Fu Jia Lou 福家楼

The recreated scene in the window of two men smoking long water pipes while lost over a game of Chinese chess evoke the mood of the old capital in days past. This old Beijing eatery is essentially a more stylized version of the popular Dao Jia Chang branch that originally occupied the building. It provides a more pleasant atmosphere than its predecessor, with intricate lattice wood screens separating the dining rooms and dish names written on pieces of wood hung from the rafters. Worth trying are the zha qiehe (two slices of eggplant deep-fried with pork in the middle) and shao yangrou (thin-sliced roast mutton).