For affordable and accessible Old Beijing dishes, you can’t go wrong with the chain restaurant Haiwanju.

The chain is known for its large portions and delicious Old Beijing specialties.

Zhajiangmian, noodles tossed with fried soybean paste, is probably the first thing that pops into locals minds when talking about Beijing cuisine. The dish is popular all year round and is a must on any birthday table.

Guozigan

Guozigan

The dish is prepared by stir frying soybean paste with diced meat in oil. Every family has its own special ingredients that go into the sauce.

The vegetables added depend on the season, with the most common additions being shredded cucumbers, bean sprouts and green turnips.

Haiwanju’s zhajiangmian is made with hand-pulled noodles and served with a platter of seven vegetables and one dish of soybean paste.

The restaurant has many other popular Old Beijing appetizers and snacks. Its guozigan is served cool and tastes sweet and sour. It is made of apricots, hawthorns, lotus roots and raisins that are soaked in a juice made of sugar candy and sweet osmanthus. The crystal look and sweet-and-sour taste help to cool off during hot summer days.

It also sells noodles with Wasabi cabbage, fried sausage and Ma Tofu.

Waiters dress in Old Beijing clothes and issue the same formal greetings used in restaurants 100 years ago. The tables, flatware and décor all a throwback to the capital’s old glory days. [vc_single_image image=”5050″ image_size=”full” frame=”noframe” full_width=”no” lightbox=”no” link_target=”_self” shadow=”no” width=”1/1″ el_position=”first last”]

Haiwanju in Chaoyang

36 Songyu Dong Li, Chaoyang District

11 am–9:30 pm

(010) 8731 3518

Haiwanju in Haidian

Cuiwei Plaza, 2 Huayuan Lu, Haidian District

11 am–10 pm

(010) 8207 0488

11 Zengguang Lu North, Haidian District

11 am–11 pm(010) 8837 4993