

According to tradition, the Beijing hotpot 涮锅 must have the following characteristics:

• It must be a copper pot.  And this is the most important rule of all.
• The meat must be fresh meat hand-cut, never frozen.
• No stock, just plain water with a couple of cut pieces of leeks.
• Dipping sauce with only three ingredients : sesame sauce 芝麻酱, chives 韭菜 and preserved tofu 豆腐乳.

Special tahini sauce 麻酱调料 is no longer given for free in most of these hotpot restaurants. However you need to order one as the meat will be tasteless as they are simply blanched in water. And if you are like me who enjoy a stronger taste to the condiments, ask for their garlic sesame oil dip 蒜茸调料 as well. These two condiments will make sure you have an enjoyable meal.

The rest of the condiments are available from a condiment bar at the corner of the restaurant. You can compliment the base tahini sauce with other savoury items like chive sauce 韭菜酱 and chilli oil 辣油. However the fermented tofu 腐乳 (my favourite) has to be specially requested from the kitchen. Don’t miss this acquired taste.

Believe it or not, it was said that Genghis Khan’s army was ambushed just when they were preparing dinner. At the critical moment, Genghis asked the chef to cut the mutton into thin slices and put it in a pot of boiling water. When the meat colour changed, he put it into the bowl, mixed with condiments and quickly ate it. After eating the mutton, the soldiers were in high spirits and launched a counterattack against the enemy and won. In order to commemorate the wonderful victory, Genghis Khan often ate this dish and named it mutton shabu-shabu 涮羊肉.

Compared with the more popular and famous hot and spicy Szechuan-style hotpot, the traditional copper pot of the old Beijing hotpot uses only plain water as the stock base. The meat takes centre stage and so the quality has to be exceptional – the lamb must not form too much scum when cooked, and the lamb must not taste gamey or musky. If it is not fresh or tender or has those characteristics, the hotpot restaurant can be directly declared as a failure.

Lamb fillet 鲜羊上脑 took the longest time to serve as it was hand-cut only when ordered. And the process of slicing the meat is not added by any machinery and has to be completed without any blood. This cut is from the back of the lamb closest to the neck, hence the distinctive layer of fats on the side like a sirloin.

I really enjoy the charcoal fuelled hotpot; you just need to swoosh the finely sliced mutton or lamb quickly into the boiling water until it turns colour.

It is the sauce that made the difference because there’s no taste in the soup base. When they say water, it is really water.

Mama always says, you need to have some fibre with your meal. It came with some daisy crowns 蒿子杆; daisy crowns have a slight bitterness in the taste, and clear the palate for more food to follow.

Any responsible restaurant owner will make sure you have proper pot that would have enough fire that would last throughout your two-hour meal. The water will continue boiling without fail. The timing of the flame is as important as the copper pot.

Since it’s only plain water in the pot, the comparison is only on the lamb and mutton. Jubaoyuan stands out for the value for money, cheaper than South Gate and Donglaishun, only to be beaten by Old Door Post in terms of cuts of meat. Be warned – as they use charcoal as fuel for the hotpot, you will leave the restaurant with a strong smell on you.

Ju Bao Yuan 聚宝源 (前门店)
鲜鱼囗老字号美食街84、86号
Tel : +86 13718257631 / 18301626081

Visited Nov 2025