The most famous Peking duck restaurant in Beijing, founded in 1864 and still operating from its flagship location near Qianmen. Quanjude uses the traditional hung-oven roasting method — ducks are hung on hooks inside a wood-burning oven and roasted whole — which produces a slightly different result from the closed-oven method used at some competitors. The skin is crisp, the meat juicy, and the ceremony of carving at the table is part of the experience.
The Qianmen branch is the most atmospheric; the service is large-scale and efficient rather than intimate. Expect to pay around 300–400 RMB per person for a full meal with all the trimmings. Book ahead on weekends. Note that many Beijingers have their own preferred duck specialists — Siji Minfu and Da Dong are popular alternatives, considered by some to do a better bird.