Liu’s Family and Restaurant 刘宅食府 @ Beijing (2026)

Welcome to our “family” restaurant, a place where my Beijing friends and I shared many meals together. This is Princess’ first time to this place we referred to as our home kitchen in Beijing.

Liu Residence Restaurant 刘宅食府 is situated at the back of a nondescript alley, and you would have missed it if you are not eagle-eyed. I have been to this restaurant more than 10 times over the years as our Beijing office was nearby. The cuisine is mixed – you get the classic Beijing dishes like mustard cabbage 芥末墩, and home style dishes like the eggplant and stir-fried vegetables. And you can also order the restaurant stuff like Peking duck (which is done over a traditional wood fire).

I really like the rustic nature of this restaurant, which is housed in a typical Beijing Siheyuan 四合院 (four-sided yard). You sit in the courtyard that has been converted to a dining hall with square tables and long benches. The four sides are rooms that have been converted to private rooms that can cater to 8-20 people. During winter, these rooms are cosy, while in summer the courtyard is really comfortable.

Cucumber Salad with Aged Vinegar 老醋全家福

We started with an appetiser salad. It features sliced braised beef shank, shredded red onions and smashed cucumber with garlic mash and crunch peanuts with Shanxi aged vinegar. Very refreshing.

Mongolian Grilled Lamb 贝勒烤肉

Served on a cast iron plate shaped like a Mongolian helmet, the sautéed lamb was delicious. Despite its name, the dish is not traditionally Mongolian but rather developed overseas and got back into the Chinese menu as more and more foreigner asked for it. Princess didn’t like it because of the celery and parsley.

Duck Feet in Mustard Dressing 芥末鸭掌

Another staple of a Peking duck meal is the duck feet in yellow mustard dressing. When foreigners first came across this dish together with the Peking duck, they could not comprehend why would anyone eat a part of the animal that spent its life on the floor. When I tried it for the first time, I was blown away by the crunch of the webfoot and the choking taste of the mustard. Princess is now a convert too. For those who are not open to eating animal feet, there’s mustard cabbage 芥末墩 that tastes similar.

Peking Duck 北京烤鸭

If you want to eat the Peking roast duck here, you have to be patient enough. Everything is done from scratch, and only by slowing down and attention to details can you enjoy the signature dish of Beijing.

The condiments included some pickled radish and dried plums in addition to the usual sweet dark sauce, sugar, paprika powder, leeks and cucumber. And you can use the flour wraps to eat the duck.

The back of the duck near the neck is the fattiest part of the duck. and it produces the crispiest piece of skin. This is usually served as the first cut of the Peking duck course. And traditionally this is eaten by dipping a piece of duck skin in white sugar.

Next up, a plate of duck breast which you dip it in the sweet dark sauce. Not my favourite cut, very dry and almost tasteless if eaten without the sauce. In Singapore we would shred this meat and stir-fry it with e-fu noodles.

And finally the half-skinned roast duck that you roll with the flour skin with shredded spring onions and cucumber strips, accompanied by whatever condiments you like. The Peking duck, while not the best in Beijing, was value-for-money and comparatively better than some of the branded Peking duck restaurants in town. I liked it because you don’t need to queue like crazy with the tourist crowds, or pay exorbitant prices for this staple of Beijing.

Homemade Dumplings 家常饺子

These Northern style dumplings are huge. The filling is chives and minced pork, and each one of the dumpling is the size of a pingpong ball. One order is around 500g of dumplings, around 20 pieces. The portion is huge for a small eater, but it is delicious.

Four Beijing Desserts 京四件

The four Beijing desserts are (from L) red bean paste roll 驴打滚, glutinous rice balls 艾窝窝, sweet pea cake 豌豆黄, and hawthorne cake 山楂糕. “Donkey rolling in mud” 驴打滚 is a traditional rolled pastry made from glutinous rice flour filled with red bean paste covered in soybean powder which looks like a dusty donkey. Aiwowo 艾窝窝 resembles snowballs in appearance and is made with glutinous rice flour steamed and filled with a sweet fruit paste, similar to our ondeh-ondeh.

Beijing Yoghurt with Fruits 鲜果酸奶

Finally, a probiotics to aid digestion after all these food. Beijing yoghurt 老北京酸奶 is a traditional Chinese fermented milk with a rich, velvety texture and a sweet-and-tangy flavour. It is thinner than Greek yoghurt but creamier than a standard drink which is usually served with a straw. Their homemade version is thicker than those you get from outside so you can eat it with a spoon.

This old Beijing courtyard gem has a loyal following who pack it to the rafters every night, so make sure you book ahead if you want to eat during mealtime.

Liu’s Family and Restaurant 刘宅食府
8 Meishuguan Dongjie (opposite Sanlian Bookstore)
美术馆东街蒋家大院胡同8号(三联书店斜对面胡同内)
电话：13520028821,+86-10-64005912

Visited Apr 2026