京味轩

Cuisine Chinese
Price $$$ (31-50)
Rating 7/10
Last Visit Dec. 30, 2019
Location SFBA: South Bay
General Notes

This restaurant specializes in Beijing specialties such as 北京烤鸭 and 猪肉并. I really enjoy Beijing food and other food from northern China, so it's nice to see restaurants in the US that specialize in them. Northern Chinese restaurants are pretty rare. This is a pretty incredible restaurant if you focus primarily on the duck. The other dishes are not standouts, but the duck is absolutely amazing - crispy, juicy, and intensely savory. I would absolutely recommend giving this place a try for an amazing 北京烤鸭 experience.

Positives

> In general, the food is quite good and authentic. This is the only place that I've been to which sells good-quality, crispy Beijing duck.

Negatives

> The food is surprisingly expensive.
> Make sure to make a reservation in advance if you're planning to order the duck.
> Beyond some of the specialty dishes, the food at this restaurant doesn't have that much unique character.

Dishes Tasted
  • ★★★★ 鱼头泡饼 -- This dish is a bit expensive for the actual content, but it's absolutely delicious. The 饼 has a perfect texture for this dish - very crisp and savory. The broth pairs excellently with it, and the fish head is nice and tender. For some reason, I really enjoy fish head, so this was a really nice dish for me.
  • ★★★☆ 牛肉饼 -- A bit too much dough and not enough meat, but otherwise quite good. I actually like that the dough is a bit more crisp.
  • ★★★★ 炒大豆秒 -- Delicious; well stir-fried. Lots of oil, relatively salty, somewhat garlicky. The vegetables are tender but crisp.
  • ★☆☆☆ 牛肉片? -- Dry
  • ★★☆☆ 火爆腰花
  • ★★☆☆ 京酱肉丝 -- A bit oily and lacking in sauce
  • ★★☆☆ 皮冻 -- Generally not the biggest fan of this
  • ★★★☆ 姜汁菠菜 -- The intense 花椒 flavor is amazing, and it goes well with the peanuts.
  • ★★☆☆ 干煸四季豆 -- A bit too much burnt leftover bits, but otherwise good.
  • ★★★★ 北京烤鸭 -- Crispy, juicy, and intensely savory. The accompaniments are precise and well-made.

BESbswy