30 Years and Counting: Yuebin Restaurant Rolls On

Change is something we have to get used to in Beijing. Places open and close, friends come and go – at times it feels like change is the only constant. It’s especially rare to find restaurants that have staying power. Five years aint bad, 10 is almost a miracle, but few have been operating for more than 20 years. Over the next few weeks I’ll take a look at some of those spots that have stood the test of time, starting out with one that has a unique claim as the first privately owned restaurant in the city post “Reform and Opening Up” - Yuebin Restaurant.

Yuebin opened 30 years ago this fall in Cuihua hutong, just across from the National Art Museum, and it’s still located in the same spot today. When it first opened, prices were as low as one kuai for a meal and people from all over the city flocked to Yuebin for a chance to have a meal away from the state run cafeterias and canteens. The politics of private enterprise had not yet been decided and the Guo family, the brave restaurateurs who opened it, faced some political backlash until government leaders started stopping by.

To this day the restaurant serves good, hearty Beijing-style jiachangcai (home-style cooking) in an environment only a step up from a hole in the wall. Despite having only been remodeled once since it opened, the interior is simple and clean, bearing no sign of the restaurant’s unique history. It’s small and often smoke-filled and the service is curt, but courteous – and fast.

For all its down-home feel, the food at Yuebin is a step up from what you’d expect at many small local restaurants. While typical favorites like kungpao chicken and dry fried green beans are on the menu, it’s the dishes that little restaurants usually don’t have – especially the seafood – that keeps locals, expats and tourists coming back.

Dry fried fish (干烧黄鱼) and stir fried shrimp (清炒虾仁) are two of the favorites among the seafood choices. The tofu pockets (锅塌豆腐) will have even the most avowed meat lovers screaming for more, while a little more care goes into the veggie dishes than you’ll find elsewhere in the city.

For meat eaters, the garlic pork elbow (蒜泥肘子) is something you’ll see on many tables, but their sweet and sour pork ribs are some of Beijing’s best. Since rumor is this is going to be an incredibly cold winter, their winter melon and meatball (fish, shrimp, or beef) soup is great comfort food for a cold day.

Prices at Yuebin are slightly higher than at most small, local restaurants, but a table of two can still walk away spending less than RMB 100. It’s a small price to pay for an excellent meal in what’s been a rare constant in Beijing’s life for almost 30 years.

Yuebin Restaurant 悦宾饭馆, 43, 31 Cuihua Hutong (hutong is located opposite the main gates of the National Art Museum of China), Dongcheng Distric 东城区翠花胡同43，31号(中国美术馆对面) Daily 11am-2pm, 5-9pm