New Home, Same Great Food: Relocated Beijing Pie Delivers on Its Roubing Promises

First opened at Beiheyan Dajie near Wangfujing in 2015, Beijing Pie made a name for itself among both locals and expats with its simple but satisfying Beijing grub. After mourning the closure of its original venue during the Great Brickening, we were delighted to discover that Beijing Pie has returned to Xila Hutong, near the Forbidden City.

Beijing Pie specialty is roubing (肉饼, RMB 22-28 ) – pancakes stuffed with beef, pork, roasted duck, or vegetarian fillings like spinach or leek. The bilingual menu is also loaded with homemade Beijing-style comfort dishes such as braised pork belly in chili sauce, rice noodles or marinated Chinese cabbage with sesame paste, deep-fried meatballs, stir-fried lamb kidney, and soups.

The signature kung pao chicken thigh (RMB 36), uses, as the name indicates, chicken thigh instead of the normal chicken breast, as well as the chicken's skin to give extra flavor to this slightly spicy, rather sickly-sweet dish. Stir-fried with chili and peanuts, those who are leek-averse will be happy to see that there is no green in sight.  

As for the eponymous pie, or roubing, sadly you can’t mix and match different flavors. However, you're sure to come out happy with any that you choose, our beef roubing (RMB 28) proving particularly good without being too greasy. It was also extremely generously portioned, just like you might find in a family household, and reminded of how my nainai used to make it, packing the pancake with as much filling as possible. The result? Deliciously satisfying, overflowing pancake with a rich flavor and flaky crust.

Does Beijing Pie offer one of the best kung pao chicken and pies in Beijing? Probably, and for that reason, if you're new to the capital and looking for a good spot for Beijing dishes, this small an unassuming restaurant should be one of your first stops. Why? It’s affordable, the menu's bilingual, it’s rowdy, and it's very much local. For that reason, if you intend to go on a weekend, it can get extremely busy and you should prepare to spend some time queuing with everyone else looking for a cheap and gratifying fill.

READ: The Real Taste of Beijing at Dongsiminfang Restaurant

Beijing Pie
Daily 10am-9pm. 101, Bldg 7, 14 Xila Hutong, Dongcheng District (6528 3828)
河沿肉饼：东城区东安门大街43号7幢101(锡拉胡同14号)

More stories by this author here.

Email: tracywang@thebeijinger.com
Twitter: @flyingfigure
Instagram: @flyingfigure

Photo: Tracy Wang