Mao’s Restaurant 毛家饭店 @ Changsha

The Chairman went to eat at the founder’s house in Shaoshan, loved the braised pork belly so much and the rest is history.

On 25 Jun 1959, Mao Zedong went back to his childhood home in Shaoshan and stopped by a farmer’s house for lunch. Madam Tang Ruiren 汤瑞仁 was married into this Mao family (everyone in that area belonged to the Mao clan) and made lunch for the Chairman. Among the dishes prepared was the Mao’s Braised Pork Belly 毛家红烧肉.

Then inspired by the call of Deng Xiaoping to open market economy, Madam Tang and her daughter Mao Taozhi 毛桃芝 started Mao’s Restaurant in 1987. In 1995, they obtained the trademark to Mao’s Restaurant. Now with over 300 stores nationwide, they continue to offer value meals for the working class.

The dining group has different concepts and this particular one that caters to people on the move offers a filling meal under RMB 25. The concept is very simple – you just pick the main course to go with unlimited amount of rice. And the dishes go from RMB 8 to 22. Only the Hunanese Steamed Chopped Chilli Fish Head is the most expensive at RMB 45.

Mao’s Braised Pork Belly 毛家红烧肉 was Chairman Mao’s favourite dish, a classic Hunan dish known for its vibrant red colour, savoury-sweet flavour with a hint of spice (often from chilies), and a texture that’s rich but not greasy, using special local pork like 沙子岭猪 Shaziling pig. Key to its unique taste is the use of rock sugar for caramelisation and Shaoxing wine, and incorporating local ingredients like Hunan fermented bean curd 腐乳.

Hunan Stinky Tofu 湖南臭豆腐 was another of Chairman Mao’s favourite when he was a student in Changsha. He often ate it at the Fire Temple 火宫殿 in Changsha, once commenting, “How I longed for the Fire Temple Stinky Tofu!” This variety of tofu has a blacken appearance, crispy on the outside, funky and soft inside, eaten with copious amount of Hunan chilli sauce.

This is a much simpler dish than the classic from La Tour d’Argent. Bite-size pieces of duck are stir-fried with fresh blood duck, spices and vinegar to achieve a thick coating of blood sauce over the duck pieces. It also has a nice lemongrass aroma from 山胡椒油 (oil from a local variety of peppercorn). And unlike the French classic, this Hunanese classic is savoury and packs a kick.

Located inside the station on the upper level, this is a place for quick and inexpensive meal before boarding your train. They also have another branch in Changsha International Airport.

毛家饭店·四店合一(长沙高铁南站大区店)
长沙高铁南站候车大厅A2-A6区楼上（长沙高铁站候车室A区）

Visite Oct 2025