Beijing Food Tour: Peking Duck & Kung Fu Show

Looking to add more unforgettable memories to your Beijing stay? Join us on a journey through the city’s most vibrant stories, where cuisine and culture intertwine. Start with the crispy, fragrant Peking Duck and let the genuine flavors delight you; then, as night falls, step into a theater for a spectacular Kung Fu show and feel an entirely different rhythm of Beijing.

This afternoon, at around 15:30, your private guide will greet you at your self-booked hotel to start this half-day Beijing food tour. Let’s take a taxi to Siji Minfu Restaurant, currently the most popular chain roast duck restaurant in Beijing.

► Priority Queuing for Peking Duck
Even with over 20 branches, the restaurant remains so hot. Don’t let the 2 or 3-hour lines deter you. Your guide will secure a queue number online in advance. While this significantly reduces your wait, please expect a 30 to 60-minute stay at the restaurant before being seated. If you prefer a historic though less contemporary option like Quanjude Restaurant, we are happy to arrange it. However, we highly recommend Siji Minfu to ensure you enjoy the best culinary experience Beijing has to offer.

Once we are successfully seated, enjoy a feast lasting 1 to 1.5 hours. The roast duck is undoubtedly the ‘star’ of the meal. With over 600 years of history, Peking Duck has evolved from an imperial delicacy into a street-side favorite, and even risen onto the world stage. As a regular fixture at state banquets, it has been served to numerous foreign dignitaries, such as Richard Nixon and Charlie Chaplin. With its golden, crispy skin and rich, tender meat, it embodies the legendary flavors of Chinese cuisine. The duck at Siji Minfu Restaurant is roasted on-site, with the kitchen separated from diners by a large glass wall, allowing you to witness the entire roasting process. Once the duck comes out of the oven, a chef will serve it at your table and slice it right on the spot. His skillful hands and precise knife work turn the 10-plus-minute process into an amazing visual feast for you. Then, take a thin rice paper, smear it with the special sauce, add a few slices of meat, some shredded scallions, and cucumber sticks, roll it into a little ‘fat bundle’, and pop the whole thing in your mouth. The chewy wrapper, tender meat, sweet-and-savory dip, and subtle spiciness of the ingredients will come together to give you a rich taste. For another delight, take just a piece of duck skin, dip it in the sugar provided, and let it melt on your tongue. Besides that, the restaurant also serves a selection of other authentic Chinese dishes, and your guide will make some recommendations based on your taste.
● Tip: Seating is arranged in the main dining hall. If you prefer a private dining room, please let us know at least one month in advance, as they are in high demand and require early booking.

After the meal, hop in a taxi again and let’s head to the Red Theater. Originally built in the 1950s as a cinema, it has since been repurposed into a premier venue dedicated exclusively to showcasing traditional Chinese intangible cultural heritages through live performances. Here, we’ll treat you to a fantastic hour-long Chinese Kung Fu show that starts at around 19:30. It weaves a complete dramatic story around real martial arts moves, telling the growth legend of a young monk who leaves his mother, enters the mountains, and through training, trials, and temptations, becomes a grandmaster. Other art forms, such as dance and acrobatics, are also seamlessly integrated, accompanied by ingenious stage lighting and original music, creating a breathtaking stage spectacle for you. Various symbolic fist techniques, fierce sword and blade duels, and difficult aerial somersaults will have you gasping in amazement time and again. What might surprise you even more is that, besides professional actors, part of the cast includes actual monks from the temple, known as ‘warrior monks’, who practice kung fu to build up their bodies and protect the safety of their monastery.

By now, your private Beijing night food tour comes to an end, and your guide will escort you in a taxi back to your hotel. Hope you had an enjoyable time with us! For more private tours to Beijing’s major highlights, such as the UNESCO-listed Forbidden City and Great Wall, feel free to contact our travel consultants to customize for you.